Blanche, in
"", finds it very difficult to control her sexual appetite and lust. We must remember
that she was let go from her teaching position for having an inappropriate relationship with a
student. (This shows two things: 1) Her appetite surpasses her morality; and 2) Her internal
conflict with aging.)
Many times throughout the text readers, or viewers of
the play, see her actions as sexual. She is constantly bathing herself and complaining about
light. She is trying to maintain a youthful appearance by masking her true one.
One example from the text where we can see her indiscretions is her meeting with the
boy collecting for the paper. Blanche literally throws herself at him and refuses to allow him
to leave before getting a kiss.
As for her past, Blanche survived by
prostituting herself. Therefore, the only way she knows how to survive is through the promise,
or , of sex.
In the end, everything Blanche knows about sex comes to a
blistering end when she is raped by Stanley. While sexual tension has existed between them (and
most of the other men in the play), any rape should not be warranted. Regardless, the one thing
(sexuality) that helped her to survive became the main part of her ultimate
destruction.
No comments:
Post a Comment