Blanche, a Tragic Heroine

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Blanche, the Tragic Heroine In Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche was displayed a tragic heroine even though she seemed she was an innocent and clean girl in the beginning of the play. Even her name Blanche DuBois is of French origin which translates as “made of wood” which suggests she is an innocent and pure person. There were many factors that support that Blanche is a tragic heroine by the characteristics of her character. Every tragic hero has distinguishing characteristics but they all have same or near similar factors that make them tragic heroes. The character, Blanche has most of the characteristics of a tragic hero such as her situation was doomed from the beginning. Even though Blanche was displayed as a clean, high classed woman in the beginning of the play, as the play progresses the readers discover that she has all the elements of a tragic hero. The characteristics of a tragic hero consist of six basic traits. They have to be born into some form of nobility. In Blanche’s case, her high cheekbones signal noble origins and feminine grace. Tragic heroes also have a fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his/her downfall. Blanche’s fatal flaw is her inability to let go of the past. She allows the polka music to keep playing in her head to remind of her mistake that she regrets. She will not let this go so she regrettably hides in her dream world. Her fatal flaw will ultimately lead to her downfall when she becomes an alcoholic with nowhere to go to make the polka music go away. Therefore, characters take advantage of her and have sexual relations with her easily. Blanche is a tragic heroine because she has all the factors that make up a tragic hero. Other factors that make Blanche a tragic hero is those tragic heroes are responsible for his/her own fate. Blanche is fully responsible for her fat because she is the one who would
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