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A Streetcar Named Desire Symbolism Essay

848 Words4 Pages

The author Tennessee Williams has written make works of literature however there is one play in particular that is full of symbolism. A Streetcar Named Desire is a play about the interactions of two sisters, Stella and Blanche, and Stella’s husband Stanley. Theses characters go through many ups and downs while living with each other and experience terrifying and wonderful things. The author Tennessee Williams uses a lot of symbolism when it comes to light and darkness.
In this play Tennessee Williams uses darkness to symbolize mystery, loss, and manipulation. Blanche, Stella’s high society sister, is a very secretive character who tries to hide who she really is. This can be seen when Blanche exclaims “I don’t want realism. I want magic! [Mitch …show more content…

I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it! – Don’t turn the light on!”(117). In this quote Blanche is explaining to her gentleman caller Mitch why she always hides in the dark. This statement Blanche makes shows the mysterious aspect of the darkness as Blanche uses the shadows to disguise her true self from those around her. In addition to mystery, darkness also symbolizes loss. When Blanche is reminiscing about the pain of her husband's death she sadly states "The searchlight which had been turned on the world was turned off again and never for one moment since has there been any light that’s stronger than this—kitchen—candle…" (96). What Blanche is trying to say here is that when she was in love with her husband the world was bright for her and everything was illuminated but as soon as she lost him everything became dim and dark. The way that Blanche describes her world after she lost her husband as a dull “Kitchen candle” shows how darkness illustrates loss. Another thing that darkness represents is manipulation. Throughout the entire play Blanche remains in the

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