Conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire Essay Sample

Blanche is a character who lives in a constant state of fear and panic due to the fading of her natural beauty. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the main conflict is an internal struggle of man vs self. The conflict centers around the idea of fantasy vs. reality. 

Blanche’s mental state throughout the whole play is struggling, she is barely holding on and then eventually loses it. Blanche has surrounded herself with illusion and fantasy as a mechanism of self-defense against the cruel reality of the world. Blanche’s known line, “I don’t want realism. I want magic” is her way of coping and working through everything. After dealing with her husband’s suicide and losing all she had in Laurel she has been through a lot. Blanche desires magic and fantasy in an attempt to shield herself from the darks and evil of the world. She hopes for a world based on fantasy because it allows her to hope for something better. 

Blanche goes to live with her younger sister Stella Kowalski and her husband after losing the family plantation, Belle Reve. She has a drinking problem and finds herself always relying on sexual behaviors. Blanche is insecure and uses validation from men to boost her self-esteem. When she arrives at the Kowalski household she hides her past truth and real colors with cheap jewelry and fake stories from her past. Stanley sees through to her and later starts to question the truth. Stanley picks up on Blanche’s idea of building a life that is full of fantasy and constantly is pushing for that realism against Blanche. Blanche believes if she makes herself appear attractive to new men she will find someone to marry and can escape poverty and her past reputations. She uses Mitch as this person even though he is far from her type. Blanche obviously doesn’t see the world for how it is. She uses endlessly drinking and hot baths as a way to wash away her problems. Bubble baths and satin dresses represent Blanche trying to hold on to that innocence she no longer has. She attempts to acquire this magic by putting up mental walls that protect people from getting to know the real Blanche. She is insecure about her age and her older-looking face that she doesn’t let anyone see her in the light. In scene nine, Mitch rips the paper lantern off the light because he realizes he has never truly seen Blanche. Mitch is talking about Blanche’s physical appearance but the way she reacts also shows the real truth of who Blanche is. Blanche hides and turns away for the light saying she doesn’t like the dark only the light. William uses this example to reveal Blanche’s character in a metaphorical and physical way. Blanche never wants to go out during the day because she feels like she has to hide from any light. The covered light bulb represents Blanche trying to hold on to a younger version of herself and her past. The light is comforting to her because she afraid to see the world for what it really is, she wants to see past all the pain and look at it from an untrue perspective of the life she wished she was living. Mitch later loses interest in Blanche and would rather fall in love with the illusion and fantasy Blanche has created about herself because he doesn’t accept her the way she is. Blanche’s life is filled with regret, her relationships with male characters are either very defensive because she doesn’t let anyone get close with her, or she is desperate for their attention and approval. When Blanche tries to say something with truth she is often not believed. Family is the only thing that separates her from that illusion and fantasy she has created. 

Balance is afraid of the way people might see her if they get to know the real person she is. She is insecure about her age and the way she appears, she wants to feel attractive and loved so she tries to create a fake image off herself and tries very hard to match that version. Blanche is very preoccupied with creating a fantasy out of her life which causes her acceptance of reality to fail.