Tennessee Williams employs the use of colors in various ways in his play 'A streetcar named Desire' to portray its major themes. When the heroine Blanche Dubois appears in the first scene, she is dressed all in white. 'White' (also the meaning of her name) symbolizes purity and virginity, which is ironic in Blanche's case since she has a reputation in her home town Laurel for being promiscuous. She flirts with Stanley after meeting him …
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…the Varsouviana every time she remembers her late husband. Throughout the play we see that Blanche prefers to go out after dark and she wishes to stay in rooms that are dimly lit. It is only towards the end of the play when Mitch tears off the paper lantern that we see Blanche in harsh light, i.e. harsh reality. The bedroom is always dimly lit as it is a place where things are hidden.