Primary Characters in A Streetcar Named Desire
Blanche DuBois
Blanche DuBois is the central character and tragic heroine of the play. A fading Southern belle from Mississippi, she arrives in New Orleans seeking refuge with her sister after losing both their family estate, Belle Reve, and her teaching position.
NoteBlanche's name means "white woods" in French, symbolizing her perceived purity and fragility.
Key characteristics:
- Deeply complex and psychologically fragile
- Lives in a world of illusion and fantasy
- Obsessed with appearances and youth
- Haunted by her past, especially her young husband's suicide
"I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don't tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth."
Stanley Kowalski
Stanley represents the new, industrial American South, contrasting sharply with Blanche's Old South ideals. He's a working-class man of Polish descent who serves as both antagonist and catalyst for Blanche's downfall.
Key traits:
- Brutally honest and primitive in his desires
- Territorial and dominant
- Suspicious of Blanche from the start
- Represents raw masculinity and sexual power
Don't view Stanley as a simple villain; Williams created him as a complex character whose actions, while brutal, stem from his desire to protect his home and marriage.
