Similarities Between A Streetcar Named Desire And A Rose For Emily

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Reynaldo Mercedes Ms. King English III May 6th, 2024 Lost in the Shadow “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” - Martin Luther King Jr. The struggles of these characters highlight the theme of denial and isolation throughout the short story and play. In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams, Emily Grierson, and Blanche DuBois are seen as crazy women who struggle to face reality, ultimately leading to their tragic outcomes of being abandoned. In the short story and play, both characters struggle financially, Emily left to take care of herself after the passing of her father and Blanche tries to hide her struggles leading to conflicts with her family. …show more content…

As both characters struggle to confront their fears of abandonment, Emily and Blanche isolate themselves from the outside world. Following the deaths of Emily’s father and sweetheart, Emily is seen as taking these heavy losses extremely hard, causing Emily to isolate herself from society. “After her father’s death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all.” (Faulkner, section II) Losing the two most important people in her life, Emily became afraid to get close to another person for fear of ending up all alone again. Blanche’s advice to Stella dress in “soft colours” to attract men reflects Blanche’s isolation. She does it to herself, she keeps others at a distance, preventing her from having what she desires. “Put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings... men don’t - don’t even admit your existence unless