1. A Streetcar Named Desire
Writing an Introduction

2. “It is Blanche’s preoccupation with beauty and romance that leads to her tragedy.” In light of this comment, discuss the presentation of Blanche in “A Streetcar Named Desire” Blanche can be seen as a pitiful victim of a decaying South; she clings on to memories of her lost “Belle Reve” and a younger life that included love and romance. In her own words, Blanche considers that “physical beauty is passing – a transitory possession”, yet she is determined to hide her reality, in dim-lit rooms and shades of darkness, implying her own lack of acceptance of the loss of her looks. Equally, Blanche clings to illusions of romance, which involve casting herself deceptively as a pure, chaste female. Ultimately, it is Stanley who calls her on these traits and cruelly uses her insecurities to lead her into paranoia and her subsequent fate.

3. “Blanche is dangerous. She is destructive
“Blanche is dangerous. She is destructive.” In light of this comment, discuss how Williams presents the character of Blanche.

4. Different Readings….
However, as interpreted by Harold Clurman, Blanche is a delicate and sensitive woman pushed into insanity by a brutish environment presided by chief ape-man Stanley Kowalski….