Assignment #4

In the book called A Street Car Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, one of the main characters names Blanche Dubois cannot stand being in the light. She always wants the lights off or either demined.  Blanche stated “but don’t you look at me, Stella, no, no, no, not till later, not till I’ve bathed and rest! And turn that over-light off.’’ (A street car Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Act one scene 1 pg. 10).  She seems to have something against being seen in light and I believe she is afraid of people seeing how old she really is. Blanche also mention while speaking to Mitch “I brought thus adorable little colored paper lantern at a Chinese shop on Bourbon. Put it over the light bulb!” (A street car Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Act one scene 3 pg. 38). Blanche has a lot of insecurities, so she feels if she hides who she is in the dark no one would see who she really is in the light. As they say “what happens in the dark always comes out in the light.” People will eventually discover the true Blanche Dubois.

Blanche has a habit of taking a lot of bathes often in a day.  I believe the reason why she does this is because she thinks in her mind the more she takes bathes she will wash away all of her sinful acts. She usually wants to bathe when she gets nervous around men. Blanche says “My nerves are in knots, is the bathroom occupied?” (A street car Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, Act one scene 3 pg. 33). I just think she cannot control her hormones, along with that she has a lot of sexually urges. So the best thing Blanch think she can do is to wash these feelings and thoughts away.  Blanche lives in her own imagination she finds a way to escape reality when she bathes.