Discussion Topic
The significance of the color white as a symbol in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Summary:
The color white in "A Streetcar Named Desire" symbolizes purity and innocence, which contrasts sharply with the reality of Blanche DuBois's life. Blanche often dresses in white to project an image of innocence and virtue, masking her past and inner turmoil. This use of white highlights the theme of illusion versus reality in the play.
What are three reasons white symbolizes importance in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Another meaning of the name "Blanche" suggests what post#4 discusses: the fading Southern Belle. For, the word blanch means to remove color. Also, it denotes sickness and fear--two symptoms of Blanche DuBois.
The absence of color conjures the chapter of Herman Melville's Moby Dick in which the author discusses the negative connotations of white in which it evokes spectres, shrouds, lifelessness, etc.
White is used somewhat ironically as noted above. Clearly the real Blanche and the way she tries to present herself are completely at odds with each other, and this is a central conflict that drives the play and arguably results in the tragedy of Blanche and what happens with Stanley. It really captures the sombre mood and evokes sympathy in the audience for her character - Blanche is a character who is simply unable to escape her past and is dogged by it. Reinvention only...
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makes the past glare more furiously.
The first post is a great explanation of the use of white as a symbol of the ideal of Southern purity. I'd go a bit further and state that white fades into ivory and then almost beige, perhaps with some stains. I think of an old wedding dress that hasn't been professionally preserved, delicate and still possessing traces of its former glory, but becoming brittle and no longer the pure white it was on the wedding day, if it even were worn at all.
Blanche is like that faded wedding dress, once a beautifully frosted Southern cupcake, but now a shadow of her former self, with that former self embellished in her mind far beyond its actuality, the way that memories of a wedding may be far more beautiful than the videotape would show.
The above post is great in the description of white as it pertains to Blanche's character. Williams needs to build up Blanche's character in this way in order to present the tension between her and Stanley. The two are opposing characters, and much of their conflict has to do with the way the two present themselves. Blanche paints herself as an innocent Southern belle, yet as mentioned above, her sexual past follows her. Stanley uses this against her to try to uncover her fraudulent ways.
Tennessee Williams' uses white as a symbolic color in several ways in his play A Streetcar Named Desire. White is typically considered to be a symbol of purity, so let us first consider the name of Blanche DuBois, a central, symbolic character. The name Blanche means "white, pure." It is a word associated with purity, innocence and beauty. Perhaps Williams is trying to communicate his character's purity and innocence through the use of her name. This is interesting when the character is exposed (figuratively and literally) as having a sexual past -- her husband, whom she loved, turned out to be a homosexual and committed suicide. After his death, she desperately tried to maintain her Southern Belle lifestyle by taking many male suitors, thereby suggesting she was sexually promiscuous. Despite this tainted past, Williams presents her as a delicate, white, pure lady who did what she had to do to preserve her life. You can look through the play to find more references to "white" -- and they will all most likely surround Blanche's character.
Why is the color white an important symbol in "A Streetcar Named Desire"?
The color white is significant in that it is an allegory to Blanche's "clean slate". It is ironic, because Blanche had come to her sister's to possibly start over after leaving a life in shambles behind her. The color white signifies purity, cleanliness, impartiality. However, we know that Blanche represents anything but those characteristics.
Yet, Blanche enters the scene dressed impeccably in white, sending an ironic signal: I am clean. I am pure. I am innocent. And while we see her, we realize how wrongly dressed she is, as she is planted in the dirty, dusty industrial street where Stella's apartment is situated.
We, as the audience, feel how that white dress could get stained at any moment, and how embarrasing it would be for Blanche. After we read the play we realize that that's exactly what happened to Blanche: Get real self came out, and she payed for it dearly.
Why is the color white an important symbol in "A Streetcar Named Desire"?
You might be better set in terms of exploring in a series of questions that could allow you to better understand the topic. The first question I would ask would be for you to examine when you see the color in a prominent setting. What is happening? What is the emotional setting like? What is being revealed? Williams might be using the color as a way for the audience to gauge a better read of the internal thoughts and experiences of the characters. In general, I would think about what the color means and what it might be trying to suggest in the play. Another question that I think you need to ask yourself is to what is the color attached? Clothing, flowers, and other objects can be used to represents a great deal and the use of color might be one of those elements where the connotation is highly important. I think that being able to assess for yourself where the color is used and in what contexts Williams is using the color is going to be important in assessing its overall value and purpose in the play. I think that being able to generate these answers to such questions will help you a great deal in being able to write this essay on your own with your own thoughts on the topic.