Illusion_and_Reality

Have a little read: ... Corrigan has said that "the conflict between Blanche and Stanley is an externalisation of the conflict that goes on within Blanche between illusion and reality." Discuss the theme of illusion and reality in A Streetcar Named Desire. Blanche and Stanley are the two protagonists in A Streetcar Named Desire, and their views are polarised. Stanley represents complete realism and Blanche is fantastical and idealistic, the schism between the two clearly shows the struggle between reality and illusion in the play. Stanley's aim is to obliterate the nostalgic and fantastical reverie that dominates Blanche's mindset. The title of the play suggests a struggle between reality and illusion as the mundane concreteness of "streetcar" and the abstract quality of aspiration evoked in "desire" point to the juxtaposition of conflicting themes of realism and dreams. “All the characters in “A Streetcar Named Desire” are to some extent living an unreal existence”. Agree or disagree with this statement about the characters and be sure to use quotes to support your comments. Not all the characters in “A Streetcar Named Desire” are living an unreal existence, however some are, in particular Blanche, Stella and Stanley. Blanch to some extent is living in her own fantasy world plagued with delusions and outbursts. It is quite obvious that she is living an illusion. Stella is living an unreal existence in regards to the way in which she likes to pretend she is living in a happy home. Stanley is also however to a much lesser extent living an unreal existence. He is very self-centered and towards the end he seems to be living a life nearly devoted to breaking down Blanche. We can see why and in what way these characters are living an unreal existence through exploring the major themes of this play and their relation to the characters in regards to “living an unreal existence”. These themes which will be discussed later on include reality versus illusion, confronting reality, male domination and truth versus lies. Reality versus illusion is one of, if not the major theme of the play. It also has the most relevance to the way in which Blanche, Stanley and Stella are living in their own fantasy world. Perhaps the reason Blanche chose illusion rather than reality is because of her somewhat troubled past. Notably, Blanche's deception of others and herself is not characterized by malicious intent, but rather a heart-broken and saddened retreat to a romantic time and happier moments before disaster struck her life when her loved one Allan Gray committed suicide during a Varsouvian Waltz. In many ways, Blanche is understood to be a sympathetic and tragic figure in the play despite her deep character flaws. Illusions and Fantasy in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire 'A Streetcar Named Desire', by Tennessee Williams, explores many important themes and issues in the book. The main theme Williams investigates and explores to the audience, is illusion and fantasy. Each character in the book contributes to creating, adding to and destructing fantasies and illusions, and I feel it is a very important theme in the book, as it represents and symbolises other issues Williams explores with the audience. The play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' revolves around the character Blanche Dubois; therefore, the main theme of the drama concerns her directly. In Blanche, the audience is shown the tragedy of an individual, caught between two worlds ' the world of her past and the world of her present, unwilling to let go of the past and unable, because of her character, to come to any sort of terms with her present. The final result at the end of the play is the deterioration of her mind and character and her self-destruction.