How does Tennessee Williams present the character of Blanche in Scene 1 of the play?
In scene 1 of the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, Tennessee Williams presents Blanche as a dependent character who relies on the company of others but attempts to keep this insecurity hidden. Although Blanche may appear to be dominant and outspoken, she secretly fears to be alone. The command ‘You hear me? I said stand up!’ establishes Blanche’s authority and gives the impression of dominance however this highly contrasts with Blanche’s statement ‘I want to be near you, got to be with somebody, I can’t be alone!’ The contrast of these two statements highlights the dynamics of their relationship as it suggests Blanche is more reliant on Stella than she makes out to be. Williams has done this in order to reveal Blanche’s true character to the audience by illustrating her fears of being ‘alone’ which clearly establishes how dependant she is on her sister.
Tennessee Williams depicts Blanche’s jealousy of her sister’s marriage and appearance which illustrates her as an envious and insecure character. This is evident after Blanche confesses the loss of Belle Reve and how she was forced t o deal with the unfortunate situation alone. Blanche questions Stella ‘Where were you! In bed with your – Polack!’ to defend herself and place blame on Stella. This illustrates Blanche’s jealousy over how Stella was able to escape and start off a new life in New Orleans and find security in a marriage while she has not. Furthermore, Williams illustrates Blanche’s insecurity over her appearance by expressing her envy of Stella’s looks. This is clear as Blanche continuously needs to be complimented on her physical appearance as she is aware that her ‘looks are slipping’ as she ages. She mentions to Stella that ‘you haven’t said a word about my appearance’ which suggests that she is insecure and needs