The Value of the Music Played in A Streetcar Named Desire Essay Example

"The cosmos can hear the music in your soul." This quotation ideally captures how Tennessee Williams in the play ‘’A streetcar named desire’’ utilize music to portray Blanche Dubois’ emotional condition. Two pieces of music and a song occur in the play. the ‘’Blue piano’’ and the ‘’Varsoeviana Polka music’’, each serving as a motif of her mood. The blue piano represents Blanche’s loneliness, depression, anxiety but also for a possible future in New Orleans whereas the Varsoeviana polka music almost always occurs whenever Blanche’s past is mentioned. Namely, the polka is associated with death and apprehension for Blanche. In addition, Blanche sings a well-known song called ‘’It’s only a paper moon’’. This song exemplifies Blanche's reliance on deceit and make-believe in order to start over. Not only does music in the play represent Blanche and illustrates Blanche’s mood, but it also foreshadows problems that are waiting to happen for Blanche throughout the play in various scenes.

In the first scene, the Blue piano plays in the background. The first scene features the song "Blue Piano," which sets the tone for a chaotic and cosmopolitan New Orleans. It stands in stark contrast to the peacefulness of Dubois mansion of Belle Reve, a conflict that causes Blanche to have discomfort and uncertainty. While the colour ‘’blue’’ in ‘’Blue piano stands for genuineness, the truth and peace, Blanche holds none of these characteristics. This can be recalled in the scene where Stella and Blanche have a conversation. As the quote states “The music of the ‘blue piano’ grows louder’’, (Williams, 2, 126),The music grows louder and louder when Blanche tells Stella about all the funerals that have happened. It represents Blanche's desperation in this circumstance, seeing Stella's inquiries as harsh critiques. Her anxiousness reaches a breaking point in this moment, manifesting itself as a loud outburst denouncing Stella for her treachery. Towards the end of the first scene, The blue piano starts to fade out while the polka music starts to gain more strength, which mostly happens when Blanche’s background is brought up “then the polka resumes in a major key.” and ““the ‘varsouviana’ is heard, its music rising with sinister rapidity….”” (Willams, 1, 183,199).  This particular music symbolizes Blanche’s incompetence to escape from her past which haunts her as she hears the polka music whenever she is thinking about her husband who murdered himself as he was homosexual. This shows how Blanche is becoming extremely fragile and vulnerable. Furthermore, it shows how she is starting to lose her sanity because of her past that she is still struggling with. Towards the end of scene eleven, Blanche has become completely insane. In this scene, the polka music is not a simple melody anymore. “The ‘varsouviana’ is filtered into a weird distortion, accompanied by the cries and noises of the jungle” (Williams, 11, 222).  Because the polka music is no longer just a basic melody, but has become filtered and twisted with the addition of jungle noises, emphasizes Blanche's transformation into insanity. However, Williams utilizes this phrase to not only demonstrate Blanche's insanity, but also to elicit pity from the viewer, since Blanche symbolizes a finer set of principles than Stanley, as she strives to perceive and display the world in a more beautiful light.

In scene two, the blue piano is again heard from around the corner ‘’A corresponding air is evoked by the music of negro entertainers at a bar-room just around the corner’’ (Williams, 2, 115). As Stanley recounts Blanche's distress, the music is as monotonous as her worries. The song highlights Blanche's difficulties in transferring from a world full of intricacies and deception to the honesty and practicality of characters like Stanley. This image clearly shows depictions of the "Blue Piano." Blanche’s sadness is symbolically represented by her bathing, which she uses to cleanse herself of the shame of what happened during her past.  Another scene where Blanche’s distress is shown is in scene 9, where also the blue piano music occurs.  ‘’the distant piano is slow and blue’’ (Williams 207). this scene conveys a sad situation as Mitch tells Blanche that he won’t marry her because of her past. Mitch's rejection, who she thinks it differed from others, exemplifies her refusal with current society. Her aspirations of finding love in New Orleans are done, and her loneliness reappears slowly and painfully. 

In scene seven, ‘’It is only a paper moon’’ is sung by Blanche while she was bathing. Blanche is given the song about the "paper moon" by Williams because it emphasizes Blanche's desire to see the world in a more attractive light rather than the horrible truth that it truly is. However, as stated in the song, for this perspective of the universe to be 'real,' she needs the belief of others.  “but it wouldn’t be make believe, if you believed in me!” (Williams, 7, p. 188). Williams had Blanche perform this song in the bathroom as Stanley is informing Stella about the falsehoods Blanche has been saying in order for the viewer to see that it only takes one person to pull these desires and dreams away for them to shatter, in this instance Stanley.

One of the events where Williams uses music to foreshadow is in scene three, where a classical song on the radio can be heard in this scene. Blanche impulsively turns the radio and starts dancing to this classical piece of music with Mitch, which she adores and knows. “The radio begins to play ‘wien, wien, nur de allein.’’ (Williams, 3, 151) Suddenly, Stanley gets to his feet, races to the radio, and throws it out the window out of jealousy. The music in this case is supposed to convey romance between Blanche and Mitch, but the fact that Stanley comes and destroys the radio foreshadows therefore that he would destroy their relationship later on in the play. Also in scene nine, Mitch visits Blanche after he was not present during her dinner party. In this scene, the polka music is being played again “the rapid, feverish polka tune, the ‘varsouviana’, is heard; she is drinking to escape it and the disaster is closing in on her.” (Williams, 9, p. 200). The polka music is heard by Blanche in such a rapid, feverish manner this time, which indicates that she has lost her sense of reality and is beginning to realize 'the calamity closing in on her,' which is why she is drinking to escape it. Williams decides to show Blanche in this manner at the beginning of the scene in order to foreshadow Mitch's attempted rape, Stanley's rape in scene ten, and Blanche going insane in scenes ten and eleven. William also used trumpet sounds which implied Blanche’s rape that would follow. In this scene, Stanley picked up Blanch and put her on the bed when the music that was coming from the four deuces, which is a brothel. “The hot trumpet and drums from the four deuces sound loudly.” (Williams, 10, 215).  Because of the fact that it is a Brothel and that it can be heard very loudly from there implies therefore the rape. This is the critical point at which the whole devastation of Blanche, her lovely values, and the class she symbolizes becomes clear.

Another instance of foreshadowing through music is in scene four, where Stanley unintentionally had heard the conversation between Blanche and Stella. Blanche was asking Stella to ‘’not hang out with the brutes’’ (164). However, Stella runs towards him and gives him a cuddle when Stanley enters the room. During this part of the scene, the blue piano plays in the background ‘’ “the music of the ‘blue piano’ drums and trumpet is heard” (Williams, 4, 164). Furthermore, the blue piano in this particular part gains more significance as it foreshadows the victory of Stanley over Stella. In addition, it emphasizes William’s social commentary on the 1940s America where he can see the worth of Stanley and Stanley replacing those of Blanche and her social class. 

 The significance of music in the play ‘’Streetcar named desire’’ by Tennessee Williams, Williams uses music to portray Blanche Dubois's feelings. The background music directly associates with the emotions of Blanche. The Varsouviana will always be connected with impending tragedy and misfortune. It played as she told of her background, which would lead to her downfall, and when she was dragged away to the mental institution. In summary, the Varsouviana appears at each pivotal point in Blanche's character. When it isn't playing, the Blue Piano may be heard musically conveying Blanche's mood. It, like Blanche, is melancholy and sad. The song "It's only a paper moon" weaves together Williams' vision of Blanche, that her dishonesty and falsehoods only succeed when others believe her, and that it only takes one person to pull them apart. In addition, the music foreshadows certain events throughout the play that represents Blanche. To summarize, There is not one single point in the play when the music does not complement Blanche's personality.

Bibliography:

Williams, Tennessee ‘’A streetcar name desire’’ Northon anthology of American literature, edited by Robert S. Levine, shorter 9th ed., vol 2, W.W. Norton, 2017, pp. 1119-1181

SparkNotes Editors. ‘’A streetcar named desire’’ SparkNotes.com, SparkNotes LLC, 2005, https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/streetcar/