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A Streetcar Named Desire is a play written by Tennessee Williams, which premiered on Broadway in 1947. The play touches upon a variety of themes and subjects, such as masculinity and femininity, sexual desire, reality, and illusion; however, it also provides a substantial commentary on the concept of the American Dream (Alamrani, 2016). More specifically, the symbolic significance of the paper lantern in the play represents the unattainability of the American dream.
Before moving on with the plays plot, it is crucial to explain the concept of the American dream. The American Dream, the idea developed in the 1930s, is the vision that every person in the United States can achieve success through hard work (Wolak & Peterson, 2020). The main character of A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche, moves to her sister Stella and her husband Stanley after experiencing terrible financial losses. During the play, Blanche meets Mitch, one of Stanleys friends, and falls in love with him. The first thing she asks him after they exchanged their names is to hang a paper lantern on the ceiling that she bought for the house. Blanche explains her excitement over the lantern through I cant stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action (Williams, 1947, p. 54). Throughout the play, Blanche exhibits a detached attitude towards her life; she is still in denial about her financial situation.
The paper moon symbolizes the illusion that is similar to the belief in the American dream. The ephemeral lampshade that covers a solid, transparent source of light illustrates Blanches denial that she has to get used to the reality of being poor. Blanches previous quality of life is now unachievable, even if she spent her whole time working and building herself up again. Gonzales (2017) explains the significance behind the paper moon as it reflects Blanches lies to the characters around her. She tries to bring the fantasy she created for herself into real life by lying to everyone else. The fantasy is the manifestation of the American dream because it is just as distant and unrealistic as Blanches desire to be prosperous again.
References
Alamrani, A., & Dellal, M. (2016). Abjection and desire in A Streetcar Named Desire. Mohammed the First University. Web.
Gonzalez, D. A. (2017). Just a paper moon: A naturalist reading of A Streetcar Named Desire [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Texas A&M International University. Web.
Williams, T. (1947). A Streetcar Named Desire. Web.
Wolak, J., & Peterson, D. A. (2020). The dynamic American dream. American Journal of Political Science, 64(4), 968-981.
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