Dealing with Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dealing with Reality - Essay Example She just arrives in New Orleans to stay with her elder sister Stella who is now pregnant and lives with her husband, Stanley whom Blanche finds to be a pain in her neck. From the investigations made by Stanley, he reveals that she is far from the chaste and respectable woman that she pretends to be because she has had affairs with several men she barely knows, especially with a 17-year old student that led to her dismissal from school. Her actions and dialogues also reveal other characteristics of Blanche. She is a middle-aged woman from the South who formerly taught in high school. Coming from the South, Blanche carries with her the old customs and attitude of her place including her idealistic treatment of women, which she tries to impose on the men she meets including her brother-in-law, Stanley and her suitor, Mitch. When Mitch wants to make love with her, she declares, â€Å"I guess it is just that I have--old-fashioned ideas!† but while she says this, she rolls her eyes, implying that she is doing lip-service. Blanche tries to cover up the ugly realities of her life. She declares, â€Å"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 the truth.† With this, Blanche confirms her tendency to deny reality. However, she prefers to submit herself to fantasy and denial. Instead of facing her problems squarely and trying to overcome loneliness by focusing on her career and getting married, she keeps on drinking liquor to cover up her feelings. This leads to her tragic ending when Stanley rapes her and she loses her sanity. Blanche tries to hide reality in order to fool people. She tells Mitch that if this act is â€Å"sinful, then let me be damned for it! - Don't turn the light on!† (Scene 9). Blanche always meets Mitch in the dark so that she could cover up the truth about her.