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A Streetcar Named Desire Madness Essay

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"How is madness used in both A Streetcar Named Desire and Blue Jasmine"

Throughout the movie Blue Jasmine and the book Streetcar Named Desire, present many similarities and differences. Both the movie and the book highlights the use of madness from how both characters descended into madness due to their past deceptions, and deal with madness with the usage of intoxicants. On the other hand, a difference they share is that the madness leads to different outcomes.

The main message behind Blue Jasmine and Streetcar is that deception leads to major repercussions, where madness is the ultimate consequence. ‘Let me tell you something, Jeanette, Jasmine, whatever it is you call yourself these days. Some people, they don’t put things behind so …show more content…

‘He crosses to dressing table and seizes the paper lantern, tearing it off the light bulb, and extends It toward her. She cries out as if the lantern was herself (scene 11, page 140). These stage directions shows how madness has finally broken through Blanche’s rational thinking. Stanley raping her was the major factor that destroyed her remaining sanity. The lantern itself is a symbol of her madness and part where it talks about tearing it of the light bulb. Whereas the light is a symbol of purity and justice and, without light there is only darkness which represents Blanche’s situation. Contrastingly Woody Allen’s ending of the movie with the final ploy on the impact of madness on jasmine comes into play. During the final scene Jasmine is seen in a park talking about her son Danny and how she called the police on her own husband. Jasmine is finally reflecting on her past actions which has ultimately lead to her own demise. Moreover she later fails to remember the words to Blue Moon, which was the song that was played when she met her husband. From the lyrics of Blue Moon ‘You knew just what I was there for, you heard me saying a prayer for, someone I really could care for’ (Blue Moon) Allen’s choice of music plays a big role in developing the theme of madness in this movie, Hal playing this to Jasmine is of great irony. ‘someone i really could care for’ the lyrics

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