Pub #2: Shattered Illusions

  Shattered Illusions

In the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the theme illusion has been portrayed throughout the whole play. One quote that demonstrates the theme of illusion is  

"I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley" (Stella, Scene 11).  This quote portrays how Stella recognizes the lies that she has been living with. She was living in the illusion that Stanley did nothing wrong, but she recognizes the truth about Blanche’s situation and the truth about what Stanley did, leading to her not being able to live with Stanley anymore. To add on, the theme of illusion deeply affects Blanche and Mitch, shaping who they are and how they see people.

Throughout the play, Blanche uses illusion as a coping mechanism to save herself from people finding out about her harsh truth of losing her family's house, and the death of her husband. She uses illusion to shape who she is to the other characters and to seem like she has a good life and that she is this beautiful perfect woman. A quote that portrays Blanche's use of illusion to shape her persona is “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 truth, I tell what ought to be 

truth. And if that is painful, then let me be damned for it” (Blanche, Scene 9). This quote portrays how Blanche prefers illusion and “magic” other than reality. She says this right after Mitch tears the lantern off the light because he never saw Blanche in the light. To add on, Blanche uses the illusion of being in the dark to not show the harsh reality of her fading beauty to Mitch. The use of “magic” is to hide the harshness of reality that Blanche is afraid to confront.

Mitch is one of the characters who was a victim to Blanche's illusion and fantasy world. Initially, Mitch fell for Blanche's charm and saw her as a potential partner until he found out about her past. Mitch's quote “you’re not clean enough to bring in the house with my mother” (Mitch, Scene 9) demonstrates how Blanche’s illusion tricked Mitch into thinking that she was a whole different person. This quote highlights how the perception he had if Blanche was all based on an illusion and fantasy that Blanche had. When Mitch confronts Blanche about her past, his whole illusion is shattered and the harsh reality is shown, which shows how the illusion of Blanche shaped how he saw her. Mitch uses the word “clean” as another word to describe purity, calling Blanche does not clean enough; it illustrates how her past destroys her purity.

In pop-culture, the theme of illusions can be portrayed through various songs, for example the song Somebody That I Used to Know by Goyte and can be related to the illusions in the play. This song shows the downfall of a relationship and how these people became strangers so quickly. One phrase from the song goes “Now you're just somebody that I used to know” shows the illusion the guy had of his ex-girlfriend, being that he pictured a future with her but all the illusion that he had of her meant nothing because they are broken up. This related to Blanche and Mitch because Mitch had a whole perception of Blanche and who he thought she was, but it was all an illusion.

Furthermore, “A Streetcar Named Desire” strongly illustrates how illusion can shape a character's persona and perception. Through the illusions Blanche created she was able to shape her persona and become someone she wasn’t, living in her own fantasy world and unable to face the harsh reality. On the other hand, Mitch's perception of Blanche being ruined due to the illusions that Blanche created, which lead to her downfall. To conclude, the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” additionally portrays the use of illusions and showing the downfall of a relationship where the perception that was once there for someone was just an illusion and a false reality.