Streetcar Named Desire Foreshadowing

Words: 926
Pages: 4
Open Document
Realistically portraying controversial ideas of sexuality, violence, and mental instability, Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire was awarded the Pulitzer Prize among his other works and is known as one of the best dramas in American contemporary literature. This captivating play brings attention to the theme that calamity strikes when an individual is driven by desire. By observing the events in the life of the protagonist Blanche Dubois and the multifarious literary elements found throughout the play, this message is illustrated and better comprehended.
The foreshadowing in the beginning of the first scene indicates the detrimental consequences of desire. To arrive at the Kowalski’s residence, Blanche is told that she needs “to take a streetcar named Desire, and …show more content…
From the beginning to the end of the story, Blanche unfailingly conceals herself in darkness due to her physical insecurities. Her reaction to a source of light regards to her attempt in masking her true nature as well as her vanishing beauty and youth, and she anxiously obscures the exposed light bulb in the Kowalski apartment with a Chinese paper lantern as she claims, “I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action” (Williams 55). However, this paper lantern is not very stable, just like Blanche’s illusions. Her fear of someone seeing her in plain sight is shown when “Mitch crosses to the switch. He turns the light on and stares at her. She cries out and covers her face” (Williams 117). To Blanche, light represents reality which not only uncovers her physical blemishes but also her tainted past. Her obsessive desire in disguising her image ultimately induces the collapse of her relationships with others, specifically her relationship with Mitch. Her once potential husband suffers betrayal from Blanche’s constant deception of her true self, and neglects her
Show More

Related Documents: Streetcar Named Desire Foreshadowing

A Streetcar Named Desire - DIALECTICAL JOURNALS Essay

Quote Analysis Literary Features “They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off at - Elysian Fields!” (Scene 1, Page 6) Sexual desires are a common interest several people tend to have and Blanche Dubois significantly portray and represents the theme of sexual intimacy in A Street Car Named Desire as Tennessee Williams uses allegory, allusion, symbolism, and foreshadow in order to demonstrate how do Blanche’s “trip” through…

Words 1102 - Pages 5

Essay on How Does Williams Present the Themes of Illusion and Fantasy in a Streetcar Named Desire?

How does Williams present the themes of illusion and fantasy in A Streetcar Named Desire? The theme of reality vs. fantasy is one that the play centres around. Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defence, both against outside threats and against her own demons. Throughout the play, Blanche's dependence on illusion is contrasted with Stanley's steadfast realism, and in the end it is Stanley and his worldview that win. To survive, Stella must also resort to a kind of…

Words 895 - Pages 4

The Glass Menagerie Symbolism

Symbolism of Glass and Desire In the book The Scarlet Ibis, by James Hurst, a young, sickly boy named Doodle finds a red bird, a Scarlet Ibis. When the lost, tired, and travel weary Scarlet Ibis dies, lost and far away from home, Doodle buries and mourns him. During a storm, Doodle himself dies with blood dripping onto his shirt. When his older brother finds him, the scene is a juxtaposition to the death of the bird earlier in the story, as Doodle’s brother mourns his fallen “scarlet ibis”.…

Words 967 - Pages 4

Analysis of Charles Dickens' - Sketches by Boz Essay

‘The Streets-Morning’ by Charles Dickens is an extract taken from ‘Sketches by Boz.’ It is a descriptive piece and follows prominent features of the literary sketch technique, as it contains no prominent plot. The speaker narrates the “appearance presented by the streets of London an hour before sunrise on a summer’s morning.” The extract is in the first person narrative. This feature adds intensity and supports the use of details. First person narrative is generally considered unreliable due…

Words 1181 - Pages 5

Essay on How does Williams present conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire?

is giving birth to his child. He gives a “low whistle” as he looks at Blanche who is dressed in a “white satin evening gown”. When he asks Blanche why she is dressed so formally, she tells him that she had received a telegram from an “old admirer” named Shep Huntleigh who was mentioned earlier on in the play as having been Blanche’s boyfriend in college. Blanche receiving a telegram from her old admirer draws suspicions as to whether she is lying because her relationship with Shep ended decades ago…

Words 1550 - Pages 7