Theme Of Desire In Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire

Born Thomas Williams, Tennessee Williams wrote the Pulitzer prize winning play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” in which he was able to portray social realism in New Orleans through a woman who desires to be young again. Unable to accept her true fate, Blanche Dubois set the main theme in, “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Constantly lying about her age, forcing her sexuality, and her inability to overcome reality are all attempts to make herself appear more desirable to young men. Ultimately, Blanche does these things because she believes that the opposite of death is desire and that is how she will stay alive. Almost demanding to be desirable, she ultimately created her own spiritual death. Throughout the play, Blanche argues with her brother-in-law,

From the very beginning of the play the theme of desire is portrayed. As Blanche arrives in town, she states that she took a streetcar named desire. As the play progresses, it is easy to see that the streetcar is symbolic of Blanche 's desire for love affairs. She has to feel loved and wanted in order to find comfort and peace in her life.The second streetcar that she takes, Cemetery, is also symbolic because it was her lust and desire that caused her rejection from society. When Blanche arrives at Elysian Fields she is highly disappointed because she thought it would be like heaven on earth. The town is also symbolic because Elysian means paradise (Stefanovici 161-166). Blanche is so desperately trying to escape her reality that she is willing to do

While Blanche was unable to revive her soul, the birth of a new life was just beginning. Although she desperately tried to rekindle the desire that others saw in her by, she was powerless and ultimately created her own spiritual death. Unable to accept her true fate, Blanche Dubois spent her life trying to be desirable and loved and eventually made herself go psychotic trying to be someone that she was