Blanche DuBois is a fictional character from the classic Broadway play, A Streetcar Named Desire She is most famously portrayed by actress Vivien Leigh in the iconic 1951 film adaptation. Blanche is a complex and tragic character, a woman struggling with depression, despair and her own weaknesses. Throughout the play, she is confronted by her opposing sister, Stella, her brother-in-law and nemesis Stanley Kowalski, and her romantic interests Mitch and Albert. The play goes through Blanche’s difficult journey of self-acceptance, with her realizing that her own character failings are as much responsible for her downfall as her external enemies.
1. An exploration of Blanche Dubois's changing character. This essay could track Blanche’s character arc throughout the play, analyzing how her outlook and behaviors change as a result of her tumultuous relationships with Stella, Stanley, Mitch and Albert. It should also consider why Blanche falls into despair, and how she ultimately is able to accept who she is and make peace with her past.
2. A critical look at Blanche Dubois’s motivations. This essay could take a deeper look at Blanche’s motivations in the play, considering why she lies and manipulates the people around her and how those strategies fail her in the end. The essay should explore the underlying emotional issues that cause Blanche to resort to desperate tactics in order to avoid facing the truth about her life.
3. Blanche Dubois as a product of her society. This essay could explore how the society of A Streetcar Named Desire shapes and influences Blanche’s character, and how her choices are both enabled and hindered by the culture of her time. It could consider how her place within this society contributes to her loneliness and fear, as well as how much of her behavior is a result of social pressure.
4. The sympathetic portrayal of Blanche Dubois. This essay could explore why Blanche is so widely-loved and admired, even as she makes mistakes and behaves in less-than-admirable ways. It should consider the audience’s shifting views of her throughout the play, and how her vulnerability and ultimately her self-acceptance make her a tragic but sympathetic figure.
5. The influence of Blanche Dubois’s past on her present day actions. This essay could consider Blanche’s feelings about her family legacy and how it affects her present day decisions. It should explore why Blanche is so desperate to leave her past behind, and how her struggles with that past lead to her ultimately undoing.