A Streetcar Named Desire:
Analysis of Death Scene
In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, the death scene from scene 2 shows how death has impacted the character, Blanche, negatively. The repetition of the first person pronoun ‘I’ in “I, I, I took the blows in my face and my body!” is used as a metaphor to emphasise Blanche’s ego. This suggests that the role that death has played in Blanche’s life has severely impacted her. Like this, the quote is also an exclamatory sentence and uses the exclamation mark after “body!” to show how death has enraged Blanche. The writer may have used these techniques to show how the theme of death is all-consuming and controls the characters’ narratives. Also, the fragmented sentence “All of those deaths!” uses an exclamatory to present the theme. The pronoun “those” suggests that Blanche has experienced multiple deaths since “those” is plural. This suggest that Blanche’s character may have been shaped around the pain she has experienced through her losses. The imagery of death may relate to the writer, Tennessee Williams’ struggles including the loss of his partner, Frank Merlo, possibly impacting his representation of Blanche in this scene. This makes the audience feel pitiful of Blanche through the empathy the individual may have experienced whilst watching the play.
Williams presents the idea of the inevitability of death in the death scene from scene 2 of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’ The use of the quote “The long parade to the graveyard!” Uses dramatic irony to create tension between the audience and the characters. The quote is used as a metaphor for life and death; with life being the noun “parade” and the final stop, death’s “graveyard.” The direct address in “You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And funerals are pretty compared to
deaths.” uses the pronoun “you” to represent the guilt that death brings on the character, Stella, in the play. The fronted conjunction in “And funerals are pretty compared to deaths” is also used to emphasise the anticipation of death, and how it shapes the lives around us. Similarly, the comparison of “funerals” to “deaths” suggests that for the character Blanche, saying goodbye is one of the reasons for her downfall. The semantic field in “Funerals are quiet, but deaths - not always” uses the juxtaposition of the imagery of mortality to symbolise how death and loss can be both physically and mentally painful for the victim and those left behind. This hints to Blanche being grief-stricken and lonely, causing her to feel incensed by Stella’s betrayal. The writer’s intention may have been to show how death is present in all areas of our lives including the abandonment made by Stella, and Blanche’s loss of family members.
Blanche’s death scene in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ may have been used to represent how desire causes death to blossom through the longing of togetherness. The use of the dialogues in the semantic field “Don’t let me go!” and “Hold me!” Suggests that Blanche’s yearning for companionship is inevitably the cause of her loss. The use of the exclamation marks are representative of desperation and longing, as it symbolises the misery Blanche, the departed and the writer, Tennessee Williams, have experience through unavoidable loss, and possibly how Williams’ struggles may have depicted in his play. Blanche speaking in the imperative also shows how the desire for compassion is haunting Blanche. The quote “You didn’t dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw!” Uses repetition to show how memory has entrapped Blanche in her own, personal loneliness. This writer may have used this to make the audience feel pitiful of Blanche and to remind the audience how painful death and desire can be.
