is perhaps the catalyst for her slow, inevitable psychological breakdown. Indeed, when she recalls the events surrounding his death, the stage directions indicate that she hears a "locomotive ... thunder(ing) past." This locomotive, and the thundering noise it makes, represents the debilitating anguish that Blanche feels every time she thinks of Allan Gray's death. Indeed, when she hears the noise, she "claps her hands to her ears and crouches over," as if the memories are too much for her to bear.

When Blanche recounts the story of Allan Grey's death, the implication is that he shot himself because she told him that he disgusted her. She was disgusted with his homosexuality, and this, presumably, brought his own shame to the surface. Throughout the play, Blanche fights with her own unconventional sexual history. She has slept with lots of men and has gained something of a reputation as a "loose" woman. Mitch later tells her that she is "not clean enough" to take home to his mother. Part of Blanche's guilt might, therefore, be linked to a feeling of hypocrisy. She understands all too well the injustice of being condemned for one's own sexual orientation or history. She is likely able to better empathize with Allan Gray later in her life than she was at the time of her initial "disgust." In hindsight, she likely realizes how unfair and how painful her "disgust" must have been to the man she loved. The moral here, of course, is that we all need to be more tolerant and more empathetic.