LITERATURE AND GENDER - Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak

Tennessee Williams: A Street Car Named Desirepiano goes into hectic breakdown.” That is how symbolism is made to work, for serving a psychological purpose.The emotional states of the characters, Blanche in particular, are brought out auditorially for an impact on the audience.What otherwise may remain subdued, even though not without perception, is made effectively loud through thesymbolism of music, used throughout the play.No less effective is the use of “light” as symbol in A Streetcar Named Desire. We know how Blanche remainsobsessed with lights all through the play. The obsession with lights in Blanche is as intense as the one with baths.On reaching at her sister’s house her very first request is that the overhead light be turned off. Subsequently shebuys a paper lantern to cover it, so that the light is subdued and may not have to be turned off. On one level,Blanche’s dislike of bright lights is a matter of vanity, for dimness hides the signs of ageing. It can also be said tobe a mark of cultural sophistication, of an educated, delicate sensibility. But it is made clear in the play that the lightbulb has a further significance, perhaps unconscious, for Blanche, who says to Mitch: “I can’t stand a naked lightbulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action.” Just as the naked light must be toned down by anartificial lantern, so every sordid reality must be cloaked in illusion. Also, romance, as Hawthorne insists, belongsto the twilight, not to day-light. In the same context, one can recall Shakespeare’s use of light as symbol in Hamlet.When you have something to hide, just as Blanches has, you prefer shady places to lighted ones. Thus, we can see,how the light symbolism carries multiple connotations.As opposed to Blanche’s preference for soft lights, we have Stanley, the man of harsh realities, the earthy character,who likes very bright light: the clear cold light of day and the naked bulb reveal to him what is real and, therefore,what is true. We can recall here Hamlet’s remark that he is “too much in the sun,” telling his mother that he is inthe know of reality or truth. Stanley, too, “brings to light” the sordid facts about Blanche’s past life. Mitch, havingbeen “enlightened” by Stanley, tears the paper lantern from the bulb and demands to take a good look at Blanche:BLANCHE: Of course, you don’t really mean to be insulting!MITCH: No, just realistic.BLANCHE: I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. Imisrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth. I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful,then let me be damned for it! – Don’t turn the light on!Compelled to face the reality Blanche’s refusal to recognize it as significant becomes the cause of her breakdown. Inthe play’s last scene, as Blanche is led away, Stanley tears the paper lantern off the light bulb – he has no use for it –and extends it to her: “She cries out as if the lantern was herself.” Blanche is as delicate and pathetic as a paperlantern; she cannot deflect the hard light of Stanley’s vision of reality.Along with different shades of light – bright and dim – the other items of setting, such as telephone, telegraph, etc.,are used as symbols to indicate the mental state and changing mood of Blanche and other characters. Costumes, too,continue to play symbolic role in the internal drama that must be made visual to the audience. For example, in SceneX of the play, where Stanley imposes his vision of reality on Blanche – by raping her – the acceptability of the situationis made possible and acceptable to the audience largely because of visual and aural detail through which the psychologicalintangibles are made objective. At the beginning of the scene the audience are aware of Blanche’s tenuous emotionalstate. Her appearance itself indicates that she is now beginning to retreat into her world of illusions:…she has decked herself out in a somewhat soiled and crumpled white satin evening gown and pairof scuffed silver slipper with brilliants set in their heels.Now she is placing the rhinestone tiara on her head before the mirror of the dressing-table andmurmuring excitedly as if to a group of special admirers.We can see how the entire setting, including the costumes put on by characters, is made symbolic in keeping with theinner condition of the character on the stage. Thus, the foreground characters and the background setting are soperfectly matched that they get fully integrated with each other, so blended that they become one harmonious spectacle.This technique is expressionistic. It is also surrealistic in that realism is raised to the level of super-realism, makingreality heightened into a lurid spectacle of sharper colours and louder sounds than the normal.What is remarkable about Williams’s use of this technique is that even though raised to the level of illusion, reality in23