Duddumpudi Viswant
EGL 102
Prof. J Mignano Brady
3/12/14
EGL 102
Prof. J Mignano Brady
3/12/14
Blanche: The Woman Who Places Fantasy
Over Reality
An article entitled "The Nature of the Mental Image" by
Stephen Colvin, describes that it is the mind’s ability, or lack of
ability to determine what is real, and what an illusion is. A Streetcar Named Desire, a play written
by Tennessee Williams portrays the characters with an element of “illusion” to
be more sociably acceptable. Illusion can be defined as the condition of being
deceived by a false perception or belief .There is a fine line between the
differences in illusion and reality. Blanche Du Bois, plays the
central character of the play. She desires to be wanted, and holds such a strong past of dark memories
that she hides in the realm of fantasy. Blanche’s character has a large
transition from very subtle fantasies she portrays to others, to the more
dramatic examples when she begins to believe her illusion is her reality.
Two very famous philosophers have demonstrated immense ideas dealing with the issues of deception, and of false ideas conceived from prejudgment. Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, said “the discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.” Another Italian philosopher by the name Machiavelli quoted “one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.” Both of these are very powerful and deep quotes, have much in common. These brilliant philosophers are explaining the ability to believe in false truths, and illusion through someone’s opinions or their own. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire, many themes present themselves. However, due to such an adaptation of illusion through the character Blanche, the perception of fantasy over reality and illusion define this character.
Blanche Dubois enters into her sister, Stella, and brother in law, Stanley’s life with a past of deep regret and struggle. She lost her husband, was fired from her teaching job for inappropriate acts with a student, and lost her family’s land, which was owned for generations. Throughout her stay with Stella and Stanley, there are some things about Blanche that make her vulnerable. Motifs, such as, the way she takes baths to almost cleanse her soul, and how she never allows herself to be seen in the light as she is afraid for people to see her true identity and age demonstrates she is not proud of who she is. At the same time she attempts to portray a classy, and sophisticated woman. After Blanche takes her first bath, she converses with Stanley telling how she feels like a new person “hello, Stanley! Here I am. All freshly bathed and scented, and feeling like a brand new human being!”(Williams, 1179). The reality of this issue is that one cannot take a bath for a spiritual cleansing. The idea that she lets herself believe these baths are magical digs her deeper into a fantasy world.
Fantasy over reality, illusion and false appearance, are three ideas that define Blanche progressively as the play progresses. At first it is little things, such as, the apparent soul cleansing baths. Later to more dramatic and obvious examples as seen in the last scene of the play when Blanche is awaiting the arrival of Shep Huntleigh to take her away to the Caribbean on a yacht. Blanche says “I can smell the sea air. The rest of the time I’m going to spend on the sea. And when I die, I’m going to die on the sea” (Williams, 1234). This idea was manufactured by Blanche right before the rape scene, when Stanley asks about the attire Blanche is wearing. She comes up with a ridiculous story of a telegram coming for her from an old admirer, Shep , wishing to take her away. This was also thought up directly after Mitch tells Blanche “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother” (Williams, 1226). Blanche is feeling so unwanted, and is not only presenting a false appearance, but also believing heavily in them for compliments. After everything Blanche has been through she makes herself believe in these fantasies in order to feel secure about herself, and block out all of the realistic truths she so deeply wishes to forget.
Some could argue that Blanche is attempting preservation self-preservation by deceiving all strangers, and shaping herself into somebody she is not. Several examples include her age comparison to Stella, how she is still a school teacher taking a leave of absence, and deceiving Mitch just enough so that he would want her. Her motives are ultimately to preserve a classic image. In the article “The nature of the mental image” by Professor Stephen Colvin, provide some insights on the minds ability to confuse imagination and perception. Most people are capable of believing in fantasies while still acknowledging a “firm grasp on the real universe” (Colvin, 159). Most subjects are able to distinguish this fine line of what is real and what is not. It is clear, especially towards the end of the play that Blanche is not the one who is capable of dealing with her fantasies and taking it as an illusion. She makes these illusions become her real world. Due to such a troubled past, Blanche is very weak and vulnerable to believe in an alternate reality, due to lack of desire to be in the present situations. As Machiavelli said about people being able to deceive one another, who is he to say that he wasn’t saying that people can allow them to deceive themselves. One who allows themselves to be deceived is obviously vulnerable. Being in that state of mind one cannot be vulnerable to your own devices. Blanche is both weak and vulnerable, and after months of living a lie there are no reasons of doubt that she could not have possibly deceived herself.
Connecting to the present world the best example is President Bush administration’s illusion over reality approach to the war in Iraq. First, the illusion that wherever the U.S. leads, others will be quick to follow. The Iraq misadventure demolished that notion and left the U.S. not only isolated but viewed in some quarters as a bigger problem than Saddam Hussein's Iraq ever was. No doubt, in some sense, the world needs the U.S. to exercise global leadership, but in an equally real sense, to lead effectively the U.S. needs the active support of allies. Second, the illusion that in an information age, military power, at least as employed by Washington, has become something of an all-purpose problem solver. Iraq has amply demonstrated the limits of "shock and awe." Having gotten into trouble, in the reality the Bush administration has responded pragmatically. It has lowered expectations, accelerated its timetable for restoring Iraqi sovereignty and backed away from the strident that prevailed through the first half of 2003. Militarily, it has sought to reduce the exposure of U.S. forces, wherever possible putting an Iraqi face on the occupation. With its newly unveiled initiative for nurturing liberal tendencies in the Middle East, it has seemingly abandoned the notion that the most efficacious instrument for promoting political change is the point of a knife. It has sought to mend diplomatic fences.
Fantasy over realty, illusion, and false appearances are demonstrated heavily by the character Blanche in the plot, setting and theme. Blanche never allows people to see her true identity in the light, this is an example of how she sets illusion of her true being. Stephen Colvin stated that it is possible to lose grip on reality and determine what is real and what is not. In Blanche’s situation, this fantasy she portrayed drove her insane. By the conclusion of the play when the truth of Blanche’s unfortunate past was revealed, she was the only person who actually believed what she said was her real world. The desire for Blanche to create this kind of alter ego, and to be desired by others, was so dramatic that it eventually led her to lose all sense of reality.
Source citations
"Bush's illusions." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, 26 June 2003: 14A. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014
“The Nature of the Mental Image”.
Colvin, Stephen Psychological Review, Vol 15(3), May 1908, 158-169. doi: 10.1037/h0068608
Two very famous philosophers have demonstrated immense ideas dealing with the issues of deception, and of false ideas conceived from prejudgment. Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher, said “the discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.” Another Italian philosopher by the name Machiavelli quoted “one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.” Both of these are very powerful and deep quotes, have much in common. These brilliant philosophers are explaining the ability to believe in false truths, and illusion through someone’s opinions or their own. In the play A Streetcar Named Desire, many themes present themselves. However, due to such an adaptation of illusion through the character Blanche, the perception of fantasy over reality and illusion define this character.
Blanche Dubois enters into her sister, Stella, and brother in law, Stanley’s life with a past of deep regret and struggle. She lost her husband, was fired from her teaching job for inappropriate acts with a student, and lost her family’s land, which was owned for generations. Throughout her stay with Stella and Stanley, there are some things about Blanche that make her vulnerable. Motifs, such as, the way she takes baths to almost cleanse her soul, and how she never allows herself to be seen in the light as she is afraid for people to see her true identity and age demonstrates she is not proud of who she is. At the same time she attempts to portray a classy, and sophisticated woman. After Blanche takes her first bath, she converses with Stanley telling how she feels like a new person “hello, Stanley! Here I am. All freshly bathed and scented, and feeling like a brand new human being!”(Williams, 1179). The reality of this issue is that one cannot take a bath for a spiritual cleansing. The idea that she lets herself believe these baths are magical digs her deeper into a fantasy world.
Fantasy over reality, illusion and false appearance, are three ideas that define Blanche progressively as the play progresses. At first it is little things, such as, the apparent soul cleansing baths. Later to more dramatic and obvious examples as seen in the last scene of the play when Blanche is awaiting the arrival of Shep Huntleigh to take her away to the Caribbean on a yacht. Blanche says “I can smell the sea air. The rest of the time I’m going to spend on the sea. And when I die, I’m going to die on the sea” (Williams, 1234). This idea was manufactured by Blanche right before the rape scene, when Stanley asks about the attire Blanche is wearing. She comes up with a ridiculous story of a telegram coming for her from an old admirer, Shep , wishing to take her away. This was also thought up directly after Mitch tells Blanche “You’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother” (Williams, 1226). Blanche is feeling so unwanted, and is not only presenting a false appearance, but also believing heavily in them for compliments. After everything Blanche has been through she makes herself believe in these fantasies in order to feel secure about herself, and block out all of the realistic truths she so deeply wishes to forget.
Some could argue that Blanche is attempting preservation self-preservation by deceiving all strangers, and shaping herself into somebody she is not. Several examples include her age comparison to Stella, how she is still a school teacher taking a leave of absence, and deceiving Mitch just enough so that he would want her. Her motives are ultimately to preserve a classic image. In the article “The nature of the mental image” by Professor Stephen Colvin, provide some insights on the minds ability to confuse imagination and perception. Most people are capable of believing in fantasies while still acknowledging a “firm grasp on the real universe” (Colvin, 159). Most subjects are able to distinguish this fine line of what is real and what is not. It is clear, especially towards the end of the play that Blanche is not the one who is capable of dealing with her fantasies and taking it as an illusion. She makes these illusions become her real world. Due to such a troubled past, Blanche is very weak and vulnerable to believe in an alternate reality, due to lack of desire to be in the present situations. As Machiavelli said about people being able to deceive one another, who is he to say that he wasn’t saying that people can allow them to deceive themselves. One who allows themselves to be deceived is obviously vulnerable. Being in that state of mind one cannot be vulnerable to your own devices. Blanche is both weak and vulnerable, and after months of living a lie there are no reasons of doubt that she could not have possibly deceived herself.
Connecting to the present world the best example is President Bush administration’s illusion over reality approach to the war in Iraq. First, the illusion that wherever the U.S. leads, others will be quick to follow. The Iraq misadventure demolished that notion and left the U.S. not only isolated but viewed in some quarters as a bigger problem than Saddam Hussein's Iraq ever was. No doubt, in some sense, the world needs the U.S. to exercise global leadership, but in an equally real sense, to lead effectively the U.S. needs the active support of allies. Second, the illusion that in an information age, military power, at least as employed by Washington, has become something of an all-purpose problem solver. Iraq has amply demonstrated the limits of "shock and awe." Having gotten into trouble, in the reality the Bush administration has responded pragmatically. It has lowered expectations, accelerated its timetable for restoring Iraqi sovereignty and backed away from the strident that prevailed through the first half of 2003. Militarily, it has sought to reduce the exposure of U.S. forces, wherever possible putting an Iraqi face on the occupation. With its newly unveiled initiative for nurturing liberal tendencies in the Middle East, it has seemingly abandoned the notion that the most efficacious instrument for promoting political change is the point of a knife. It has sought to mend diplomatic fences.
Fantasy over realty, illusion, and false appearances are demonstrated heavily by the character Blanche in the plot, setting and theme. Blanche never allows people to see her true identity in the light, this is an example of how she sets illusion of her true being. Stephen Colvin stated that it is possible to lose grip on reality and determine what is real and what is not. In Blanche’s situation, this fantasy she portrayed drove her insane. By the conclusion of the play when the truth of Blanche’s unfortunate past was revealed, she was the only person who actually believed what she said was her real world. The desire for Blanche to create this kind of alter ego, and to be desired by others, was so dramatic that it eventually led her to lose all sense of reality.
Source citations
"Bush's illusions." St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, 26 June 2003: 14A. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014
“The Nature of the Mental Image”.
Colvin, Stephen Psychological Review, Vol 15(3), May 1908, 158-169. doi: 10.1037/h0068608
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