Abstract: A Streetcar Named Desire, one of American playwright—Tennessee Williams’ representative works, is popular among readers and audiences. Most of the studies on the play are based on feminism and symbolism, or probe into Blanche’s tragic fate through her emotion experience. The author holds the view that Blanche’s lies are the clue which coheres the play. Therefore, starting from analyzing the lies Blanche weaves in New Orleans, the author tries to explore the doomed destiny of her and makes an attempt to sum up the origins of her lies: irrevocable decline of southern plantation, unchangeable status of women in patriarchal society and unavoidable split personality from traumatic experience. Lies are unavoidable and all has been doomed.
Key words: Lies; Tragedies; Southern plantation; Patriarchal society; Split personality
1 Introduction Author
Tennessee Williams, a famous American playwright animates the American stage in the middle years of 20th century, succeeding Eugene O’Neil. When A Streetcar Named Desire came to the stage in 1947, it brought the audiences a startling fresh thanks to the vivid image of Blanche, a memorable liar in modern American dream. The author believes the drama is cohered through lies. These lies are like closely linked rings, which together drag Blanche to the abyss.
2 Life Weaved by Lies
2.1 Lie about Age
The lie about age took place when Blanche first met Mitch. In order to get Mitch’s love, she fashions a make-believe world for herself to get his trust. She wants to play the refined, innocent young lady for Mitch.
2.2 Mitch: You are Stella’s sister, are you not?
Blanche: Yes, Stella is my precious little sister. I call her little in spite of the fact she’s somewhat older than I am.(p74)
2.3 Lie about Purity
After meeting Blanche in Stanley’s flat, Mitch seems to be captivated by Blanche. Although Blanche also has some special feelings for Mitch, she just wants to pretend to be high-hearted and induces Mitch to fall into the infatuated love for her step by step.
Blanche: But, honey, you know as well as I do that a single girl, a girl alone in the world, has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost. (p 120)
2.4 Lie about Dignity
While telling Stanley about the telegram, Blanche also mentions Mitch’s coming, but she depicts it as an apologizing visit.
Blanche: Yes. Swine! And I ‘m thinking not only of you but of your friend, Mr. Mitchell. He came here tonight. He dared to come here in his work-clothes.! And to repeat slander to me, vicious stories that he had gotten from you! (p192)
3 Tragedies Doomed by Lies
3.1 Failure in Pursuit of Love
Blanche’s escape from the reality dooms her failure in pursuit of love in reality. To her, the pursuit of love means everything to her, but to Mitch, when comparing the men’s dignity with love, he chooses the former without hesitation. An unclean woman may destroy his fame, and that is the law of male chauvinism and the patriarchal society.
3.2 Rape from Sister’s Husband
Stanley’s rape to Blanche is the revenge of his being disdained by Blanche for a long time. All the lies Blanche tells are used to put herself in a superior position to Stanley, while to Stanley, Blanche’s family has declined, and she should have been very humble in his home, where he is the king. The rape can not only be seemed as the revenge from Stanley, but also the suppression of northern industrialization over southern plantation.
3.3 Delivery to the Madhouse
The lies Blanche told one after another before gradually push her into the complete illusionary world. At first, she just cherishes the illusion of being a gentle lady, disregarding the gap between reality and her fantasy. Later, when all the lies closely linked with one another, she herself cannot get rid of the constraint and hurt from them, then she’s defeated.
4 Origins of All Lies
4.1 Irrevocable Decline of Southern Plantation
Great social changes throw people in the old South into a new environment and the decline of Dubois family throws Blanche to the New Orleans, which strikes her seriously just like big onrush. She fails to face her lost status and property and adjust herself to the new life. With the cruel reality becoming a big obstacle, she chooses to survive by weaving a world of lies to escape from reality.
4.2 Unchangeable Status of Women in Patriarchal Society
In patriarchal society, women are subject to men, having hardly any social status. Just like Hamlet has said :”fragile, your name is woman” Blanche depends her life to the marriage to a man. Following the belief “a woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion”, she tells lies to pursue love. When the decision power leaves to men, women can just play all their cards, including lies, to make the final push.
4.3 Unavoidable Split Personality from Traumatic Experience
Blanche’s neurosis could be traced to the traumatic experience in her early age. When she is 16 years old, she marries a young talent poet Allen. She loves her husband ardently. Unfortunately, this young poet is found out a homosexual, who commits suicide later. She wishes to forget her traumatic experience and indecent past. Therefore, she prefers to her own illusion rather than reality.
5 Conclusion
Blanche is not an inborn liar, and all the lies she tells do not mean to hurt anyone. All these lies originates from the society, which was experiencing a dramatic change from industrialization while still saving some vices inherited from old society. To Blanche, a woman who is unable to adapt to the society, her tragedies have already been doomed at the beginning of the story.
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