Blanche Dubois In A Streetcar Named Desire

Blanche Dubois is a complex character, as like her first name Blanche seems pure and innocent in the beginning, but as the play continues it is shown that Blanche is not the pure, innocent girl she portrays herself to be. In fact, Blanche has a dark past that conflicts with who she truly wants to be and be seen as. Blanche creates a façade of an angelic woman who is of high esteem, is independent and has never known indignity, however, her true self is the complete opposite of who she wants to be. Throughout the play Blanche is seen taking baths to “calm her nerves”, these baths could symbolize Blanche attempting to “purify” herself, and she wants to cleanse herself physically, emotionally and spiritually. Similar to baptisms, when an older person is baptised it is usually for them to be cleansed of their sins, Blanche who is old and is considered dirty is trying to purify and cleanse herself free of her sins.

Though the scene begins at six o-clock in the evening it is Blanches first real day at Elysian Fields so the bath she takes is her cleansing herself for a new start and to rid herself of who she had used to be letting her sins to be washed away with the dirt. The second time a bath is mentioned in the play is when Blanche first meets Mitch on page 50, however, in this scene is does not actually bathe, instead her old self resurfaces as she tries to seduce Mitch by undressing in the light so her silhouette can be seen by the poker players, as well as when she speaks to