A Streetcar Named Desire: Blanche - Key Quotes *INCOMPLETE*

"Her appearance is incongruous to the setting."

• Blanche is unfamilliar with buzzing and lively New Orleans where there is a melting pot of different races and cultures. It is a drastic change for Blache as she is a typical southern belle with a refined taste who was never been exposed to surroundings like this. New Orleans is an example of the changing face of America -  a city with very liberal views and is accepting of all people who have different lifestyles.
• The adjective 'incongruous' is forshadowing as this lexis shows Blanche's dischord with her new setting thus establishing her as the outsider and setting up her fall from grace.
• She is dressed in white which is a direct contrast with the 'atmosphere of decay'.The colour white connotes innocence and purity - an image which Blanche trys to portray which is ironic as from the onset of the play the audience are aware that she is by far the opposite. It also emphasises her aristocratic nature as the colour white is often seen as heaveanly showing how she sees herself above others when in reality she has nothing but her suitcase of clothes. The colour makes her stand out from her dingy surroundings of mundane New Orleans and represents how she is a social outsider, which reinforces how at times she feels like a victim and why possible audiences may feel sympathy for her.

"Turn that off! I won't be looked at in this merciless glare!"

• Imperitive verb 'won't' is a demanding, agressive and erratic response to the light being switched on - Blanch is unable to look at herself in the light and is evidently sensitive about her age/appearnce which initionally provokes sympathy from the audience. This could be a satirical comment aimed at the pressures placed on women at the time - in a partiarchal society women were often subdued and opressed. Blanche may be afraid of not meeting these social expectations and therefore is unable to look at herself in the harsh light.
• The adjective 'merciless' could reflect how in society women like Blance who were widows who became spinsters were shunned particularily in the deep South where women were supposed to be the embodiment of rigid innate values of which Blanche is the opposite. This could be a reflection of Willams himself in Blanche as many of female protagonists contained elements of thier author - Williams was a homosexual in a time were it was illegal and sinful therefore creating parralells with Blanche as she feels society is merciless towards her as did Williams.
• The light could represent love as she describes love as a 'blinding light' - love is 'merciless' as it took her late husband from but also represents reality as Blanche is known for her lies.

“She springs up and crosses to it, and removes a whiskey bottle” 

• The first thing Blanche does when she arrives at her sister’s house is tp look for a drink highlightling how alcohol is at the forefront of her mind. 
• The use of the verb “springs” makes it seem like a drink for Blanche is a necessity and she deceives herself in to thinking it will get rid of all her problems.
• She repeatedly denies her intimacy with alcohol saying “One’s my limit” or “I rarely touch it” which is ironic as the audience know fully well that she drinks as they have seen her already have multiple drinks within the first few scenes. She experiences difficulty when confronted with her past (which was full of pain) and it’s later revealed that she drinks as a coping method in attempt to forget the past and move past it.
• Blanche’s alcoholism may be modelled of William's own personal experiences as he was known for modelling his most memorable characters off aspects of his own life. William's father was a heavy drinker and he loathed his father, which may be an explanation as to why he created Blanche in an obnoxious manner. 

"Blanches is bathing." 

• Blanche’s has a developing obsession with bathing. 
• Throughout the play we see Blanche bathe many times it is her way of coping with the past as she says it relaxes her.
• It may be symbolic of how she is trying to cleanse and purify herself from her sins, perhaps the sin of lust as she has had "many intimacies with strangers".  
• She is yet again trying to deceive herself into thinking that she is pure and innocent and this is representative of the internalized guilt that she feels.