In Scene 4 of A Streetcar Named
Desire, Stella tells her sister of her strong desires for Stanley, her
husband. Stella then asks her sister if she has not ridden on a streetcar of the name
of Desire. Blanche replies, "It brought me here--Where I'm not wanted and where I'm
ashamed to be." Blanche, whose very name means white, the symbol of purity, constantly
takes baths as if to wash away her past sins and shame, yet she desires to return to her
past by recreating it in New Orleans through carefully woven tales of Belle Reve and her
past lovers. She creates the illusion of being younger by avoiding bright light with
paper shades on the lamps in the apartment and going out only in the evening. And,
she wants to be desirous to others, "Oh, in my youth, I excited some admiration," she
says to Stanley in Scene Two.
In Scene Five her sudden
desire to be with the young man exemplifies further her attempts to recapture youth and
a happiness that now eludes her. This desire for the dreams of her youth and its
illusion of happiness--"Belle Reve means beautiful dream"--leads, of course, to
Blanche's tragedy of illusions. For, she gradually loses touch with reality, sinking
further and further into her delusional character that has "always been dependent upon
the kindness of strangers."
On the other hand, as a foil
character to Blanche, Stella's desires are practical. She clearly loves Stanley and
chooses to go along with the decision to have Blanche committed because she wishes to
continue to live with her less than perfect husband for her own sake and for the sake of
her child. Practical minded, Stella rejects the glamorous life Blanche has desired for
the reality of her flawed life with Stanley. She chooses
instead the
things that happen between a man and a woman in
the dark--that sort of make everything else
seem--unimportant.
No comments:
Post a Comment