Lies In A Streetcar Named Desire

Lies often come from a place of fear and trauma, and this idea holds true in Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire. The theme of the story is lying, and how it affects the dynamics of relationships and conflicts amongst the characters. Throughout the play, various characters use lies as means to protect themselves, manipulate others, and to hide their true nature. The most prominent instances of lying stem from Blanche Dubois, who utilizes this tool to hide who she truly is. Blanche is quite a complex character with a puzzling past, who often lies in order to present a face that is not truly her own. The first of her lies is directed towards Stanley Kowalski, which is used to upkeep her delicate image and charming personality. Blanche presents the concept that she will be staying with the family only briefly, but she remains with them for months. As the story goes on, we learn of her recent history and why she was driven out of Mississippi into the Kowalski household. The dirty secret of Ms. Dubois is that upon losing her beloved Belle Reve, she began prostituting herself to men in the popular Flamingo Hotel. Her actions led to her removal from the hotel, and the tarnishing of her reputation, resulting in her escape to New Orleans. This lie

This lie of her beauty was directed at many people, but mostly to Mitch, her love interest. From the beginning of their interactions, Blanche had to Mitch about her age and appearance. She often spoke of being the younger of the two sisters, as well as only ever meeting with him in dim lighting or with heavy makeup applied. After being presented with the many lies of Blanche’s history by Stanley, Mitch lost all faith in her, causing him to enter a more hostile state. In lying to her loved ones and Mitch, Blanche has tarnished her credibility, which affects her further down the