Brian Coleman 3/10/11
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
In A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams. There are many different uses of symbolism that relate to the overall message and meanings. Symbols put in by Williams such as the paper lantern; the "Flores, flores los muertos lady, and the streetcar named desire, are all different symbols that connect to the overall messages of the play. Each one of these symbols has a different meaning and message that relates to one another. Whether it being hiding the truth, or being faced with death, or leading a life driven by desire, each one pays a special role in The Streetcar Named Desire.
The paper lantern is a symbol for the so called magic that Blanche is longing for. It is used to hide the reality of what she really is, her age, and is a fantasy for her, of the life she wants.
Cropped screenshot of Vivien Leigh from the traile...
Cropped screenshot of Vivien Leigh from the traile...
1st edition (New Directions)The paper lantern is a symbol for the overall theme of the inability to overcome reality. It hide's the truth of Blanches reality or better known as the bare light bulb. "I can't stand a naked light bulb". A naked light bulb to Blanche is like a light being pointed in the dark. Not only does it bring out her real age. "I don't mind you being older than what I thought. It also used for Blanche to live the fantasy life she always imagined, and to hide the ugly reality she really lives in. Stanley plays a part of taking down the paper lantern and bringing out the truth that is under it. In the last scene it is said that Blanche forgot something, as she is leaving to go to the asylum, the thing she forgot to take, is the false reality to bring with her or...