The purpose of my essay is to talk about the symbols and their function in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. In order to achieve my goal , I will identify the symbols in this novel and I will analyze them .
First of all , we will define this notion of “symbol” : A symbol is literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight, and is representative of several other aspects, concepts or traits than those that are visible in the literal translation alone. (literary devices). So, as we may see, in literature, a symbol presents different aspect of reality in order to to express another meaning.
I think that Tennessee Williams uses the symbols in his novel to create a certain atmosphere , but also to highlight some characteristic features of his characters and of places .
In this novel we have many symbols.
One example could be the symbol of names.
Blanche DuBois : she is the main character of the novel and her name has a French origin : “blanche” means “white” and “DuBois” means “made of wood”.
As we know, the white color stands for purity and innocence and so the character’s first name suggest that she has these qualities,but the play will show us that her true nature is not like that , that this is only an unreal image she tries to create . Blanche tries all the time to hide her past from people , because she fears that shw will be rejected if the true comes into light. In order to preserve her social status she tells lies , creating a mistaken image of herself . She only wants to keep this false image alive. This means that her first name is exactly the opposite of her true character.
Her last name, which is in contrast wither first name ,suggesting something hard and strong. But if we think that wood grows up in forest or in jungle , we can make a connection with her past. She had sex with different men and she was known throughout her hometown for that. Her past can be like a jungle from which she could not escape. This word appears in the play too, in the 10th scene when Stanley is about to rape Blanche ,, the inhuman jungle voices rise up”(Williams 215).
The Du from DuBois suggest something aristocratic , noble, just like the image she tries to create of herself , but what she does is the opposite.
Her entire name wold be translated as “white wood” and she explains is to Mitch in the third scene : “ It is a French name . It means woods and Blanche means white , so the two together mean white woods.” (Williams 150)
As we may see her name is symbolic and I think that Tennessee Williams uses it in order to reflect Blanche’s true nature: even if at the beginning she seems to be pure and innocent, but as the story moves on, her true character can be seen .
At the beginning of the novel , the author introduces three names for which he gives no explanation .
In scene one , Blanche describes to Eunice the journey to her sister’s place: “They told me to take a streetcar named Desire , and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at –Elysian Fields” (Williams 117) .
Desire is her first step, maybe her first step in life after her husband, Allan, died. But she ended up havein intimacies with man who didn’t care about her : “Yes, I had many intimacies with strangers . After the death of Allan –intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with …”(Williams 205) . From this we may understand that she was led by desire.
Her next stop, Cemeteries, is a symbol of death. She lost her job because she had an affair with one of her students , so her lifestyle got her into trouble: “ The opposite (of death ) is Desire”. (Williams 206).
Elsyan Fields is the name of the street where Stanley and Stella live and this is an allusion to Roman mythology , Elsyum(or Elsyan Fields) was a place of premium for the virtuous dead. Elsyan Fields was then ,just a temporary place of the souls’ journey back to life.
I think that Tennessee Williams uses these three names in order to suggest that Blanche’s journey in the streetcars, is actually the journey of her own life and to forshedow the future events.
In the novel we have another symbol and this is the symbol of light.
As we may know, light stands for truth , for reality, for recognition.
I think that the author uses this symbol of light in order to underline, one more time, Blanche’s character. Blanche always tries to avoid bright light . We can interprete this as an way of escaping reality, as an way of hiding her true nature . We can observe Blanche’s reluctance for light from the first scene when she says: “And turn that over-light off! Turn that off! I won’t be looked at in this merciless glare”.(Williams 120).
In the 9th scene , when Mitch tears off the paper lantern in order to look at her in the bright light, she says: “ I don’t want realism …I’ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic! I misrepresent things to them .I don’t tell the truth . I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it !- Don’t turn the light on ”(Williams 204).
We also have the color symbolism :
There are many colors in the novel:
1. White :
Blanche’s name means “white” in French.
When Blanche appears for the first time, the author tells us that she wears a white suit, pearl earrings and white glove: “She is daintily dressed in a white suit…white gloves and hat ” She wants to mentain that false image of innocence and purity, as we previously mentioned. Her purity is just a lie.
2. Grey :
Blanche’s first husband’s last name was “Grey”.
In the novel :“The houses are mostly white frame, weathered grey ” or we can see “ Faded white stairs” . This means that the past is still present , and one cannot remove its marks.
3. Blue: this color stands for melancholy : “Tender blue, almost turquoise , which invests the scene with a kind of lyricism and gracefully attenuates the atmosphere of decay .”
We also have the symbol of music :
There are 2 types of music that the author presents throughout the play : The Blue Piano and The Varsouviana ( a Polka tune).
The Blue piano represent sthe present ( Price 4):” This “Blue Piano” expresses the spirit of the life which goes on there” (Williams scene 1)
On the other hand, The Varsouviana represents the past. It was the music playing when Blanche’s first husband killed himself. It plays on an almost endless loop in Blanche’s head and is always accompanied by a gunshot. (Price 4)
As we may see, Tennessee Williams uses music here in order to create a contrast between the past and the present.
Another symbol is the symbol of paper:
Paper is referenced many times in the play : Blanche checks Stella’s address on a slip of paper, the paper documents, the lantern, the boy collecting for the paper or Blance signs about “a paper moon”.
I think that the author uses the paper here in order to present a fragile world: Paper is fragile: the documents represent the loss of Belle Reve, the lantern can only hide Blanche’s true age for so long, the boy collecting for the paper represents youth that will fade any second, the paper moon is far from the solidness of the real thing. (Price 4)
As we may observe , Tennessee Williams’ play contains a lot of symbols: the streertcar is more than just a mean of transport, the characters are more than they show, and the reader has to go beyond their appearance in order to see their true nature.
As a conclusion, we can say that Tennessee Williams has built up every word, every name, every action with a purpose and a meaning.
I also think that the author uses these symbols in order to create some contrast , for example the contrast between the Old Aristocracy and the New World, between light and dark, or between death and desire.These contrastes bring into light the characters and their true
features.