Blanche also prefers not to acknowledge her age, telling Mitch that Stella is her older sister, when she is in fact her younger sister. Blanche also avoids light, as she is afraid that light would show up her true age. The stage directions on page 5 tell us that ‘she is about five years older than Stella.’ Blanche tells us that she likes the dark because “the dark is comforting to me.” It conceals the truth. Blanche has never let Mitch see her in the light before, and when Mitch realises her true age, and confronts her he says that he doesn’t mean to be insulting “just realistic.” (p.72) “I don’t want realism.” Blanche retorts. Here Blanche admits that she does not want to live realistically, she would much rather live in her world of lies and fantasy.
Blanche then lies to herself and Stanley later, saying that Mitch returned after he left “with a box of roses to beg forgiveness.” (p.78)
To exaggerate the tension between reality and fantasy in his play, Williams contrasts Blanche’s character with that of Stanley, a practical and physical man. Tennessee Williams uses the character of Stanley to represent reality and truth in the play. Stanley and Blanche’s hostile relationship symbolises the struggle between reality and fantasy.
Tennessee Williams uses Stanley, who can see past Blanche’s deceptive appearance, and has no time for Blanche's lies, and fantasies, and is always looking for the truth, to create tension.
Stanley is always wary of what Blanche says, and instead of believing what she tells him, prefers to find a second opinion, “I got an acquaintance that deals in this sort of merchandise. I’ll have him in here to appraise it. I’m willing to bet you there’s thousands of dollars invested in this stuff here!” (p.18) And then just before he rapes her, he is more open about his pure disbelief, “As a matter of fact there wasn’t no wire at all!”…”There isn’t no millionaire! And Mitch didn’t come back with roses ‘cause I know where he is-”… “There isn’t a goddam thing but imagination! And lies and conceit and tricks!”… “I’ve been on to you from the start! Not once did you pull any wool over this boy’s eyes!” (p.78-79)
Stanley and Blanche also show a battle between two ways of life. Blanche is idealistic and wants to live in an old world, full of graciousness and beauty. Blanche’s world does not exist, so she creates it for herself, by lying to herself. “I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth…” (p.72)
Stanley, however, is firmly in the new world, he is brutal and aggressive, and believes in speaking the truth, this is one of the reasons why his character clashes with Blanche’s.
During the Poker Game Blanche and Stella return home, Blanche is introduced to the men, “please don’t get up.” Blanche is living in her fantasy world, the old world, where men stand when a woman enters the room, but Stanley is in the modern world “Nobody’s going to get up, so don’t be worried.” (p.26) This remark really reminds the audience of the differences between Stanley and Blanche.
Williams also uses Music to dramatise the tension between reality and fantasy. As she gets more wrapped up in her fantasy land, Blanche hears the Varsouviana more frequently, the Varsouviana is the polka tune that haunts Blanche in connection with her husband’s death. The audience can hear it too, but the other characters cannot. Just before the doctor takes Blanche away, she is hearing the Varsouviana a lot. ‘The “Varsouviana” rises audibly as Blanche enters the bedroom.’ (p.83) …‘The “Varsouviana” faintly plays.’ (p.85) And then ‘The “Varsouviana” is filtered into weird distortion,’ (p.87) The Varsouviana represents Blanche’s fantasy world. It plays when Blanche lapses completely into fantasy, and also seems to explain why she lives in her fantasies. The Varsouviana was the song that was playing when Blanche’s husband Allan shot himself.
When Blanche sings in the bathroom “say, it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea- But it wouldn’t be make-believe if you believed in me!” The song describes how if two lovers believe in their imagined reality, it’s no longer make-believe. The lyrics show Blanche’s view on life, she believes that by lying to herself she can enjoy a better way of life, as long as she believes in it. It is ironic that as Blanche is singing this song to herself, Stanley is telling Stella about Blanche’s past. Williams places the two contrasting situations, next to each other. Blanche is singing about her understanding of herself, and her life of fantasy, and Stanley is explaining to Stella what Blanche is really like, and what secrets her past conceals. This really presents the tension between fantasy and reality in a very striking manner.
Lighting is used throughout the play to dramatise the tension between fantasy and Reality. Blanche choosing to live in her fantasies, avoids the light, as it shows up the truth. When Blanche first arrives at Elysian fields, the stage directions inform us that ‘Her delicate beauty must avoid strong light.’ (p.5)
Light is also present in the scene where Stanley rapes Blanche, The scene directions indicate that ‘Lurid reflections appear on the walls around Blanche. The shadows are of a grotesque and menacing form.’ (p.79) These shadows are then explained ‘A prostitute has rolled a drunkard. He pursues her along the walk, overtakes her and there is a struggle. A policeman’s whistle breaks it up. The figures disappear.’ (p.79) Just a little while later there will be a struggle similar between Blanche and Stanley, only there is no policeman to break it up.
Williams uses the names of the places in ‘‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ to show the contrast between reality and fantasy. The Street on New Orleans where Stanley and Stella live is called Elysian Fields. Blanche imagines Elysian Fields (which means Paradise) to be a very different place to how it actually is. ‘Blanche comes around the corner, carrying a valise. She looks at a slip of paper, then at the building, then again at the slip, and again at the building. Her expression is one of shocked disbelief.’ (p.4-5) Blanche doesn’t believe she is in the right place at first. Blanche imagines that Elysian Fields will be a paradisiacal place, however the reality is that it is a poor area with a raffish charm. The houses are weathered, with rickety outdoor stairs; and there is an atmosphere of decay. Blanche arrives at Elysian Fields by taking a streetcar named ‘desire’ Blanche catches this streetcar to arrive at Elysian Fields. This could symbolise Blanche’s desire for a new life, in a bid to rejuvenate her life, she goes to ‘Paradise’ where she fantasises that things will be better, and she can be a new person. However, in Elysian Fields, Blanche meets Stanley, who tries to crush her delusions, and in the end, Blanche is forced to admit defeat to Stanley, she retreats completely into her dreams, and is forced to be taken away by a doctor. Reality triumphs over fantasy. Blanche’s retreats into her fantasies allow her to protect herself from reality, but Blanche becomes insane when she begins to live completely in reality. Stella also chooses reality over fantasy; in scene IV, Blanche tries to persuade Stella to leave Stanley, planning a future for herself and her sister, that is supposedly going to be financed by Shep Huntleigh, who is apparently a millionaire. Stanley overhears part of their conversation, but when he appears, Stella’s embraces “him with both arms, fiercely and in full view of Blanche.” This demonstrates where her loyalties lie. Throughout the play, Stella is in the middle of the on-going struggle over fantasy and reality between her husband and her sister, but in the end she chooses reality, and her life with Stanley.
When Blanche arrives in Elysian Fields, she is described as looking and acting like a moth. “Her delicate beauty must avoid strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth.” Blanche makes herself appear delicate and moth-like, however she is hiding the true reality of her corrupt past. These details, given in the stage directions by Williams, help to exaggerate the tension, by making sure that each situation is displayed in a way that will maximise the contrast between reality and fantasy. The specific stage directions that Williams provides means that the director is able to present the play in the way it was meant to be shown, and that the audience will be able to understand what it was that Williams was trying to achieve in his writing.
The blue piano is a constantly reoccurring motif that Williams uses to represent that whether we choose to live in fantasy or reality, life still goes on. Whereas only Blanche hears the Varsouviana, and only Stanley realises that much of what Blanche says are lies, all the characters hear the blue piano.
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a non-naturalistic play, which gives the impression of fantasy. So we could conclude from this that Williams does wish the viewer to be contemplating reality and fantasy as they watch the play.
Williams uses symbolism strongly throughout the play; the place names represent the contrast between fantasy and reality; the people are characterised- Stanley representing reality, Blanche representing fantasy; Light is used to represent truth and honesty; and music- the Varsouviana, ‘It’s only a paper moon’ and the blue piano; and Place names help to contrast between reality and fantasy.