Such a beautiful piece. Blanche enters the work, alongside the reader. The fact that the reader is essentially transported into the story is important since the character who arouses the most emotion is Blanche. She enters the room covered in white, which at this point can be interpreted one of two ways. White obviously means purity. A woman who was still a virgin would dress in white to show herself to potential suitors. The description also says “costume”; a suit is usually worn by a man; a suit worn by a woman would be seen as a sign of power, that she is fair to any man. This could however be taken another way; for the same reason that women wear makeup; Blanche is a false woman, someone who is “50% illusory” and in love with “magic.” With white gloves, she tries to protect herself from the filth that is society, as a good woman would do, at the same time, she hides her true identity; his expression is one of disbelief. , something that will be repeated throughout the play and the film version, like many small revelations that the truth lies behind the imagination. Blanche (and other characters, for that matter) is often compared to an animal, in this case. , which is ironic because she is afraid of the light and the reality it brings. You can't hide in the light, and although moths crave brightness, when they rush towards it too quickly, they burn, which Blanche will eventually discover. the most central aspects for understanding A Streetcar Named Desire are also mentioned in this passage: the journey caused by desire, death and the ascension to paradise. Blanche says she was told to take a tram called Désir and then go to the cemeteries. arrive at the Champs Elysées. She is... middle of paper... there are things going on behind the scenes, perhaps other than carnal pleasure, that hold them together; she cannot leave because she is a woman, and at that point, what could she do to earn a living and support herself and her child? “Have you never taken that tram,” Stella asks. The tram of desire, the vehicle supposed to lead to death and end in paradise. Even though desire can cause pain, it is the end result that everyone is looking for. Blanche admits that this is the reason she is here in her life and the reason she carries so much guilt and embarrassment. This is the point of the play, the central concept of life itself. Desires are toxic, but we crave them more and more for this very purpose; that in the end we will surpass death and obtain paradise. Blanche will never reach heaven, but a hell made by those she thought she could trust..