4.2.2

Fantasy & Reality

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Fantasy and Reality

Throughout the play, there is a blurring of fantasy and reality. This is seen most of all in Blanche DuBois. Blanche is a fantasist and is unable to cope with reality.

Blanche's fantasy world

Blanche's fantasy world

  • Blanche makes an allegorical journey in the streetcar called Desire at the very beginning of the play.
  • The car passes through the cemeteries (which could represent Blanche’s prior life of alcoholism and promiscuity) to end up at the Kowalski’s at Elysian Fields.
  • Elysian Fields has the sound of wonder about it – that a heavenly state has been reached.
Harsh reality for Blanche

Harsh reality for Blanche

  • However, Blanche finds that in reality, Elysian Fields is not a heavenly state. She cannot even properly reach death.
  • There will be several years of mental torment and suffering before that happens. In the end, Blanche enters the mental institution because she clearly cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.
Avoiding reality

Avoiding reality

  • All the way through the play, the audience sees that Blanche does not want reality. She is a creative and poetic soul constantly seeking fantasy, escape, Bohemia and fantasy.
  • Part of this might be derived from her "Southern Belle" upbringing, which may have distanced her from the realities of life. This is the reason why Blanche is rarely seen in full light. She constantly escapes to the shadows so that she is not fully exposed to reality or exposing her true soul to reality.
Blanche's fate

Blanche's fate

  • Because she will be locked away from the rest of society, her punishment will be more extreme than death.
  • In the mental institution, Blanche will have to face the reality of herself; something the audience knows will be tortuous.
Blanche and Mitch

Blanche and Mitch

  • Blanche has a fantasy about the world she has with Mitch but the reality is much different.
  • Mitch is a fantasist about how things might be with Blanche but when Stanley reveals the truth, reality dawns on him. But by the end, Mitch seems to have resorted back to a fantasy of him being with Blanche and somehow saving her. The tragedy is that he has already had his chance.
Jump to other topics
1

Context & Overview

1.1

The Author

1.1.1Tennessee Williams
1.2

Social Context & Setting

1.2.1Social Context1.2.2Social Issues1.2.3Setting
1.3

Tragedy

1.3.1Overview of the Tragic Genre1.3.2Modern Domestic Tragedy1.3.3End of Topic Test - Author, Context & Tragedy
2

Scene Summaries

2.1

Scene One

2.1.1Scene One: Summary2.1.2Scene One: Tragedy Ideas
2.2

Scene Two

2.2.1Scene Two: Summary & Tragedy Ideas2.2.2End of Topic Test - Scenes One-Two
2.3

Scene Three

2.3.1Scene Three: Summary & Tragedy Ideas
2.4

Scene Four

2.4.1Scene Four: Summary & Tragedy Ideas2.4.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Three & Four
2.5

Scene Five

2.5.1Scene Five: Summary & Tragedy Ideas
2.6

Scene Six

2.6.1Scene Six: Summary
2.7

Scene Seven

2.7.1Scene Seven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas
2.8

Scene Eight

2.8.1Scene Eight: Summary & Tragedy Ideas2.8.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Five-Eight
2.9

Scene Nine

2.9.1Scene Nine: Summary & Tragedy Ideas
2.10

Scene Ten

2.10.1Scene Ten: Summary & Tragedy Ideas
2.11

Scene Eleven

2.11.1Scene Eleven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas2.11.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Nine-Eleven
3

Character Profiles

3.1

Blanche DuBois & Stanley Kowalski

3.1.1Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions3.1.2Blanche DuBois - Relationship with Men & Breakdown3.1.3The Dynamic Between Blanche & Stanley3.1.4End of Topic Test - Blanche & Stanley
3.2

Stella Kowalski & Harold Mitchell (Mitch)

3.2.1Stella Kowalski3.2.2Harold Mitchell (Mitch)
3.3

Minor Characters

3.3.1The Hubbels & Other Characters3.3.2End of Topic Test - Stella, Mitch & Others
4

Key Ideas

4.1

Sex & Gender

4.1.1Sex & Desire4.1.2Masculinity & Femininity4.1.3End of Topic Test - Sex, Desire & Gender
4.2

Appearances, Fantasy & Reality

4.2.1Outer & Inner Appearances4.2.2Fantasy & Reality4.2.3End of Topic Test - Appearances, Fantasy...
5

Writing Techniques

5.1

Structure

5.1.1Structure & Stage Design5.1.2Linking Devices5.1.3Recurring Motifs
5.2

Genre, Form & Language

5.2.1Genre5.2.2Form & Language5.2.3End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques
6

Critical Debates

6.1

Early & Modern Reception

6.1.1Interpreting Blanche & Self-Pity6.1.2Contemporary & Modern Reviews
6.2

Feminist, Psychoanalytic & Marxist Approach

6.2.1Feminist Approach6.2.2Psychoanalytic Approach6.2.3Marxist Approach6.2.4End of Topic Test - Critical Debates
7

Ideas About Tragedy

7.1

Ideas About Tragedy

7.1.1Tragic Ideas & Villain7.1.2Tragic Structure & Language
8

Recap: Main Quotes

8.1

Main Quotes by Scene

8.1.1Scene One - Quotations8.1.2Scene Two - Quotations8.1.3Scene Three - Quotations8.1.4Scene Four - Quotations8.1.5Scene Five - Quotations8.1.6Scene Six - Quotations8.1.7Scene Seven - Quotations8.1.8Scene Eight - Quotations8.1.9Scene Nine - Quotations8.1.10Scene Ten - Quotations8.1.11Scene Eleven - Quotations

Practice questions on Fantasy & Reality

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    When does Mitch realise he has been fantasising about his life with Blanche?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What daunting reality will Blanche have to face in the mental institution? Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What does Blanche's journey on the streetcar symbolize?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Why does Blanche struggle with reality throughout the play?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What role does light play in Blanche’s avoidance of reality?Multiple choice
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Outer & Inner Appearances

End of Topic Test - Appearances, Fantasy...