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Rin - Blanche DuBois psychoanalysis - Coggle Diagram
Rin - Blanche DuBois psychoanalysis
Motifs and symbolism
Music
Varsouviana
The 'Varsouviana' in this play represents Blanche's dark past and her husband's death. This is played multiple times in the play and is meant to indirectly show what she feels and thinks in her head. Only she can hear this song as it haunts her and she can never escape the reality of her past. This represents her madness and intense emotions everytime she thinks of her husband.
Paper moon
'It's only a paper moon' is played in the play when secret truths are revealed and represents Blanche's fantasies. She sings this in the bath in scene 7 and believes that living in her fantasies is better than facing reality.
Blue piano
The 'Blue piano' is heard several times throughout the play and represents the themes of loss and grief. The presence of this music haunts Blanche as she tries to cover her ears from the music and calls it "ghastly". This reminds her of her past and how she can never escape those memories. It is also played when she talks about the loss of Belle Reve.
Lighting
Always hides from the light and stays away from it, stays in the darkness. Deceives people by making herself look younger than she actually is.
Clothing
White clothes
Represents purity, ironic as Blanche lost her innocence and purity when she indirectly caused the death of her husband. Blanche unconsciously uses this to distance herself from the past, it is a contrived appearance.
Costume jewelry
Represents how Blanche wants to appear as being elegant and sophisticated to attract men. It also conveys the message of power and differences in social class between Blanche and Stanley. This unconsciously makes Blanche feel superior. Although the costume jewelry and the accessories are fake which links to how Blanche wants to make herself look more appealing to men and how she cares about her looks.
Red satin robe
The red satin robe represents lust and sexual desires, she wears it to seduce men and gain their affection. It also represents her predatory motives and her inner self on how she preys on men and try to get in a relationship with them.
Props and objects
Slip of paper
Confusion as she arrives to Stella's place, thinks it's the wrong place, looks at the slip of paper numerous times. This is due to the fact that she came from a higher social class. This indirectly puts an instant sense of superiority.
Represents superiority and how she cannot believe that Stella lives in a place like this. Symbolizes hierarchy and how the upper class neglects the lower class.
Suitcase
The suitcase represents the many dark secrets that Blanche holds. As Stanley opens the suitcase he ultimately reveals her secrets. It being closed represents her fantasies and opening it represents the reality of her tragic past. It symbolises the weight of her past and how she can never escape it as she is always carrying it around with her. She is unconsciously drawn to her past.
Alcohol
Alcohol is used as a medium of escape from Blanche's harsh realities to her fantasies. This shows Blanche's fear of reality and how she tries to avoid conflict.
Paper lantern
The paper lantern in this play is used to cover the light from the lightbulbs. This prop is linked to the motif of lighting and how she wants to hide in the dark and away from reality. This indirect characterization represents how she tries everything to hide her true identity and how she feels the need to look younger for men and how she lies about her age.
Bathing
The frequent baths that Blanche takes represents cleansing herself from her impurities and how she unconsciously tries to escape from her realities.
Innocence and purity
Appearance
Moth-like, flighty in movement and frail in appearance, "Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth."
Symbolism to light, wants to avoid the light "Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light"
"White clothes" suggest purity, youth and innocence.
Fullfillment, deception, desires, and fantasies
Appearance and demeanour
Wants to attract men and tries to look young. She is very self-conscious about her appearance. She thinks that the only way for her to feel fulfilled is by having a man to look after her.
Lighting
Hides in the light to look younger than she actually is. Deceives and manipulates people like Mitch.
Clothing
Has a lot of costume jewelry and luxurious accessories. Feeling of superiority over others, wants to attract men.
Relationships with men
Blanche has been in many relationships in the past with men of different ages. She has these relationships as she thinks that this is the only way to build happiness and fulfillment in life.
Blanche has a fear of being alone and forgotten by people, this is why she wants to be supported by men and thinks it's the only way to get fulfillment in life.
Shep huntleigh
Shep Huntleigh represents Blanche's degrading mental state as she thinks that he will rescue her and how she creates these imaginary stories and fantasies to escape Stanley.
Lies
Blanche lies about her age, her alcoholic addiction and losing her job. She lies to deceive every man she meets and to hide her dark past. She wants to be seen as the ideal woman.
Her lies eventually get exposed , this shows how she can never escape reality and her fantasies are only imaginary.
She eventually believes and lives through her lies unconciously.
Desire for money and luxury
Shep Huntleigh
Shep Huntleigh is a man that has a lot of money. Blanche hopes that he will provide monetary support for her and her sister Stella to escape from Stanley. But she is just imagining this and unconciously believes in this. This is another evidence for how Blanche prioritizes money over many things.
Belle Reve
Blanche used to live in Belle Reve which is a prestigious place, she eventually lost it and feels loss and grief. The 'Blue piano' plays as she tells this to Stella representing the loss and grief that they both feel.
Accessories in suitcase
Blanche has a lot of costume jewelry in her suitcase which is revealed when Stanley rummages through her things. This makes Stanley envious, suspicious and frustrated towards Blanche. This shows how Blanche cares a lot about her appearance and how she thinks that money is a priority in life.
Relationships
Relationship with Stella
Blanche has a very close relationship with Stella as they are sisters. Stella is the younger sister but acts as the older one. Blanche indirectly tries to manipulate Stanley as well like the other men and take him away from Stella. She also tries to deceive Stella into disliking Stanley and victimizing herself.
Relationship with Stanley
Blanche has a complex relationship with Stanley, he keeps on targeting her and slowly deteriorates her state of mind more and more throughout the play. He represents the harsh reality that she has to face and how he stops her from going into her fantasies. Stanley dislikes Blanche's sense of superiority and her social class compared to his. However Blanche has never truly been sympathetic towards him. Williams uses indirect characterization to reinforce this idea.
This supports the Oedipus complex as Blanche struggles to form a relationship with other characters such as Stanley and achieves her own desires.
She is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers to keep herself stable in life. She is unable to take care of herself as seen with her relationship between herself and Stella who acts as her older sister and relies on the help of Stella and Stanley. Blanche fears being alone and is vulnerable and so tries to get relationships with men to accommodate her happiness and way of living in life.
Blanche's past (memories and fears)
Allan Gray
Allan Gray is Blanche's deceased husband after he shot himself after Blanche called him gay for sleeping with another man. This tragedy has become a trauma for Blanche and how this tragic memory will never leave her. Throughout the play Blanche tries to escape the past using different mediums such as alcohol or bathing and escape the reality of her past. She ultimately fails and can never escape her past. Every time the 'Varsouviana' is played this represents her tragic past and her husband's suicide. This is a recurring song that plays in her head and shows her deteriorating state of mind.
Her past unconsciously influences her present behaviour and actions. She tries to escape it by using different mediums such as drinking alcohol or bathing but fails to do so.