take Blanche to the asylum, she is at first confused but then she breaks down and her true insanity is revealed. [Blanche extends her hands toward the doctor].....I have always depended on the kindness of strangers......[She allows him to lead her as if she were blind](Williams, Streetcar...,141-142) So Blanche is finally able to release herself and is no longer needing to be this Southern belle.The Princess Kosmonopolis from Sweet Birds of Youth is another example of a woman past her prime, like Blanche. Unlike Blanche though, she is aware of it, but she realizes it too late. The Princess...tardily recognizes what the camera records: she is becoming an old woman.(Falk, 110). She was once a beautiful actress. She was talented, a legend in her words. And then came her downfall. She tried to make a comeback and realized it was no longer possible because she was old and couldn't live up to the standards that society needed her to. For years they all told me it was ridiculous of me to feel that I couldn't go back to the screen or the stage as a middle aged woman. They told me I was an artist, not just a star whose career depended on youth. But I knew in my heart that the legend of Alexandra del Lago couldnt be separated from an appearance of youth....(Williams, Sweet Bird, 36-37)After her failure, she escapes by forgetting her old self. She wants to pretend that her failure never happened and even that she never was Alexandra del Lago, the famous, beautiful actress. I want to forget everything, I want to forget who I am...(Williams, Sweet Bird, 26). The only way she feels safe is through pretense, which is the basis of her relationship with Chance. She wants to be with him intimately in order to help herself feel young again. Desperate for the illusion that they are young lovers, she orders him to draw the curtains, turn on the radio, and prove himself.(Falk, 119). Part of her illusion is shown through the fact that she still has some of ...
