Discussion Topic
The use and impact of symbols in A Streetcar Named Desire
Summary:
In A Streetcar Named Desire, symbols like the streetcar named Desire, the paper lantern, and the motif of light and darkness convey deeper themes. The streetcar symbolizes Blanche’s uncontrollable desires leading to her downfall. The paper lantern represents her attempts to mask reality, and the light and darkness motif highlights the contrast between truth and illusion in her life.
In A Streetcar Named Desire, how does Williams effectively use symbols?
The use of symbolism and motifs in A Streetcar Named Desire is illustrative of Williams's partiality toward Expressionism as his artistic outlet. The highly effective combinations of action/symbol and action/motif serve as the backbone of a play that combines fantasy and reality as they appear in the eyes of the main characters.
The combination of symbols and motifs helps the audience to connect with the emotions, or with the turmoils, of the character that represents the symbol. Altogether, symbolism is an essential part of characterization because it takes the audience to the deepest and most sacred world of the character. After all, a symbol is a unique representation of an special trait.
The most salient symbols in A Streetcar Named Desire are
a) The music as a trigger of memory, as the creator of atmosphere , and as a symbol of Blanche's emotional issues. We find from the beginning how...
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the stage directions are adamant that there is a "blue piano" playing in the background, which symbolizes the culture of New Orleans. The Polka music playing during the introduction of Blanche and Stanley is representative of Stanley Kowalski's Polish heritage. Moreover, the use of the Varsouviana as the trigger of Blanche's trauma over her late husband's suicide is effective in mirroring Blanche's unstable moods.
b) The telephone, a modern contraption within the historical context of the play, was a completely unknown technology for Blanche. More than three times she tries to use the telephone to either contact an old acquaintance, to reach Western Union, or to talk to Mitch. None of her attempts work and she is always left waiting. Therefore, the telephone is a symbol of salvation not meant to save Blanche.
c) Poker, meat, alcohol- Poker and alcohol are Stanley's favorite diversions. It is the time for him to display his manliness as well as his dominance of his wife, and his home. His manliness is even more evidently marked in Scene One when he throws a slab of meat at Stella, which she catches with mischievous eyes. This is symbolic of the master/servant sex dominance that Stanley exerts over Stella, which she happily accepts to follow.
d) Lights and shadows- As part of the stage directions, Williams uses lights and shadows as a way to represent sanity versus insanity, reality versus fantasy, and good versus evil. The light is used against the shadowy wall,creating scenes, faces, or weird forms. The light is also dimmed, or made more bright, during sublime moments such as Blanche's memory of her husband's suicide. The light, or the lack thereof, is also symbolic of Blanche's lost youth, as she needs the light of shaded candles to admit herself to be seen by her much younger beau, Mitch.
Altogether, it is safe to assert the effectiveness of the use of symbolism in the play. It helps color the action with subtle things that suggest the depth of emotional investments made by the characters in pursue of what they want to make themselves happier.
What effect do symbols have in A Streetcar Named Desire?
A significant symbol is contained within the play's title. According to Tennessee Williams, the streetcar is "the ideal metaphor for the human condition." The specific streetcar line that is referenced conveys the power of sexual desire that influences people's actions; the symbol furthers this dominant theme in the play, and its meaning is contained in the name of the streetcar line Blanche takes:
They told me to take a street-car named Desire, and transfer to one called Cemeteries, and ride six blocks and get off at—Elysian Fields!
Blanche views herself as an object of male desire and flirts aggressively and openly. Stanley learns that Blanche had been fired from her teaching position for having a physical affair with a student and evicted from a motel she had been staying at after having numerous sexual encounters there. The marriage between Stanley and Stella revolves around sexual gratification, and Stanley rapes Blanche after he learns of her unchaste past. The streetcar line is a representation of Blanche's journey in life, in which she must follow the path on which desire takes her to its end.
Alcohol also functions as a symbol, with Stanley and Blanche drinking consistently throughout the play. Stanley often becomes violent and physical while drunk; he beats Stella while intoxicated, and both himself and Blanche are drunk when he rapes her. For Stanley, alcohol represents the theme of masculinity and physicality. In Blanche's case, it represents her escape from reality, illustrating the theme of fantasy and delusion. For instance, Blanche is very intoxicated when she imagines she is hosting a high-class party, complete with hallucinations of male admirers.
Moreover, polka music functions as a personal symbol for Blanche, as she associates it with her husband's suicide; after confronting him about his homosexuality while they are dancing polka, he leaves the dance floor and promptly kills himself. Blanche and the audience hear polka music when she thinks of the circumstances of his death; this contributes to the sombre atmosphere of scenes in which the music is played and conveys Blanche's emotions.
Three additional symbols convey Blanche's urge to escape reality: bathing, darkness, and the paper lantern. Blanche seems to be constantly bathing throughout the play; this represents her attempt to cleanse herself of the unpleasant reality of the apartment, as well as the guilt associated with her past. Blanche prefers night and the dreamworld and demonstrates an aversion to light:
I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.
Blanche would rather hide behind politeness and niceties than accept the truth of someone having an unfavorable opinion of her. She covers the bare light bulb with a paper lantern; the lantern is fragile, just as Blanche's mental state is, as well as her illusions.