Blanche Dubois Research Paper

American author Lynda Barry once said,”We don’t create a fantasy world to escape reality.We create it to be able to stay in it”. There are often times when one struggles to accept who they really are. They believe that in order to be accepted by a society they must hide their true self.This fake exterior that they create acts as a barrier and helps to shield them from the truths of the world. This is exemplified in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. A character by the name of Blanche Dubois wants to hide the truth about her promiscuous past and insecurities. She avoids reality, preferring to live in her own imagination.Williams uses everyday activities and objects to conceal the suppressed feelings that people experience.

One symbol incorporated into the play is the Chinese lantern. For Blanche, appearances are very important. She’s consumed with the need to appear younger than she really is. When she moves into her sister's apartment one of the things she buys is the paper lantern to cover the light and make the apartment appear dim. Blanche says ‘I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action’(60). She uses the paper lantern to like a shield to block out the light of the naked bulb in the

Blanche plays the role of the ideal type of person she would like to be. She refuses to see herself as she really is but instead creates an illusion for what she ought to be. She tries to be innocent and pure however we learn that she isn’t. After Blanche's young husband commits suicide, she tries to fill a void that she feels by sleeping with young men. She’s ashamed of her promiscuity and lies in hopes that people will believe her. Blanche said,’It’s only a paper moon. Just as phony as it can be-But it wouldn't be make-believe if you believed in me’(121).She believes that lying is her only means of enjoying a better way of life. This song relates back to