Comparing Blanche Dubois And A Streetcar Named Desire

In theatre, a tragedy is a story dealing with human suffering. We have our heroes, their flaws, and the conflict. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, we have the titular character, his wife, and the murders that work to quench their insatiable thirst for power. Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, brings Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski together where tradition and modern times clash. While taking place in vastly different periods in time, both plays deal with common themes. More specifically, they spotlight the idea that the appearance of a clean physical world can be used by those with a guilty conscience to deflect from their corrupted mental and moral beings. Often, the women are most concerned and often fail in their quest to

Physically, Blanche tries to dress younger and be seen in “soft and attractive” (5.92) light so she fits into this schema of what she believes would make her more appealing as a woman. Knowing that she is tarnished in the eyes of southern tradition, the only way Blanche feels she can be desirable is to “deceive [Mitch] enough to make him -- want [her]” (5.95). She makes all the efforts to hide any wrongdoing and her obsession with being beautiful claiming “physical beauty is passing... But beauty of the mind and richness of the spirit and tenderness of the heart” () to throw others off her

He eats his food messily at the table and smashes plates on the ground when someone tells him to clean up after himself. When Blanche sees Stanley, she sees her antithesis. Upon first meeting, Blanche playfully sprays Stanley with perfume to which he reacts with anger. In Scene Five, Stanley questions Blanche about her potential involvement with the Hotel Flamingo. The screenplay notes that she “reaches for the cologne bottle and dampens her handkerchief” (5.89). We can read into this action as an attempt to once again keep up appearances and puta clean aroma around herself. The juxtaposition between a girl who dowses her body in sweet smells and the aggressive alpha male who rejects such smells gives a clear display of what each type of person values more. Presentation is not a second thought in Stanley’s mind while Blanche focuses on every detail concerning her image. Stanley doesn’t hide his sexuality and indulges in public flirtation with Stella. Blanche, on the other hand, tries to hide her “stay” at the Flamingo back home in Laurel and the affair with her