Answer :
Final answer:
Blanche DuBois dresses in a manner that sets her apart in Elysian Fields, both highlighting her previous social status and her displacement. Her fluctuating personas are indicative of her shaky identity, which is a central theme of the play. The interplay of sex and death signifies the destructive consequences of desire, a motif that runs throughout the narrative.
Explanation:
In Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois is often dressed in a manner that indicates her pretensions of grandeur and her aristocratic background. Arriving in the Elysian Fields, she is overdressed compared to her surroundings, wearing delicate clothing that signifies her former social status and out-of-place nature in this working-class neighborhood. This sartorial choice is significant as it highlights the contrast between Blanche's illusion of old southern gentility and the harsh reality of her present situation.
Regarding Blanche's performance of herself, she often creates a facade to mask her insecurities and her inability to confront her downfall from the upper echelons of society. She presents different personas to different characters, which signifies the instability of her identity. Determining who the 'real' Blanche is becomes a central question of the play, as she oscillates between genuine vulnerability and artifice.
The themes of sex and death are deeply interconnected in the play, creating a motif often referred to as the 'death drive.' This is reflected in Blanche's past experiences, where the loss of loved ones and her own sexual indiscretions are entwined, suggesting that desire can lead to destruction, both metaphorically and literally.
