A Streetcar Named Desire: Blanche DuBois

Hi everyone! I'm doing a spider-diagram thing about Blanche in Streetcar and for each point I make, I wanted to put one or two quotes from the text or stage directions to back it up.

For anyone who has studied the play, can anyone help me out and show me some places (or point me in the right direction) that show how Blanche is:

- aging/losing her looks
- lonely/searching for love
- unstable/unwell

Also are there any other important traits that I have missed (we're only on the first three scenes) could you please let me know?

I have:
Vain, but insecure
Controlling and bossy
Posh and upper-class/Snobbish and stuck-up
Accusing and resentful
Aging, faded, haggard
Lonely, searching for love, wistful

Thank you! :smile:

Reply 1

Xrypto

Re-read the conversation between Stella and Blanche also between Blanche and Stanley in Scene 1, if you look closely you will see many of the points you are looking for plus more for example alcholism. Hope it helps.

Reply 2

hippygirljess

Blanche has a type of OCD as she keeps bathing all the time, which makes her mentally unwell. She has this OCD because she doesn't feel beautiful, shes trying to make herself look better by cleaning herself all of the time - also why she can't stand natural light. Maybe she thinks she is not beautiful because she has had no1 love her properly? That would link all 3 of you points together anyway!

don't know if this helps, u probs got it all already :s-smilie:

but i thort i'd try!

Reply 3

polka_dott

I think she cleans herself all the time to try to literally cleanse herself of all the bad stuff she has done in the past- the suggested sleeping around she's done and such. She keeps mentioning Belle Reve, which she's lost, which could be symbolic of the life she's attempting to cling to with all her old southern values and such and conservative attitude towards things such as immigrants (she calls Stanley a "polak" or something like that.) etc etc!
We're studying the book too and that's a bit of what has come off the top of my head lol.