Blanche Dubois

The character Blanche Dubois could be interpreted into many categories. Blanche comes to Stella and Stanley after her stint of being a prostitute. Blanche arrives at Stella and Stanley’s seeking refuge from the harsh world. The character Blanche Dubois could be interpreted into a victim in many ways, throughout this essay I will show how she is a victim and the counterarguments to show whether or not she is a victim. As I have found for each argument there is also a specific counterargument.

Arguably the most important question to ask whether Blanche is a victim is her surprise arrival in New Orleans. We see this in Stella’s startled screams “Blanche!” Also Blanche’s rapturous speech “Stella, oh Stella! Stella for Star! These two quotes show us that they have not seen each other for a long period of time and are obviously excited to see each other. Unlike Stanley, “Oh. Didn’t know you were coming to town.” On one side Blanche is a victim because she had no other choice but to seek refuge at Stella and Stanley’s home. Blanche lost her and Stella’s childhood home Belle Reve due to the swindling of the estate and finally the payments on the funerals of her parents. Equally Blanche had a paying job, which gave her a small and steady income. We find that Blanche lost this job from flirting with a seventeen year old students.

Blanche could also be portrayed as a victim due to her drinking habits. Blanche has become dependant on alcohol to calm her erratic nerves. In this sense Blanche is a victim because if she had had the support that she needed from Stella she would not have had to resort to alcoholism. Contrastingly Blanche is not a victim because she has stolen liquor from Stella when she is in the flat on her own, proving that she is desperate for alcohol. Also the untimely loss of Belle Reve has left Blanche in a very unstable mental state. When she talks about alcohol she talks as if she has not had a drink for years. “No coke, honey, not with my nerves