The Conflict between Reality and Illusion A Critical Analysis on Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire

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.70070

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

现实和理想的冲突——评田纳西·威廉斯的《欲望号街车》

摘  要田纳西·威廉斯是美国20世纪最伟大的三大戏剧家之一，他于1948年和1955年两度获得普利策奖，对美国戏剧的革新与发展产生了重要影响。他的戏剧作品无不流露出对人际情感冷漠的感慨，体现出现代人的内心需求和现实相冲突的矛盾。《欲望号街车》作为他的代表作之一， 向读者讲述了现实和理想的冲突，尤其是女主人公布兰奇的心理冲突与内心矛盾在剧中展现得淋漓尽致。本文从布兰奇内心深处现实与理想的冲突出发，对《欲望号街车》进行解读，从而进一步解释戏剧意义，揭示现代人的生存困境。

论文分为六个部分:第一部分为引言，主要介绍《欲望号街车》的相关背景和写作意义。第二部分为文献综述。第三部分则主要讲述了布兰奇心灵深处现实与理想的矛盾。全剧围绕布兰奇的悲惨命运展开，其毁灭的根本原因在于她内心冲突的无法调和，而不是与斯坦利之间的矛盾。第四部分主要阐述布兰奇与斯坦利之间的冲突，这是布兰奇内心理想与残酷现实产生冲突的外在表现。毫无疑问，布兰奇是理想的代表，斯坦利是现实的象征。第五部分介绍了威廉斯如何使用戏剧手法强化主题，凸显现实与理想的矛盾。最后是结论，布兰奇的内心矛盾无法调和，她的悲惨结局是无法避免的，这既是一种精神死亡，也是逃离现实的唯一途径。

毕业论文关键词：矛盾； 现实； 理想；戏剧手法

Contents

1. Introduction...1

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 background...5

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

3.3 The conflict within Blanche...7

4. The conflict between Blanche and Stanley................................................................................................9