Streetcar Named Desire:

The symbolic dichotomy and opposition between Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski

Tennessee William's Blanche Dubois from an "A Streetcar Named Desire" is one of the most complex characters in dramatic literature. On one hand, Blanche represents fine, southern gentility. When she speaks of losing the family estate Belle Reve, in contrast to the practical Stanley Kowalski, she is vague about the legal and financial complications which led her to such dire straits. She simply does not seem to understand or care. "I think it's wonderful that Belle Reve should finally be this bunch of old papers in your big, capable hands" she says sarcastically to Stanley, mocking his emphasis on his legal entitlement to his wife's share of the estate (44). Hoping that a man will save her from her predicament, she flits like a moth in her sister's apartment, creating 'magic' with paper lanterns. She represents...
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