Innocence and Purity

I can’t stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.

• Blanche equates light with exposure—and exposure threatens her illusion of innocence.

• The "naked light bulb" symbolizes harsh reality, which Blanche avoids.

• Her avoidance of "rude" and "vulgar" things suggests she wants to appear refined and pure, even though her past suggests otherwise.

• Williams contrasts purity with truth—Blanche’s innocence is manufactured through lies.

• scene 3

I don’t think I ever seen you in the light. That’s a fact!

Mitch exposes Blanche’s avoidance of light, which symbolizes her fear of being seen as impure.

Blanche literally hides in dim lighting because she wants to appear younger and more innocent.

This moment shows that her purity is artificial, a carefully maintained illusion.

Williams uses light and darkness as metaphors for purity and corruption.

scene 9

She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace, and earrings of pearl.

• Blanche’s white clothing symbolizes her supposed purity, but this is just a performance.

• "White" is traditionally associated with innocence, yet we later learn Blanche’s past contradicts this image.

• The pearls suggest an old-world elegance, reinforcing her attempt to appear chaste and respectable.

• Williams presents purity as something that can be fabricated through appearance, rather than an inherent quality.

• scene 1, stage direction

A single girl, a girl alone in the world, has got to keep a firm hold on her emotions or she’ll be lost!

Blanche acknowledges the social expectation that women must appear pure, even if they are not.

The repetition of "girl" emphasizes her desire to appear youthful and innocent.

The idea of being "lost" suggests that once a woman is seen as impure, society will cast her out.

Williams critiques how female purity is a fragile, unfair expectation.

scene 6

Blanche is soaking in a hot tub to quiet her nerves. The distant piano goes into a hectic breakdown

Blanche takes baths to "cleanse herself", suggesting she wants to wash away her past sins.

The ritual of bathing symbolizes her desire to regain innocence and purity.

The "hectic breakdown" of the music suggests her past will eventually catch up to her.

Williams shows that purity cannot be restored through physical cleansing—her past still haunts her.

scene 7, stage directions

Sister Blanche is no lily!

Stanley exposes Blanche’s past, shattering her illusion of innocence.

"Lily" is a symbol of purity, so calling her "no lily" directly contradicts her self-image.

Stanley’s mocking tone highlights how society punishes women for not living up to purity standards.

Williams exposes the double standard—Stanley’s own immoral behaviour is accepted, but Blanche’s is condemned.

scene 7

"Blanche" means white, and "DuBois" means woods. Like an orchard in spring!"

• Blanche’s name itself symbolizes her past purity, but the "woods" suggest something darker and more tangled.

• "Blanche" (white) represents innocence, but "DuBois" (woods) suggests that this purity is lost, faded, or tangled in corruption.

• The image of an orchard in spring suggests beauty that is temporary—just like Blanche’s illusion of innocence.

• This foreshadows her eventual downfall, where she loses all remnants of purity and is cast out of society.

• scene 2

Yes, a big spider! That’s where I brought my victims. Yes, I had many intimacies with strangers

• Blanche describes a hotel where she took men as the "Tarantula Arms," linking herself to a predatory spider.

• he "big spider" metaphor shows Blanche's awareness of her own downfall—she sees herself as something dangerous and corrupt.

• The word "victims" is ironic—she is actually a victim of society’s double standards, forced to seek affection through temporary encounters.

• This is a moment of brutal honesty, in contrast to her usual self-deception.

• The phrase "intimacies with strangers" contrasts with her earlier performance of innocence, showing how her past contradicts the purity she pretends to have.

• scene 9