What Does The Light Symbolize Blanche Dubois

In Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, the protagonist Blanche DuBois descends into madness. In the play, Blanche dislikes the light. She explains “I like the dark. The dark is comforting to me” (116). The light symbolizes the truth, and Blanche is trying to hide from it. She is desperately wanting to forget her past, so she hides in the dark. In addition to her attempts to hide from the light, Blanche has an unhealthy obsession with young men. A boy selling newspapers speaks to Blanche and she kisses him and tells him “I’ve got to be good and keep my hands off children” (84). Blanche lies and tells her sister that she is taking a leave of absence from her job as a school teacher, but she was actually fired for having an inappropriate