In A Streetcar Named Desire, appearances are deceiving in Blanche, for what she pretends to be (a well-off schoolteacher on a leave of absence) is not at all what she is. Appearances are also quite different from reality in Stella and Stanley's marriage. By the end of the play, Blanche can no longer tell the difference between appearances and reality.

Blanche is not accurately described as "insane" at the end of A Streetcar Named Desire. She suffers from severe PTSD, worsened by Stanley's assault and earlier traumas, leading to a disconnection from reality. This mental illness, rather than "insanity," more precisely explains her behavior. Blanche's experience reflects themes in Tennessee Williams's works, highlighting characters marginalized by societal expectations.

Blanche's conflict between illusion and reality is central to her character in A Streetcar Named Desire. She consistently retreats into fantasies to escape the harsh truths of her past and present, leading to her eventual mental breakdown. Her illusions clash with the stark realities represented by other characters, especially Stanley, highlighting the destructive nature of her delusions.

Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire explores the tension between realism and illusion, primarily through the character of Blanche DuBois, who clings to fantasies to escape her troubled past and harsh realities. Her sister Stella and brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski represent contrasting attitudes, with Stanley embodying brutal realism that ultimately shatters Blanche's illusions. The play's realistic setting and characters, such as Stanley's working-class masculinity and Blanche's Southern Belle facade, underscore the theme of appearance versus reality, highlighting the destructive potential of both extremes.

The paper lantern in A Streetcar Named Desire symbolizes Blanche's attempt to mask her past and present realities. By covering the bare light bulb, she hides her physical flaws and creates an illusion of youth and beauty for herself and others. The lantern represents her need for illusion over harsh reality, crucial for her psychological survival. Mitch's tearing down of the lantern signifies the destruction of her fragile illusions.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche reveals to Stanley that "a woman's charm is fifty percent illusion," indicating her belief that women should maintain an air of mystery and not fully expose their faults. This statement reflects Blanche's reliance on fantasy and delusion to cope with her traumatic past and present herself as an idealized Southern Belle, rather than facing harsh realities.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, the searchlight symbolizes truth and reality, which Blanche fears. She avoids strong light to hide her true age and the harsh realities of her past, including her failed marriage to a homosexual man. The searchlight represents the moment of revelation and loss for Blanche, after which she prefers the gentler, concealing light of a candle.

In "A Streetcar Named Desire," Blanche's statement, "I don't want realism, I want magic," reflects her desire to escape the harsh realities of her life, including her husband's suicide, her own poverty, and her fading youth. She seeks to create a softer, more romanticized world through illusions and dreams, as reality offers her little hope or protection.

Given what know about the end of the play, Blanche is referring to prostitution when she says she doesn't know how much longer she can "turn a trick" for. Turning a trick means finding a client willing to pay for sex. The paper lantern refers to the way Blanche puts softly colored paper over lamps in the apartment to obscure the light so that she can looks younger. In a double, symbolic meaning, it also refers to how she has been obscuring the truth about how she earns a living.

Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" is depicted as more degenerate and promiscuous than innocent and charming. Her actions, such as flirting with a young boy and lying about her past, reveal a manipulative nature. Blanche's history of deceit and libertine behavior, including losing her job for an affair with a student, suggests a lack of innocence. Her interactions disrupt her sister's life, portraying her as a complex and troubled character rather than charming.

Blanche DuBois avoids strong light as a way to escape reality and hide the truth about her age and past. In A Streetcar Named Desire, light symbolizes exposure to truth, which Blanche fears as it reveals her fading youth and traumatic history, including her husband's suicide and inappropriate relationships. The darkness allows her to maintain illusions about herself, as she struggles with the harsh truths of her life and impending mental breakdown.

The recurring polka music in Blanche's head symbolizes her deteriorating mental state and the trauma of her past, particularly her young husband's suicide. It represents her only true romance, now tainted with tragedy, and foreshadows her grim future as she spirals into madness. The music's varying forms and intensities reflect her inner turmoil, serving as a constant reminder of her suffering and the bleakness of both her past and future.