Why does blanche drink

She drinks on the sly in order to withdraw from harsh reality. A state of drunken stupor enables her to take a flight of imagination, such as concocting a getaway with Shep Huntleigh. For both characters, drinking leads to destructive behavior: Stanley commits domestic violence, and Blanche deludes herself. Ace your assignments with our guide to A Streetcar Named Desire! A Tale of Two Cities Dr. Jekyll and Mr. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. What happened to Belle Reve, the DuBois family home?

Why did Blanche come to New Orleans? He notices that she is older than he had supposed, but he could have accepted that if she had been straight. He tells Blanche about the stories he has heard and how he checked them out and three people swore to them.

When Mitch mentions the Flamingo, Blanche drops her pose and tells how after the death of her young husband, there was nothing to fill the void except intimacies with strangers.

She went from one stranger to another until she had an affair with a seventeen-year-old boy. She was desperate when she came to New Orleans.

Then she met Mitch, who told her that he needed someone and she needed someone. Mitch accuses her of lying to him. She says that she never lied in her heart. At this time, a street vendor passes by selling flowers for the dead. When Blanche hears the vendor, she thinks of all the deaths she has had to suffer, and that the opposite of death is desire. She even tells Mitch about her escapades with the Army camp which was near her house. Suddenly, Mitch puts his arms around her and demands what he has been missing all summer.

She requests marriage. Mitch tells her she is not good enough. Blanche orders him to leave or she will start screaming.

As he remains staring, she runs to the window and begins to scream Fire, wildly. Mitch stumbles out. Note the opening description of Blanche. She is in her old dilapidated clothes — her last remnants of a past life. The "Varsouviana" music — the tune which played when her husband shot himself — is heard as background music and Blanche is drinking to escape it all. The appearance of Mitch, unshaven and dressed in his dirty work clothes emphasizes again that he is Blanche's last chance — that he is a rough and rather uncouth character.

With Mitch's appearance, Blanche immediately begins to act the part of the innocent young girl and the polka music stops. This act foreshadows her outright dependence on the substance. Marotous, George. English Faculty, Melbourne High School, McCarthy, Raymond G.

Saitz, Richard, M. Shmoop University, Inc. Warner, Nicholas O. Purdue Research Foundation, Dec. London: Penguin, Get Access. Good Essays. Read More. Better Essays. Powerful Essays. Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams. Satisfactory Essays.

The Glorification of Domestic Abuse in Media.