Many people tend to judge a book by its cover, or rather by its name. In life people learn to realize that just because something looks or is named a certain way, it does not mean that it is a reflection on what it truly is. Throughout the play A Streetcar Named Disire by Tennessee Williams, irony led to contradictory interpretation of the characters and places in the play. A few examples of this are that Blanche was anything but pure and Stella was anything but a star. Lastly, their home, Belle Reve was anything but a beautiful dream.
Blanche means white and white signifies purity. As Stella said about Blanche, Nobody, nobody, was as tender and trusting as she was (111). In the beginning of the play Blanche was dressed all in white which was a symbol for how pure she was. People such as Mitch believed her about how reserved she was led on by her and her lies. However the truth about Blanche was revealed as the play continued and her dirty past was unveiled. Her secrets of why she left her home made everyone see her as a liar. In the end the white dress which once symbolized purity was stained now symbolizing just the opposite. It was ironic how her name no longer signified who she really was and how she was really impure.
The character Stella has a name that means star in English. The word star can signify many things. Stars are like the guiding light. In the play Blanche comes to Stella when she is lost in the world and in need of help. At first Stella does a good job at helping her. Blanche found Mitch and it seemed as if things were shaping up for her. Unfortunately in the end Blanche ended up in a worse position than where she was to begin with. It is ironic that Stella misled her and ended up sending her sister off with a doctor when her name means to guide someone. Famous people are also called stars. In the play it is clear that she is not one as she lived in an old, raggedy town in a two room apartment.
It is very ironic that the sisters previous home was called Belle Reve, which means beautiful dreams. Long ago the plantation was full of beautiful dreams because the family used to party the nights away. But as the times passed on the land was sold off little by little until it was down to twenty acres. After their father died Stella left her home because Stella did not see a future there for her, as she said All I could do was make my own living (25). Blanche had an even harder time at Belle Reve because she faced all the deaths there. Blanches life was miserable as she suffered through losing the plantation. The loss of Belle Reve led to even more conflicts when Stanley found out about it because it was the first thing that set off his dislike of Blanche. Belle Reve brought so many troubles to the family even though it means beautiful dreams.
Any judgment as to what the characters and place may be like based on their names would ultimately be wrong. Although the names led the reader to believe one thing, in the book everything was not as it seemed and the names are quite ironic. Blanche, Stella, and Belle Reve are perfect examples of this. The play just goes to show that everything is not as it seems and that names can be very misleading.
Works Cited
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. Penguin Books; New York, 1975.
Already have an account? Log In Now
5160