How important are illusion and fantasy as themes in "A Streetcar Named Desire."

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  • How important are illusion and fantasy as themes in  “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

From her entrance onwards Blanche represents fantasy. She enters Elysian Fields “dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice” and “incongruous” to the New Orleans setting which depicts reality. To the onlookers, Blanche would appear as a Hollywood glamour icon, representing fantasy and fairytale.

As her dress creates a sense of purity and virginity, so does her name, meaning “white woods”. The colour white suggests complete innocence but we later learn Blanche totally opposes the ideals of purity and virginity. Williams hints at this façade in the introduction of Blanche: -

“There is something about her uncertain manner…that suggests a moth.”

Throughout the play Blanche tries to maintain this pure, innocent illusion of herself. One way she does this is by trying to hide her age. She tells Mitch Stella is “somewhat older” than her. In order to prevent Mitch from finding out the truth about her age she hides in the dark “avoiding bright light” at all costs. Blanche uses the darkness also as a shield of protection from reality. We already know she does not “want realism” and in the dark she can fabricate and re-imagine whatever cannot be seen.

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Blanche has very “old fashioned ideals” and this is shown in her concealment of her age. At the time of the play, a woman of Blanche’s age was expected to be married and settled down with a family. It would have been socially frowned upon that she had not yet achieved this. She cannot hide her lack of family, but can hide her age, so this is what she does.

Her lies of her age and drinking habits: -

“I - rarely touch it.” Progress into huge fantasises of a “Texan oil millionaire.” Williams has structured it in this ...

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