Streetcar Named Desire Illusion Vs Reality Essay

“Tragic characters are “efficient” only in courting, suffering and encompassing their own destruction.” was once said by Gassner. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Gassner's definition is valid and accurate for one of Tennessee William’s main characters in the play, Blanche Dubois, sister of Stella Kowalski. Blanche Dubois is a character who at the end leads herself to her own downfall, along with the influence of her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, who perpetuates her demise. By Tennessee Williams creating a complex web of conflicting emotions, it creates tension between these characters (Blanche and Stanley). Blanche draws in our attentions with her sincere and delicate personality, which it turns out later in the play to be an illusionistic

This is seen when William states in his previous prior to scene eleven, "[Blanche has been drinking fairly steadily since Mitch left.She dragged her wardrobe trunk into the center of the bedroom...As the drinking and packing went on, a mood of hysterical exhilaration came into...Now she placing the rhinestone tiara on her head before the mirror of the dressing-table and murmuring excitedly as if to a group of spectral admirers.]( Page 151) also "[Tremblingly she lifts the hand mirror for a closer inspection.She catches her breath and slams the mirror face down with such violence that the glass cracks.](page 151). In this scene, Blanche has been drinking to escape from reality.She dresses up in posh attire, but in her fantasy, the only audience is herself and when she looks at herself even she can see the false reality she created for herself and smashes the mirror, signifying the failure of her fantasy world.Another instance of seeing the theme of illusion versus reality is when Blanche says, " I don't want realism. I want magic."This is basically a battle cry from Blanche that whether the magic is real or not doesn't matter, all that matters is that Blanche always has an option for fantasy and that she can conjure up hope or something kinder than the actual real