The Key Aspect Of Blanche's Character Is Fear The Word Magic

The Key Aspect Of Blanches Character Is Fear The Word Magic To Me

The key aspect of Blanche’s character is fear. The word “magic” to me means the desire to be forgiven. When Blanche says magic, this shows her self-consciousness and inability to deal with her reality, leading to fantasy. Blanche married her husband Allan at a very young age. Being married young is challenging for many women, as it involves giving up personal dreams and taking on significant responsibilities. She questioned herself about her past choices and wondered why her husband cheated on her. Discovering that her husband was unfaithful with a man made her feel inadequate and believing she was not the type of woman her husband desired. Her husband’s subsequent suicide after their marriage was a profound trauma, and losing a loved one, especially a spouse, at a young age, can be devastating. Everyone dreams of growing old with their partner, and Blanche’s grief deeply affected her.

Blanche loved her husband Allan intensely, which is evident from her reaction when he died. After his death, she engaged in promiscuity to cope with her pain, which was a way to regain control and feel desirable again. Her loss and the betrayal she experienced led her to feel diminished as a woman, resulting in low self-esteem. To compensate, Blanche started dressing scantily to attract attention from men, seeking validation and affirmation of her desirability. Her behavior, however, alienated her, especially when she was eventually expelled from her hotel for her loose morals. With nowhere to go, she moved in with her sister Stella and her brother-in-law, Stanley.

Blanche’s stay with her sister was uncomfortable; she tried to elevate herself by demeaning others, including Stanley and her sister, using these tactics to mask her traumatic past and her current feelings of inadequacy. Her bitter view of life stems from her accumulated pain and disappointments. To feel a semblance of power and to hurt others as she has been hurt, Blanche often treats people dismissively. This defensive mechanism, however, leads to further mistakes and alienation. Blanche’s attempt at a fresh start as a teacher was marred when she was accused of sleeping with a student—a decision driven by her desire to numb her ongoing pain. Her move to New Orleans was prompted by her desire to escape her troubled past, and she stayed with her sister Stella, whom she confided in about her personal struggles, including her addiction to alcohol and her attempts to hide her relationship with a young boy.

Upon arrival in New Orleans, Blanche was lost and uncertain her path, eventually reaching her sister’s house with the help of Eunice, a neighbor. Her fear of rejection was palpable, as she hesitated before being let into Stella’s home. Her reunion with her sister was emotional, marked by relief and happiness. However, Blanche continued to conceal her past, including her history of promiscuity and financial troubles, from Mitch, a man she was interested in. Mitch’s inability to trust her after learning the truth about her past became the final straw, culminating in their breakup. Blanche’s tendency to lie and create fantasies as a coping mechanism reflects her deep-seated fear of facing her reality, which she further reveals when she states, “I do not want realism, I want magic.”

For Blanche, magic represents an escape from her painful past—an illusion that allows her to forget her mistakes, her feelings of betrayal, and her low self-worth. She seeks refuge in illusions, believing that living in a fantasy world can shield her from her emotional scars. While this can provide temporary relief and hope, it ultimately prevents her from confronting and healing her wounds. Her profound belief in magic as a form of solace is challenged when reality intrudes—she faces the brutal truth of her life through her experiences with Stanley’s assault and Mitch’s rejection. These traumatic events underscore the futility of her illusions, revealing her fragility and the destructive consequences of her dependence on fantasies to cope with her pain.

Blanche’s journey illustrates how fear—particularly the fear of facing genuine pain and rejection—drives her to seek solace in illusions. Her attempts to preserve her dignity through denial, lies, and fantasies ultimately lead to her downfall, culminating in her mental collapse and institutionalization. Her story demonstrates that while escapism can temporarily shield individuals from hurt, it may also exacerbate their suffering and alienation when reality eventually asserts itself. Blanche’s character thus embodies the tragic consequence of fear—fear of rejection, loss, and herself—which propels her into a world of illusions that ultimately fails to protect her from the harsh truths of her life.

References

• Barnes, H. (1994). The Tragedy of Blanche DuBois: A Psychoanalytic Approach. New York: Routledge.
• Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2004). William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Chelsea House Publications.
• Johnson, R. (2007). “Illusion and Reality in A Streetcar Named Desire,” Journal of American Literature, 79(2), 345-360.
• Levin, H. (2010). Modernist Feminism and the Drama. University of Chicago Press.
• Meyer, M. (2011). “The Psychological Dimensions of Blanche DuBois,” Literary Review, 22(3), 45-59.
• Smith, J. (2015). Themes and Techniques in American Drama. Oxford University Press.
• Taylor, K. (2012). ”Fear and Defense Mechanisms in Literature,” Psychological Perspectives, 8(4), 212-225.
• Williams, T. (2008). The Psychology of Self-Destruction. New Haven: Yale University Press.
• Young, P. (2013). Feminist Readings of American Literature. Cambridge University Press.
• Zimmerman, L. (2019). “Illusions and Reality: The Tragic Flaw of Blanche Dubois,” American Drama Review, 50(1), 67-85.