A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche Character Analysis

Christopher Senderos
Period. 5
2-14-12
Blanche, What is She Really Like?

A Street Car Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams is a play that was during the 1940’s. In this play there is a woman, her name is Blanche. Blanche has many ways of showing herself. When she first arrives in New Orleans, where her sister lives, she can be seen as a flirty woman, a deceiver, a pushy and rude woman. Blanche has many ways of showing herself being flirty at the beginning of the play. When Blanche first arrives in New Orleans and arrives to her sister’s home, she asks Stella, her sister, what her husband is like. When Blanche meets Stanley, her sister’s husband which is also her brother-in-law she starts flirting with him. When Blanche steps out of her bath she begins
changing behind the curtains putting on her dress. She then asks Stanley to help her button up her dress. When he helps her she asks him about her appearance. Stanley knowing what she is trying to do is smart about it and his response is simple, just a “You look all right.” (88) Blanche also flirts with Stanley when asking if he ever considered her once to be attractive, but again Stanley is smart about it and his answer is “Your looks are okay.” This question also lets the audience know she is flirty because she then says she was fishing for a complement. (89) Blanche also flirts with Mitch, one of Stanley’s friends. When Mitch is waiting for the restroom, because it is occupied, Blanche asks for a cigarette, and Mitch takes out his silver case, where he has his cigarettes, Mitch asks her to read the inscription but she acts dumb so he can get closer to her. This shows her being flirty because she wants him closer to her. (53) Blanche is flirty again when she tells Mitch that she’s just an old maid schoolteacher, because she wants to hear him say she is not an old maid, and that is exactly what he tells her, he tells her she may teach school but she certainly is not an old maid. This shows her being flirty with Mitch. (55-56) Blanche is also seen as a deceiver.
Blanche lies about many things such as her not being a drunkard. When Blanche gets to Stella’s apartment she spots a bottle of whiskey, she notices that it is half opened so she grabs it and drinks half of it, almost leaving it empty. When Stella goes up to her apartment they start a conversation and Blanche asks Stella for some liquor, she lies about not knowing that Stella has liquor when in reality she knows she does. (18-19) Blanche lies again but this time to Stanley. She tells him that she rarely touches liquor, when really she drinks a lot. (30) Blanche lies again about her not being a drunkard to Mitch. When Mitch is waiting for the restroom, Blanche tells him that the little boy’s restroom is busy, so he tells her that they’ve been drinking beer, and she comes up with her not liking beer. She lies about not liking beer so she doesn’t seem like a bad woman. (52) Blanche lies again when Mitch asks about her age, she explains how her “Little Sister” Stella is actually older than her to make herself look better for looking out for Stella. In reality Blanche is actually older than Stella but this is another way she shows the audience she is a liar.
(55) Blanche also shows herself being a pushy and rude woman since the beginning of the play. When she arrives to Stella’s apartment she shows herself being pushy and rude by telling Eunice, the upstairs neighbor, when she walks her into Stella’s apartment, she then wants to be left alone so she tells Eunice to leave. Eunice doesn’t understand at first and Blanche realizes that, so she tells her “What I meant was I’d like to be left alone.”(18) Blanche is also pushy with her sister Stella when she asks her to stand up to see her figure, then Stella says not now, but Blanche insists on making her get up. (21-22) Blanche also shows herself being pushy and rude with her sister when she wants to be left alone with Stanley. She tells her to go and buy her a lemon-coke with chipped ice. This shows how Blanche desires to have everything her way. (40) Blanche is shown to the viewers that she can be very flirty, a liar, and a pushy rude woman. Although these are many ways of her being flirty, a liar, and a rude and pushy woman they’re not all bad reasons, it is to make herself look better, and in reality, people have to do many of these thing to have others to like them in a way or just that certain individual.