y understand Blanches character you must understand her reason for moving to New Orleans and the heart of her problems. She left her home because her life there was a miserable wreck. After the death of her husband, she had huge void in her life to fill. She escaped the death of her husband with sexual desire. She admitsto this, at one point in the story, that after the death of Allen (her husband) intimacies was the only thing that seemed to be able to fill her empty heart (pg.178). She had sexual relations with anyone who agreed to it. Blanche was a very friendly and flirtatious woman; those very characteristics got Blanche into even more problems. At one juncture while a high school teacher, she had intimacies with one of her students a seventeen-year-old boy. The superintendent found out about this from the boys father and Blache was immediately fired. Her image was totally destroyed and reputation gone down the tubes. She was called the town slut for sleeping around. Like Amanda from The Glass Menagerie, Blanche often went fishing for compliments an example of this is when she says to Stella, Youre all Ive got in the world, and youre not glad to see me. (pg.20) Blanche says this knowing what Stelles response will be, Why Blanche, you know thats not true. (pg.20) Blanche seemed to be insecure and needed other people- (especially men) and other things to make her feel important. Blanche liked to criticize everyone to hind her own problems. In this quote Blanche is criticizing her sister about her husband Stanley after he had yelled and beat her. In my opinion? You are married to a madman! (pg.64) The person whom Blanche is most directly contrasted with is Stanley. Blanche loves living in an idealistic world, while Stanley strictly relies on facts. In the story Blanche makes up a good portion of her life and deceives everyone at one time or another throughout the play. Yet, from the start Stanley does not fall for Blanches outrage...
