The Theme of Illusion and Reality in A Streetcar Named Desire Essay Example

The theme of illusion and reality is one that the play centers around. Blanche dwells in illusion; fantasy is her primary means of self-defense, both against outside threats and against her own demons. Throughout the play, Blanche's dependence on illusion is contrasted with Stanley's steadfast realism, and in the end, it is Stanley and his worldview that win. To survive, Stella must also resort to a kind of illusion, forcing herself to believe that Blanche's accusations against Stanley are false so that she can continue living with her husband.  

Firstly, illusion and reality are shown through the consistent use of contrasting music and sound. Throughout the play, Blanche’s illusion is aligned with the Varsouviana polka music, whilst Stanley’s reality is aligned with the blue, new wave, jazz piano. When Blanche starts to slip into reality, this Varsouviana music begins to crescendo, almost as a warning, a reminder to stick to a safer, more contented illusion of prosperity and health. For example, the stage directions describe the ‘polka music sounds in a minor key faint with distance.’ This begins after she starts to open up to Mitch about the past and concede her reality. The polka music starting up shows Williams’ use of plastic theatre to show Blanches inner feelings of the past, that of grief and loneliness, telling the audience why she stays in her illusion. This is a violent contrast to Stanley’s ideology of the present reality. The music of the blue piano symbolizes the arrival of a strappingly real Stanley. The blue piano rises when Stanley begins to show his ubiquitous antagonism. This is shown in scene 10, where Stanley eventually rapes Blanche. With Stanley beginning to intimidate Blanche, ‘The barely audible blue piano begins to drum up louder. The sound of it turns into the roar of an approaching locomotive. Blanche crouches, pressing her fists to her cars until it has gone by.’ Blanche crouches, showing how she is threatened by the reality of Stanley’s ominous intentions. 

Furthermore, illusion and reality are presented through Blanches costume in scene 5. Blanche is wearing a bright, clean white skirt and when Stella spills a coke on the garment Blanche ‘gives a piercing cry.’ She exclaims, ‘right on my pretty white skirt’ in shock as she is ‘slowly recovering.’ Whilst the ‘pretty white skirt’ is a symbol of illusion through purity, the coke is a symbol of reality. Williams does this to show the audience that Blanche’s ‘Southern belle’ performance is beginning to be outed and stained. Blanche has begun to share intimate details of her past, staining her purity in the form of coke spilling onto a white dress. However, after her initial stain, Blanche realizes that it stains ‘not a bit,’ showing that she can still keep up her illusion in front of unsuspecting outsiders and continue to narrowly escape the grasp of reality. This contrasts to the stark reality of Stanley’s costume throughout the play. His clothes, when he is wearing them, are common work clothes; often soiled, sweaty, or grease spattered. This helps the audience to identify Stanley as a blue-collar worker, and emphasizes the reality he lives in. Stanley has a laborious job, making his family money, whilst Blanche, keeping up her ‘Southern belle’ persona, does not have a job and spends substantial amounts of time bathing, saying that it ‘soothes her nerves.’ When in fact she is just striving to ward off her abruptly decaying gentility.