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A Streetcar Named Desire

by Tennessee Williams

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Discussion Topic

Developing a strong thesis for an essay on "A Streetcar Named Desire."

Summary:

To develop a strong thesis for an essay on A Streetcar Named Desire, focus on a central theme, character analysis, or the play's social commentary. For example, you could explore how Tennessee Williams portrays the conflict between reality and illusion through Blanche DuBois' character or examine the impact of societal expectations on the characters' relationships and identities.

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How can a thesis about Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire be developed?

To develop a thesis for your essay, an important first step is deciding what you think the author’s intentions are in the play. Blanche DuBois is the main character, and she undergoes some major changes through the course of the play. Blanche is often identified as a tragic hero, but others feel that her flaws are so numerous that she does not constitute a hero figure. The other characters view her in different ways depending on their relationship with her. Stella, her sister, has deep affection for her, but Stella’s husband despises and disrespects his sister-in-law. Forming your own opinion of Blanche is a key step toward writing an effective essay. The strong contrast between purity and physicality is an important element of her characterization.

Among the devices that Tennessee Williams uses, symbolism stands out. You can identify a large number of symbols, such as the name of...

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the streetcar, which connects with the frequent references to “desire,” often in connection with sexuality. This symbol also uses the literary device of themetaphor: explicit comparison of unlike things. One relevant quote occurs early in the play, when Blanche arrives and tells how she traveled: “they told me to take a streetcar named Desire.” In a later conversation, when Stella tries to explain her passionate relations with her husband, Blanche dismisses carnality:

What you are talking about is brutal desire—just—Desire!—the name of that rattle-trap streetcar that bangs through the Quarter.

Another symbol is light and whiteness, beginning with Blanche’s name. Regardless of her sexual activity, Williams associates her with purity and fragility. Associated quotes come from the stage directions, as he compares her to a moth. When she arrives at Stella’s apartment,

She is daintily dressed in a white suit…Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth.

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What's the best way to write a thesis about "truth" in A Streetcar Named Desire?

In terms of construction of a thesis statement about truth, more information would be needed.  Seeing that Blanche is included in the tags, perhaps there might be something to be said about Blanche's inability to be truthful with herself.  There is much in way of self- delusion within Blanche.  Part of this might be due to the fact that much of her true reality is too difficult to endure.  Blanche's "truth" is a form of denial, to deny that which is painful and hurtful.  I think that this might be one direction in which to go.  The other direction about "truth" and Williams' work might be in the larger sense.  The notion of "truth" in the play is defined by power.  For example, Stanley uses his power to convince Stella that Blanche is insane.  Blanche used to feel power in her own world, and at that point, truth could be more readily embraced.  In the end, those in the position of power are able to define what "truth" is, making it a concept that is contingent on power and who possesses it.  This helps to bring out the fact that Blanche has a tough time understanding the world and how it operates because truth, something that should be universal, has become victim to contingency, similar to Blanche herself.

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