Nunchima Chantanasevee (Lukmai)

Joy Kuttappan

English 1203

February 27th, 2021

Prompt: Analyze how Tennessee Williams use of symbolism to develop the principal themes

in ASND (Please refer to New Plastic Theater)

Hook

Thesis statement

Topic sentence

Quote

Analysis

Information

Restating of the thesis

Valuable lesson

Summative Assessment

Have you ever wonder what subjects help the audiences understand the play and feel

what the characters are feeling more? In Tennessee Williams’s play A Streetcar Named

Desire uses many symbolism such as The Chinese paper lantern, Elysian Field, and The

Varsouviana these were used for the main character’s development, Blanche. Blanche

DuBois, the main character in this play and also the older sister of Stella Kowalski.
 The Chinese paper lantern symbolizes Blanche’s insecurity. Even though it is just a

prop at first but it becomes more important as the play continues. “I never was hard or

self-sufficient enough. When people are soft--soft people have got to shimmer and

glow--they've got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and put a-- paper lantern

over the light... It isn't enough to be soft. You've got to be soft and attractive. And I--I'm

fading now! I don't know how much longer I can turn the trick.” this sentence shows me how

Blanche compares herself to a light bulb which is cover by a paper lantern, this shows that

she doesn’t want anyone to see or know her realism she is afraid of lights and doesn’t want

anyone to see her real appearance because in the lantern light she appears to be younger than

she is, but in reality, she tends to be older. “I don't want realism. I want magic!” Blanche says

to Mitch when he tears the paper lantern off the light bulb, he acts this way because he heard

her story from Stanley and wants to know the truth from Blanche but his actions cause

Blanche’s downfalls.

The Elysian Fields is the name of the street where Stanley Kowalski lives with his

wife, Stella Kowalski. “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!” said Blanche

DuBois. She takes a streetcar named Desire then Cemeteries and arrives at The Elysian

Fields, according to Greek mythology, The Elysian Field is a place where people go afterlife

or the land of the dead. Blanche believes that she will be happy living in the new town with

her sister, she thinks that this place can be a place where people around her have no idea

about her past and she can forget about that too, but she is wrong. After thousands of lies she

tells, Stanley finds out the truth so he sends her to the mental hospital at the end of the play.

The Elysian Fields is a symbolism of Blanche’s final place, her souls die here it is her last

stop.
 The Varsouviana, polka music “We danced the Varsouviana! Suddenly in the middle

of the dance the boy I had married broke away from me and ran out of the casino. A few

moments later--a shot!”. Blanche dances with her young husband to this tune before he kills

himself. She tells Mitch about her young husband’s death, who died because he shoots

himself in the head. However, this tune always plays constantly in her head “You've stopped

that polka tune that I had caught in my head. Have you ever had anything caught in your

head? No, of course you haven't, you dumb angel-puss, you'd never get anything awful

caught in your head!” She uses the world awful to represent how bad she feels about her

young husband’s death.

In conclusion, Tennessee Williams’s play A Streetcar Named Desire uses many

symbolism such as The Chinese paper lantern, Elysian Field, and The Varsouviana these were

used for the main character’s development, Blanche. These symbols display Blanche’s

characteristics clearly and every different symbol shows Blanche’s desire.