A Streetcar Named Desire Analysis

A Streetcar Named Desire written by Tennessee Williams is about a women named Blanche who goes to live with her sister Stella and her husband Stanley. Blanche has begun to mentally deteriorate due to all the stress, sadness and disappointment she has dealt with throughout her life. Blanche had lost her husband, lost Bella Reave which was a place the family had owned since they were young girls and has lost in a sense self-respect for herself. Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi in 1911. A Streetcar Named Desire was written when America was going through the Depression and World War II. It was Tennessee’s way of showing realism into the play. In this paper, I am going to talk about the symbolism, theme and the characters of

She is always taking a scolding hot bath. “Blanche takes frequent baths throughout the play to “soothe her nerves.” Bathing is an escape from the sweaty apartment: rather than confront her physical body in the light of day, Blanche retreats to the water to attempt to cleanse herself and forget reality” (Florman). Basically this passage is saying that Blanche takes so many baths because she never can really clean herself of her past and her mistakes she has made throughout her life. The biggest symbol we see here is the title itself, A Streetcar Named Desire.
“Williams called the streetcar the “ideal metaphor for the human condition.” The play’s title refers not only to a real streetcar line in New Orleans but also symbolically to the power of desire as the driving force behind the characters’ actions. Blanche’s journey on Desire through Cemeteries to Elysian Fields is both literal and allegorical. Desire is a controlling force: when it takes over, characters must submit to its power, and they are carried along to the end of the line” (Florman).
When Blanche was on her way to Stella’s she had to go on this journey. Passing through all of these places was a symbol in its self because essentially Blanche dies mentally. When Blanche gets taken away by a doctor from Stella’s it is believed that it is truly no longer Blanche. She has accepted the stress, disappointment and her mistakes and let it over power her

Williams wrote this play due to his life experience and what was going on in America at the time it was published. The play is very emotional and has severe desires that are met by each character. Reading this play made my heart break for Blanche because she was trying so hard to get her life back together. Also my heart broke for Stella who has to deal and be blinded by a husband like Stanley. They say “blood is thicker than water” but at this point Stella had chosen her husband over her own sister. A Streetcar Named Desire has brought out every emotion you can have. It truly is an amazing