The most obvious symbol used in A Streetcar Named Desire is its title and the actual reference in the play to the streetcars named Desire and Cemeteries. It was through them that Blanche was brought to Stanley and Stella, and as the play unfolds we realize that the names of the streetcars have greater meaning. Blanche's instructions were to "take a tram called Désir, then take another called Cimetières". When Blanche first arrives, she is possessed by a desire for love and understanding, but always in the background is the fear of death and destruction. one cannot be obtained, a transfer to the other will be the inevitable alternative. Blanche indicates this in her speech to Mitch in scene nine: “Death, I was sitting here and she was sitting there and death was as close as you. are. . .. We didn't even dare admit that we had already heard about it. The opposite is desire. » A subtle use of symbol makes scene six very poignant: Mitch and Blanche have just returned from the amusement park and Blanche, worried about transportation to get Mitch home, is surprised to learn that Desire is running all night. The two fundamental drives, desire and death, persist throughout the play and determine Blanche's total behavior. The destination of Blanche's tram travels is Elysian Fields, which also has symbolic significance for the play. This is the section of New Orleans in which Stanley is located. and Stella live as well as a reference to Greek mythology meaning paradise. In Streetcar, Stanley and Stella have created their own type of paradise in the sensual and blissful existence in which they live. Ironically, the place has quite the opposite effect on Blanche. to find happiness and content...... middle of paper ......han the flicker of a candle She intends to keep it that way because she is ready to protect herself from the harsh light of reality by using it. of a paper lantern. The paper lantern becomes a symbol of Blanche. She covers every bare light bulb lest her life of illusion be discovered. Mitch finds the real Blanche by snatching the lantern from the light, and Stanley hands her the remains of her torn illusion at the very last moment of the play, as she is taken to an asylum. Works Cited Adler, Thomas P. A Streetcar Named Desire: The Moth and the Lantern. Boston: Twayne, 1990. Sievers, W. David. Twentieth-Century Interpretations of A Streetcar Named Desire: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Jordan Miller. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Williams, Tennessee. A tram named Désir. New York: new American library, 1942.