Abstract

Tennessee Williams is one of the three greatest dramatists in the United States in the 20th century. He has made important influence on the development of American drama. And in 1948 and 1948, he won the Pulitzer Prize twice. His works all reveal modern people's emotional indifference and inner conflicts, especially A Streetcar Named Desire, his masterpiece.  The thesis analyzes A Streetcar Named Desire from the perspective of the conflict between reality and illusion, which aims to help further understand the meaning of the play and reveal the spiritual dilemma of modern people.

This thesis consists of six parts. The first part is the introduction, which mainly introduces the background of the play and writing significance. Next is the literature review. The third part mainly talks about the conflict within Blanche between reality and illusion. The whole play centers on the heroine Blanche’s tragic fate. The source of Blanche’s destroy is more her struggle with herself than with Stanley. The fourth part is devoted to illustrate the conflict between Blanche and Stanley, which is regarded as the external manifestation of the conflict between reality and illusion within Blanche. It’s obvious that Stanley is the symbol of reality, while Blanche is the representative of illusion. The fifth part focuses on Tennessee Williams’s techniques which are used to reflect the clash between reality and illusion. The last part is the conclusion. Blanche’s tragedy is unavoidable. It’s not only a living death, but also the only way to escape from the reality. 

Keywords: conflict; reality; illusion; dramatic techniques

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction1

1.1 Background1

1.2 Purpose and significance1

   2. Literature review2

3. The conflict within Blanche between reality and illusion..5

3.1 Blanche’s past and southern background5

3.2 Blanche as role-player and her journey into illusion..6

3.3 The conflict within Blanche7

4. The conflict between Blanche and Stanley9

  4.1 Stanley’s hate against Blanche.9

  4.2 Stanley’s revenge on Blanche10

  4.3 Blanche being a failure..10

5. Williams’s techniques used to reinforce the theme..12

  5.1 The setting..12

  5.2 Music and sound.12

  5.3 Light and color13 

6. Conclusion15

References16