Source: https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-1-blanche-dubois-the-past-and-illusions [Revision notes](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes.md) › [IGCSE](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse.md) › [English Literature](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature.md) › [Cambridge International](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international.md) › Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions # Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions Literature in English: Cambridge International GCSE A Streetcar Named Desire, topic 3.1.1 ## Blanche DuBois: Delicacy and Illusions When Blanche DuBois appears in the first scene, she is dressed in white. White is the usual symbol of purity and innocence. ### Cultured and refined ![Cultured and refined](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/70151ddf-9abd-482a-89fb-343d148b8d02/Mask-Venice-Acting.jpg) - Blanche is cultured and refined – she was an English teacher and is likely well-read. - It is obvious when we first meet her that she does not like common or vulgar things. This is why she is so dismissive of the poor standard of the Kowalski’s apartment and how common Stanley is. ### Blanche's illusion ![Blanche's illusion](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-01/bbd42d1b-5312-45aa-9e8f-9fd063b66f38/eva-green-mask-.jpg) - Blanche admits that she doesn't always tell the truth, but she tells **"what ought to be truth"**. - Blanche also creates an illusion of herself: **"After all, a woman's charm is fifty percent illusion."** - She seems to think that her life is less valid if she cannot present herself as the woman she wants to be. She first communicates with Stanley by flirting. It's how she's used to interacting with men. ### Blanche's fragility ![Blanche's fragility](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2019-04/a78c13ff-7c8d-4e73-8ef0-5a82ebd9e76a/broken-glass-.jpg) - Williams presents Blanche as also being quite fragile: a personality type that collides with the reality of a brutal, patriarchal world when she is raped by Stanley. - We learn that she has put a veneer over her past life which was fraught with loss, sexual promiscuity and alcoholism. ### Blanche's connection with light ![Blanche's connection with light](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-11/a8926688-c77a-4c8d-a6d9-20f72dc04ebb/light-bulb-lit-up-individual-row-idea-.jpg) - Blanche feels she has to change Stella and Stanley's apartment. - She can't face the bright light bulb. She wants dim light. She prefers things to be an illusion - especially dark and incriminating things - than clear for all to see. ## Blanche DuBois: The Effects of the Past The death of Blanche's relatives and her relationship with her previous husband influence her present character. ### Previous marriage ![Previous marriage](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/93ffd6e6-eaef-490c-836e-ca007daebf99/heart-wedding-marriage-.jpg) - Over the course of the play, Blanche opens up more about her marriage with a young boy. - She says that the young man Allan was very tender and not conventionally male (this is contrasted with Stanley, who is conventionally male). - His tenderness **"which wasn't like a man's"**. - Blanche informs us that she found him committing a homosexual act with an older man, which disgusted her. ### Former husband's death ![Former husband's death](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-07/3534071d-a536-4b60-b7af-5353906e3d53/hanging-death-penalty.jpg) - When Blanche and her former partner attended a dance where polka music is playing (polka music is a motif throughout the play and seems to hark back to this past), she tells her young husband that he disgusts her. - This was very cruel of Blanche and her young husband then commits suicide. - We get the impression that Blanche passionately loved her former husband. ### The effect of Allan Grey's death ![The effect of Allan Grey's death](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-09/2182f8af-e5a3-473b-b10f-318b147c2bf7/advent-candles-.jpg) - Blanche seems scarred by her former husband's death. - She said her love was like a **"blinding light,"**. She says since his death, the strongest light she has had is a dim candle. - Blanche regrets failing her husband when he needed her the most. She recognises the cruelty of her words to him. ### Blanche's dealings with men ![Blanche's dealings with men](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-03/3f84c71f-7534-4468-8f9b-3e941927ed82/shutterstock_397886950.jpg) - After her husband's death, Blanche seems to give herself to other young men to try to dispel her own guilt and to fill the void: **"intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with."** - However, it is clear that this void cannot be filled. The student at Laurel appears to be one of these young men who became caught in the cross-fire of Blanche trying and failing to satisfy her loneliness and guilt. ### Death and loss ![Death and loss](https://image-v2.cdn.app.senecalearning.com/2018-08/d913c87f-4a43-43c5-a770-d0b384519610/grave-674443_1920.jpg) - We learn that Blanche experienced many deaths in her family and lost her ancestral home, Belle Reve. - Blanche seems to need escapism after experiencing these losses – she turns to alcohol during this time. Her dependency continues throughout the play. ## Test yourself on Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions - What colour is Blanche wearing when we first meet her? - What is Blanche dismissive of? - What was Blanche's previous job? - What disgusted Blanche about her previous husband? - Why does Blanche's former husband commit suicide? [Practise this topic for free](https://app.senecalearning.com/classroom/course/ad22e856-96b3-43a8-b7b6-33dcaf9f3494/section/163194a0-8027-4278-9e90-039294f6b71e/session) - Previous topic: [2.4.4 End of Topic Test - Scenes Nine-Eleven](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-4-4-end-of-topic-test-scenes-nine-eleven.md) - Next topic: [3.1.2 Blanche DuBois - Relationship with Men & Breakdown](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-2-blanche-dubois-relationship-with-men-and-breakdown.md) ## Literature in English: Cambridge International GCSE A Streetcar Named Desire contents ### 1 Context & Overview - 1.1 The Author - [1.1.1 Tennessee Williams](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-1-1-tennessee-williams.md) - 1.2 Social Context & Setting - [1.2.1 Social Context](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-2-1-social-context.md) - [1.2.2 Social Issues](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-2-2-social-issues.md) - [1.2.3 Setting](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-2-3-setting.md) - 1.3 Tragedy - [1.3.1 Overview of the Tragic Genre](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-3-1-overview-of-the-tragic-genre.md) - [1.3.2 Modern Domestic Tragedy](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-3-2-modern-domestic-tragedy.md) - [1.3.3 End of Topic Test - Author, Context & Tragedy](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/1-3-3-end-of-topic-test-author-context-and-tragedy.md) ### 2 Scene Summaries - 2.1 Scene One-Two - [2.1.1 Scene One: Summary](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-1-1-scene-one-summary.md) - [2.1.2 Scene One: Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-1-2-scene-one-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.1.3 Scene Two: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-1-3-scene-two-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.1.4 End of Topic Test - Scenes One-Two](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-1-4-end-of-topic-test-scenes-one-two.md) - 2.2 Scene Three-Four - [2.2.1 Scene Three: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-2-1-scene-three-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.2.2 Scene Four: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-2-2-scene-four-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.2.3 End of Topic Test - Scenes Three & Four](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-2-3-end-of-topic-test-scenes-three-and-four.md) - 2.3 Scenes Five-Eigth - [2.3.1 Scene Five: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-3-1-scene-five-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.3.2 Scene Six: Summary](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-3-2-scene-six-summary.md) - [2.3.3 Scene Seven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-3-3-scene-seven-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.3.4 Scene Eight: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-3-4-scene-eight-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.3.5 End of Topic Test - Scenes Five-Eight](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-3-5-end-of-topic-test-scenes-five-eight.md) - 2.4 Scenes Nine-Eleven - [2.4.1 Scene Nine: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-4-1-scene-nine-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.4.2 Scene Ten: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-4-2-scene-ten-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.4.3 Scene Eleven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-4-3-scene-eleven-summary-and-tragedy-ideas.md) - [2.4.4 End of Topic Test - Scenes Nine-Eleven](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/2-4-4-end-of-topic-test-scenes-nine-eleven.md) ### 3 Character Profiles - 3.1 Blanche DuBois & Stanley Kowalski - [3.1.1 Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-1-blanche-dubois-the-past-and-illusions.md) - [3.1.2 Blanche DuBois - Relationship with Men & Breakdown](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-2-blanche-dubois-relationship-with-men-and-breakdown.md) - [3.1.3 The Dynamic Between Blanche & Stanley](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-3-the-dynamic-between-blanche-and-stanley.md) - [3.1.4 End of Topic Test - Blanche & Stanley](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-1-4-end-of-topic-test-blanche-and-stanley.md) - 3.2 Stella Kowalski & Harold Mitchell (Mitch) - [3.2.1 Stella Kowalski](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-2-1-stella-kowalski.md) - [3.2.2 Harold Mitchell (Mitch)](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-2-2-harold-mitchell-mitch.md) - 3.3 Minor Characters - [3.3.1 The Hubbels](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-3-1-the-hubbels.md) - [3.3.2 Other Characters](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-3-2-other-characters.md) - [3.3.3 End of Topic Test - Stella, Mitch & Others](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/3-3-3-end-of-topic-test-stella-mitch-and-others.md) ### 4 Key Ideas - 4.1 Sex & Gender - [4.1.1 Sex & Desire](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-1-1-sex-and-desire.md) - [4.1.2 Masculinity & Femininity](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-1-2-masculinity-and-femininity.md) - [4.1.3 End of Topic Test - Sex, Desire & Gender](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-1-3-end-of-topic-test-sex-desire-and-gender.md) - 4.2 Appearances, Fantasy & Reality - [4.2.1 Outer & Inner Appearances](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-2-1-outer-and-inner-appearances.md) - [4.2.2 Fantasy & Reality](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-2-2-fantasy-and-reality.md) - [4.2.3 End of Topic Test - Appearances, Fantasy...](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/4-2-3-end-of-topic-test-appearances-fantasy.md) ### 5 Writing Techniques - 5.1 Structure - [5.1.1 Structure & Stage Design](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-1-1-structure-and-stage-design.md) - [5.1.2 Linking Devices](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-1-2-linking-devices.md) - [5.1.3 Recurring Motifs](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-1-3-recurring-motifs.md) - 5.2 Genre, Form & Language - [5.2.1 Genre](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-2-1-genre.md) - [5.2.2 Form & Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-2-2-form-and-language.md) - [5.2.3 End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/5-2-3-end-of-topic-test-writing-techniques.md) ### 6 Critical Debates - 6.1 Early & Modern Reception - [6.1.1 Interpreting Blanche & Self-Pity](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-1-1-interpreting-blanche-and-self-pity.md) - [6.1.2 Contemporary & Modern Reviews](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-1-2-contemporary-and-modern-reviews.md) - 6.2 Feminist, Psychoanalytic & Marxist Approach - [6.2.1 Feminist Approach](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-2-1-feminist-approach.md) - [6.2.2 Psychoanalytic Approach](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-2-2-psychoanalytic-approach.md) - [6.2.3 Marxist Approach](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-2-3-marxist-approach.md) - [6.2.4 End of Topic Test - Critical Debates](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/6-2-4-end-of-topic-test-critical-debates.md) ### 7 Ideas About Tragedy - 7.1 Ideas About Tragedy - [7.1.1 Tragic Ideas](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/7-1-1-tragic-ideas.md) - [7.1.2 Tragic Villain](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/7-1-2-tragic-villain.md) - [7.1.3 Tragic Structure & Language](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/7-1-3-tragic-structure-and-language.md) - [7.1.4 Tragic Plots & Sub-Plots](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/7-1-4-tragic-plots-and-sub-plots.md) ### 8 Recap: Main Quotes - 8.1 Main Quotes by Scene - [8.1.1 Scene One - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-1-scene-one-quotations.md) - [8.1.2 Scene Two - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-2-scene-two-quotations.md) - [8.1.3 Scene Three - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-3-scene-three-quotations.md) - [8.1.4 Scene Four - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-4-scene-four-quotations.md) - [8.1.5 Scene Five - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-5-scene-five-quotations.md) - [8.1.6 Scene Six - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-6-scene-six-quotations.md) - [8.1.7 Scene Seven - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-7-scene-seven-quotations.md) - [8.1.8 Scene Eight - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-8-scene-eight-quotations.md) - [8.1.9 Scene Nine - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-9-scene-nine-quotations.md) - [8.1.10 Scene Ten - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-10-scene-ten-quotations.md) - [8.1.11 Scene Eleven - Quotations](https://senecalearning.com/en-gb/revision-notes/igcse/english-literature/cambridge-international/8-1-11-scene-eleven-quotations.md)