My Experiences in English 102

       Ever since the end of Writing 101 have I dreaded going into another writing class. My previous class was all you would expect of a college writing course; slow, tedious, and uninteresting. I thought that the next level writing course would be just as tedious as the first, but  I was clearly mistaken. This writing course has taught me how to interpret material in ways that you would never of thought beforehand, grasp topics in multiple different ways besides only one or two, and understand life in a more well thought-out way.

       Before entering this semester, I viewed myself as an average writer; still some punctuation and grammatical mistakes, failing to interpret the topic(s) correctly, and not connecting ideas to my thesis properly. Professor Brady has made it a lot easier for us to understand and illustrate material that we have learned throughout the semester. I feel as if my language use and word choice has skyrocketed since last semester along with my literary creativity. This writing course has allowed me to grow as a thinker and as a writer. The way I view life at this point is different than I had previously; taking all into account for every situation and analyzing all aspects of that particular situation and this class has ultimately helped me with that.
       What I liked most about Enlgish 102 was the creativity and fishbowl lessons. The reason being is because these lessons really make you think outside of the box in ways which you would never of previously thought of. These ideas that professor Brady has taught us truly resonate within me and I will use knowledge I have learned throughout this class and apply it to my everyday life. For example, I have learned in this class to strive for you desires, but to not be too greedy and selfless about it. It is important in life to be caring for others and to be altruistic and not egoistic. In the mere future, I see myself as an eloquent and copious writer; constantly coming up with new and elaborate ideas to shed my knowledge with others.

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Class Lecture - Desire is evident in all of us/"Interpreter of Maladies" Connection

       Desire is a very powerful theme present in everyday life and is experienced by everybody, whether we like to admit it or not. Desire is to feel wanted, appreciated, and noticed. It is a strong feeling of wanting for something to happen. We all have desires such as money, sex, power and love, which are undoubtedly the strongest desires. These desires affect us every single day and are involved in the choices we make. In "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri, the speaker felt an intense desire for the beautiful woman, but it was a desire that turned to disgust after a minute or two. He became very close to committing infidelity, but ultimately did not.

Class Lecture - "A&P" by John Updike - Fantasy vs. Reality

     Sexual desire, social conformity, and fantasy vs. reality are the three main themes present throughout Updike's "A&P". Sexual desire is illustrated by the fact that the cashier follows the bikini girls outside that he is attracted to. Fantasy vs. Reality is present when the cashier envisions the girls liking him by the fact that he stood up for them to quit his job, but realistically they didn't care and were not there for him when he went outside. Social conformity is present by the fact that it was significantly less common for girls to publicly walk into a place with bikinis in the 1950's than it is now.

       Moreover, the reason this work is interesting is because of the irony that is present. During the 1950's, it was very rare that people who go out in public are dressed half-naked. Currently in this day and age, it is a lot more common. For example, Elvis in the 1950's was given a hard time just for hip thrusting. Children would be asked to cover their eyes or look away and nowadays, sexual behavior is more publicly common on TV and is seen a lot more explicitly as well. Ultimately, the reason this is ironic is because the girls were publicly flaunting themselves like this during that time period, which was very uncommon.

Class Lecture: "One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived." - Niccolo Machiavelli

     Niccolo Machiavelli once said, "One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived." From my understanding, this quote is conveying how deceiving somebody means that you're gaining personal advantage, and that it will come back to bite you later on down the road. If you were to deceive somebody for personal gain in any manner, you will be the one getting deceived later in life,  and most likely worse. Good intent and good deed contribute to good Karma and future happiness, while bad deed, such as deceit, lead to future suffering. Karma seems to be the main idea of this quote.

Published writing #5: Romanticism and Longing for your Desirous Love

        Poetry is a way to probe, understand, and express our emotions through literature using symbolism, tone, and theme. A lot of the time, poetry is used to express romanticism and love toward something or another. Aside from love being the main theme used throughout poems, there are many contradictory themes eminent as well including lust, astonishment, and desperation. Music is poetry regardless, and is written in different formats to properly suit the artist’s true meaning behind the song. Musical poetry can transmit to literary poetry in several ways through the use of theme. “Aston Martin Music” by Rick Ross ft. Chrisette Michele & Drake is a song narrating Drake’s longing for a woman that he has missed and did not return to due to the fact that he was caught up in fame, even though he did truly love this woman. “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” is a poem written by Ezra Pound conveying the speaker’s yearning for her husband, who is a river merchant and is traveling across water. “Longing for the one you Love” by Shirlotta Tidwell is a poem relating to fantasies finally becoming realities and how much the speaker has desired to join her heart to the man’s soul. Between these two poems and musical pieces, several parallels can be drawn relating to theme and lust for a loved one. 

            “Aston Martin Music” can correlate to “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” in several unique ways portraying love and for languish for another. The speaker of “Aston Martin Music” is Drake in the chorus when he says, “Would’ve came back for you, I just needed time to do what I had to do” and “whether that’s right I will never know”. These lyrics portray Drake’s languish for this woman that he misses greatly and is not sure whether he made the right decision or not by not returning to her. Moreover, these lyrics relate to “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” in lines 15-17 and 24-27 where the speaker says, “At sixteen you departed, You went into far Ku-to-yen, by the river of swirling eddies, and you have been gone five months.” and “They hurt me. I grow older if you are coming down through the narrows of the river Kiang, Please let me know beforehand.” The wife's statement of the length of his absence is expressed in one line, giving it full and emphatic force. Please let me know when and by what route you are returning, so that I may come to meet you. Her village is a suburb of Nanking and she is willing to walk to a beach several hundred miles upstream from there to meet her husband, so deeply does she yearn to close the distance between them. These two stanzas relate to Drake’s song from the man’s hidden point of view in the poem by doing what he has to do to reunite with his woman again. Furthermore, the man does indeed want to return to his woman, but may not be sure of the consequence of his leave, ultimately questioning his decision to work as a river merchant.

            “Aston Martin Music” can connect to Tidwell’s poem titled “Longing for the one you Love” in various inimitable ways conveying lust and love for each other. In “Aston Martin Music”, Drake says, “Kisses all on her body she tells me live in the moment, and baby, I never forget none of that, girl I told you I was coming back.” These lyrics illustrate Drake’s wonderful moments he had with this woman, and how despite everything that happened, through all the fame, he still committed these moments to his memory forever. In addition, these lyrics correlate to “Longing for the one you Love” in lines 13-14 and 16-20 where the speaker says “For the longest time have I longed to be with thee” and “For the longest time will you and I be together, until our fantasies have become realities, and our spirits have become one forever.”. The first two lines depict how long the speaker has waited for her love to enter her life. Lines 16-20 convey how the speaker’s desire to be with this person is everlasting, and how she has fantasized about this in a daydream, and it is finally coming true and they will be united forever. The two stanzas provided compare to Drake’s song by his desire to be with this woman. In addition, Drake has not forgotten these moments, nor has the woman in the poem. From another hidden point of view, the woman in Drake’s song is feeling the same way as the woman in the poem; waiting for her love to come back. They are truly in love with each other and despite the occurrences, they have not forgotten about each other and are returning to revisit their unforgotten, memorable past.

            In summation, “Aston Martin Music” by Drake can connect to “Longing for the one you Love” by Shirlotta Tidwell and “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” by Ezra Pound in several ways revolving around the themes of love, lust, fantasy, and desire. Drake has a desire to return to his love that he has not forgotten about and still has deep feelings for. Moreover, Ezra pound’s poem expresses the wife’s absence from her lover and portrays its full ardent vigor. Shirlotta Tidwell’s poem talks about her desire to be with her love and its eternal effect on her life. Once this fantasy becomes a reality, the two will be unified perpetually. 

"I Couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley" - Stella Kowalski

In A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Stella says, “I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley.” (Stella, 1232) Stella is directing this statement toward Blanche because of her psychotic and erratic behavior seen throughout the play. Shortly after the doctor and the nurse remove Blanche from her house in New Orleans, Stella says that quotation, implying Blanche’s lies and preposterous behavior. By Blanche telling Stella how Stanley has raped her, Stella believed that it was outrageous and ludicrous of her to even say something like that. This seemed to be the final straw that had really put Stella over the edge, which ultimately led to her calling to get Blanche sent to a mental institution. Not to mention, the illusion between Stella and Stanley that is present throughout the play. Stella sees Stanley as a good man and together as an ideal relationship, but in reality they are only physically attracted to each other and Stanley is a drunken and abusive man, which no woman should want to be in a relationship with. Conversely, aside from Stella and Stanley’s illusions, Blanche portrays the biggest illusion of her feign life by constantly masking her appearance in front of men, lying about her age, and imagining how she is going to be swept off her feet by an amazing man who is going to take her on a cruise. That very moment before Stanley rapes Blanche, Stanley says, “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” (Stanley, 1231) What Stanley is implying by this is that although Blanche has kept everybody else fooled by her illusion, Stanley knew her fallacy all along and saw right through her lies and manipulation that she has put about and ultimately winds up raping her.

Analogous to Williams’ play, Stella’s quote also can relate to the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Comparable to A Streetcar Named Desire, The Great Gatsby has many illusions as well, and is constantly a fantasy vs. reality. One of the most noteworthy illusions throughout this story pertains to the main character himself, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is an underprivileged man who has lived in poverty throughout his whole life and has flunked out of college. In Chapter 4, Gatsby says to Nick, “I’ll tell you God’s truth…I am the son of some wealth people in the middle-west.”(Gatsby, pg 42)  By Gatsby saying this, he is creating an illusion for all of his peers portraying a so-called “rich life”, and is somewhat believable (unlike Blanche’s) because of his renowned parties that he throws. Because of this, the truth of Gatsby’s family background is a prime example of the false reality he portrays. Another example of an illusion portrayed in this story is the fact how Gatsby lied about his completion of his Oxford education. He did in-fact attend Oxford for 5 months, but winded up dropping out. A man’s education defines him, and because of this Gatsby creates an illusion of it. In Chapter 4, Gatsby says, “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford…” (Gatsby, pg 42) Then in Chapter 7, he speaks the Truth to Tom, revealing how he only stayed for five months and thus, “can’t really call myself an oxford man.” (Gatsby, pg 98) The reason for these illusions is for Gatsby to convey himself as a scholar and wants to be accepted among the rest of society. 

Martin Luther King: Freedom vs. Oppression

           Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." In other words, the people who are discriminated against should not passively sit there and take the oppression; they must speak up and stand up for what they believe is right. This is evidently in correspondence to the Civil Rights movement throughout the 1950s-1960s. People should always actively seek their rights and demand it from those who are in power. King was the primary leader of the civil rights movement and ultimately led to black privilege and freedom, which has been demanded for hundreds of years. Moreover, King has a similar view as Gandhi; both believing in passiveness and demanding equal rights for all.

            In “A White Woman of Color” by Julia Alvarez, a type of oppression known as discrimination is evident throughout the entire story. Julia, the main character, grew up in the Dominican Republic all her life and emigrated to New York with her family in 1960. Her father’s side of the family was the ethnic ones; possessed a darker complexion, nappy hair, and “coarse” features. On the other hand, her mother’s side was white in terms of color and class. They possessed fine features such as pale skin, flush hair, and became adapted to the manners and habits of North Americans. A prime example of injustice in the story is the way Alvarez describes the ways the North American schools were; kids were constantly asking her where she was originally from. When she replied, the kids told her to “Go back to where you came from!” and hurled stones at her and her sisters. (Alvarez 169) The oppressed (Julia) ultimately winded up demanding freedom from the oppressor by applying to boarding schools where privilege transformed prejudice into patronage, and eventually worked out for the better.

            This famous quote by King can also correspond to recent labor laws and the protest and reform for an increased wage. Fast food and other unskilled labor workers make minimum wage or sometimes even less than that and have to support their families off it. At the time of August, fast food employees working for McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and other eateries were making $7.25 an hour to support a growing family. “I’m not going to stay quiet,” said Shaniqua Davis, 20, a Bronx resident and McDonald’s employee. “I’m going to continue to fight. ... I’ve got a daughter to take care of. I struggle to make ends meet.” (NY Daily News) In addition, a 44 year old married mother of a teenage daughter working at a fast food chain stated how she received a weekly paycheck of $215, and paid an electric bill of $218, losing money and unable to support her daughter and herself. Due to the multiple remonstrations throughout this period, the minimum wage went from $7.25 to $8.00 an hour, and was ratified on December 31, 2013. This wage freedom was not voluntarily given, but rather demanded by the oppressed and in due course, worked out well in the end.

Post-Modernism and Misinterpretation in "Interpreter of Maladies"

         Postmodernism is defined as a literary period with “highly skeptical explanations which claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truths of each person.” Moreover, it was a time period in which we all interpreted the world in our unique perspective. It is fair to say that people were and still are selfish and overly concerned with us rather then everybody as a whole. The purpose of this writing technique is to understand how different people decipher literature in different ways. Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies” is an outstanding example of Postmodernism, the reason being because the reader is able to interpret the different scenarios between each character. The reader can construe the parents as unfit or fit, disrespectful or respectful, and/or faithful or unfaithful. “Interpreter of Maladies” is demonstrated through a third person limited point of view, revealing the perceptions of Mr. Kapasi, but nobody else.

            Mr. Kapasi is a driver leading the Das family and their children through India for a tour on vacation. Mr. Kapasi was once an interpreter of maladies in an office, in which he assisted individuals regarding their problems. He took this job as a way to pay off medical bills for his sick son who had contracted Typhoid Fever and it paid better than his previous teaching job. An exemplification of Postmodernism in this story is the misinterpretation when Mrs. Das called Mr. Kapasi’s interpreting job “romantic”. In regards to Mr. Kapasi’s job description as an interpreter, Mrs. Das says, “But so romantic.” (Lahiri 17) Once this was stated, Mr. Kapasi misapprehended the situation and believed that Mrs. Das was romantically interested in him. In reality, all she was seeking was advice because of her one night stand and felt a sense of guilt because of the affair and ultimately winded up perplexing Mr. Kapasi because of his observation of the distorted family. Moreover, Mrs. Das has taken a picture with the family and Mr. Kapasi ended up in the picture. After this, Mrs. Das stated how she was going to mail the picture to him. The narration then states, “He dreaded the possibility of a lost letter, the photograph never reaching him, hovering somewhere in Orissa, close but ultimately unattainable” (Lahiri 21) This shows his nerves acting up; frenzied that he wont receive the pictures from her.

            In summation, Mr. Kapasi winds up falling for Mrs. Das, even though the feelings were not mutual. It was Mr. Kapasi’s burden for misinterpreting what Ms. Das said and he should not have been so quick to judge. Mrs. Das’ child winds up attacked by monkeys in the end due to the fact how she inadvertently dropped a trail of puffed rice, even though Mr. Kapasi warned the family that the monkeys were only dangerous if they were fed food. In the end after the attack, the paper with Mr. Kapasi’s address floats away, leaving no evidence of the address for Mrs. Das to mail the picture to him. Ultimately, this postmodern writing technique illustrates how everyone interprets situations different from one another.

            

Misinterpretation/Miscommunication present in "Interpreter of Maladies", "Hills Like White Elephants", and Medicine

Miscommunication is present in everyday life and is often difficult to circumvent, especially when it revolves around our lives. Theme is extremely imperative in any piece of literature and truly defines the underlying details and meaning of the literary piece. Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri both convey superlative illustrations of an evident theme known as miscommunication. Miscommunication throughout these two post-modern stories transmits several different interpretations for the reader to construe and can be seen in the medical field as well.  This recurring theme not only portrays miscommunication, but also illustrates failure to converse, such by the fact that Mr. Das continuously is reading a guidebook and Mrs. Das constantly hiding behind her sunglasses.Miscommunications mentioned by these authors along with medicine are vital to the construction of the stories and plays a paramount role in the execution of the authors’ aim. This theme is also seen in medical practice and Shankur illustrates how it could become a negative consequence as well.

            Interpreter of Maladies focuses on communication as one of the universal themes throughout the story. Lahiri uses the theme of miscommunication to demonstrate various ways of interpreting the underlying details of the characters’ lives. Mr. Kapasi, the interpreter of maladies, has lost the ability to communicate with his wife, leaving him to drink tea alone at night. Due to this fact, the Kapasi’s find themselves in a loveless marriage. The narration depicts that Mr. Kapasi would pick up the newspaper at night, read it, and enjoy tea served by his wife in silence, no communication between the two whatsoever. Moreover, this relationship is also evident in the Das family, in which they are unable to efficiently communicate because of a particular barrier each has which prevents them from any form of contact; Mrs. Das hiding behind her sunglasses and Mr. Das’ constant reading of a guide book. Because of this, their children also behave in the same way and is seen when the children ignore Mr. Kapasi’s warning of the monkeys. Mrs. Das says, “Mr Kapasi, Do something, for God’s sake, do something!” (Lahiri 29). This is a result of the monkeys attacking Mrs. Das’ son, Bobby, because of failure to communicate and truly notify the Das family about the dangers of bringing food around the monkeys. Due to the lack of communication between these families, when one is trying to communicate with another, it ends with someone unintentionally being hurt.

            Hills like White Elephants also centers on communication indifference as a preeminent theme in this short story. Hemingway uses miscommunication to convey several ways of deducing the true meaning of this story. This story illustrates a couple at a crisis point in their relationship. They struggle, in public, to communicate their opposing views on the course their relationship should take. Both the man and the woman talk, but neither listens or comprehends the others point of view. It is at this point in the story that the “operation” refers to the woman having an abortion, and the man is continuously trying to convince her to get the procedure done.  The girl is extremely indecisive and the man keeps on telling her that everything will go back to normal if it happens. The man continues to persist, and the woman begs him to stop talking. The man says, “You’ve got to realize, that I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to.  I’m perfectly willing to go through with it if it means anything to you” (Hemingway 3). This, in a way, is conveying the man’s manipulation toward the girl and how he just wants to make her happy, although she doesn’t seem like she cares too much and isn’t involved as much as he is. It is assumed by now that the man does actually want her to have the abortion, but without saying it. The girl does want the baby and the man wants the abortion, but the man just wants her to feel a sense of contentment. It takes the girl the entire story to say to the man to please stop talking, instead of communicating normally, and not going back and forth with unimportant context such as, “But I don’t want you to do it if you don’t really want to” (Hemingway 2). Due to this communication deficiency, both the man and the woman are unsure of their decision along with the impact of the outcome. Hemingway leaves the story open for interpretation and a cliffhanger when the couple is waiting at the train station and the woman says, “I’m fine.”

            Aside from miscommunication in literature, this common theme is also present in everyday life and a prime example of this is in medicine. Nirupama Shankar argues that miscommunication is a problem in today’s medical field, and is growing increasingly worse. Miscommunication is the failure to convey pertinent medical information to key members in the medical team; resulting in minor to major errors or even malpractice. In addition, it is very common for several doctors to miscommunicate, thus leading to the patient being sent to numerous different specialists. Generally, patients are referred to many, many, specialists before a diagnosis is made, or even a solution is presented.  All the patient is trying to do is to get the best possible opinion but, during that time of “doctor shopping”, one doctor is unaware that another doctor is even treating the patient, a result of miscommunication (Shankar 1). On a more severe note, when a doctor is prescribing medicine to the patient, it is also possible that the patient will take too much of a dose, ultimately resulting in severe consequences including nausea, vomiting, bloody stools, shallow breathing, or even a coma depending on the medication being taken. The specialist should always make complete sure that he/she is delivering the proper dose to the patient to ensure an apposite recovery.

            In summation, through the use of theme by Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like White Elephants, Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies, and medical miscommunication, these authors, along with doctors, are able to emphasize the significance of the way we interpret a given context. The Das family is at fault for misinterpreting each other due to the lack of communication between them. If they actually conversed with each other, they would realize the importance of Mr. Kapasi’s words when he warned them about bringing food around the monkeys, which ultimately led to their child Bobby becoming ravaged by the monkeys. Furthermore, instead of straightforward answers between the man and the girl in Hills like White Elephants, the two decide to speak indirectly about the abortion and never seem to come to a true conclusion, only with the inference from the reader. Aside from literature, medical miscommunication is seen by the result of doctors sending their patients to multiple specialists before coming to a conclusion, and the doctors doing this unknowingly. Failure to assign the patients the proper doses of medication is also prevalent as means of miscommunication. The theme of miscommunication is an intriguing one, and can be interpreted in various different ways, but simultaneously can be ineffective and deterring to oneself. All of the examples mentioned above ultimately depict how miscommunication can result in negative experiences. 

Motif and Symbolism used throughout Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Motifs and symbols are generally recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes and represent various concepts in which the author is conveying. Symbolism and motif are extremely important in any piece of literature and truly define the underlying details and meaning of the piece. A Streetcar Named Desire is arguably Tennessee Williams’ most notable piece of work and the symbols/motifs throughout the play transmit several illusions through the characters of Blanche, Stella, and Stanley to hide fallacies in their lives.  Throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses several of these symbols and motifs in the play to express insightful ideas not explicitly seen by just reading. These recurring literary devices not only portray illusion, but also focus on the Varsouviana Polka and “Paper Doll” music, flowers, light, and bathing to illustrate social realism.  All of these mentioned by Tennessee Williams are vital to the construction of the play and play a very paramount role in the execution of literary elements.

            Williams uses illusion throughout this play to impart numerous different symbols for the reader to unconsciously interpret what is being stated. A prime example of illusion in this play is the Varsouviana Polka and “Paper Doll” music. The Varsouviana Polka is a melody that Blanche and her late husband Allen Grey were last dancing to when Allen was alive. Allen commits suicide by shooting himself in the head because Blanche told him that she was “disgusted” by him. During the play at different times, the Polka music seems to play when Blanche is feeling a sense of repentance for Allen’s death. In scene one where Stanley initially meets Blanche and asks about her husband, the music begins to play. Stanley says, “Stella’s spoke of you a good deal. You were married once, weren’t you?” (Williams 1176). The music of the Polka then begins to faintly rise up when Allen is mentioned, demonstrating Blanche’s remorse and regret for her late husband. Moreover in Scene 7, Blanche begins to sing the “Paper Moon” music and says, “Say, it’s only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea/-but it wouldn’t be make-believe if you believed in me!” (Williams 1213). These lyrics dictate Blanche’s approach to life; she believes that her illusion is her way of enjoying a better life and is essentially harmless. From these motifs, Williams is illustrating Blanche’s life living in the “make-believe” world instead of her true reality.

A very commonly used symbol in Williams’ play is the persistent flowers used to exemplify desire as well as death. Toward the end of Scene 5, Mitch brings Blanche roses out of pure lust for her. While Mitch approaches Blanche, Blanche says, “Look who’s coming! My Rosenkavalier! Bow to me first… now present them! Ahhhh-Merciiii!” (Williams 1205). The stage directions then inform the reader that Mitch appears around the corner with a bunch of roses. Shortly after Mitch’s flower delivery, in Scene 9, a Mexican woman comes around selling flores para los muertos, or flowers of the dead. Once the Mexican woman announces that she is selling flowers, Blanche says, “No, no! Not now!” (Williams 1225). The Polka music then fades in, reminding Blanche of her         late husband once again. Between these two different scenes, we went from desire and lust to death and despair just by the use of one symbol. The flowers are a powerful symbol in this play and can relate back to Williams’ technique, in which he is portraying life and happiness, then ironically depicting bereavement.

            Williams uses light as a recurring motif throughout A Streetcar Named Desire to illustrate Blanche’s insecurities with her own appearance and her sexual innocence along with her sexual maturity and disillusionment. In Scene 9, Mitch says to Blanche how he has never seen her in the light, and it seems like she is always making up excuses and beating around the bush when he confronts her about her constant avoidance of light. Mitch says, “I don’t think I ever seen you in the light. That’s a fact!” (Williams 1223). The narration then directs to the reader that Mitch has torn the paper lantern off the light bulb, and Blanche utters a gasp. Mitch then coerces Blanche to stand under the direct light. Mitch’s main concern is not her age, but is the fact that she is being deceitful. She believes that magic, rather than reality, represents life in its fullest. In addition, another example of light used by Williams is when Blanche is talking to Mitch about her late husband Allen and her sexual experiences. Blanche tells Mitch in Scene 6 that when she was in love with her husband, it was as if the world was revealed in bright, dazzling light. Ever since Allen’s suicide, the light has not been present. All through Blanche’s sexual experiences with other men subsequent to Allen’s death, she claims the light has been dim, and the reader can infer through William’s use of this motif that the vivid light represents true love.  

            Blanche’s constant need for bathing herself is another commonly used motif occurring throughout the play. Her sexual experiences have molded her into a frenzied woman, but these baths, as she says, calm her nerves. In a sense, they are a way to wash away her profligate past. Blanche says in Scene 6, “Oh, I feel so good after my long, hot bath, I feel so good and cool and-rested.”(Williams 192). Blanche’s numerous baths and time spent in the bathroom throughout the play are her attempts at cleansing herself of her past sexual misbehavior and her way of escaping everyone and everything and having time to herself in private. Moreover, another sound example of this is present in Scene 2, when Blanche states, “I think I will bathe again…My nerves are in knots” (Williams 1182). Blanche is stressed out over Stanley along with her recurring thoughts of her prior sexual ordeals with other men. Although Blanche is living in a fantasy, no matter how hard she tries to hide it, her sexual experiences keep popping into her head repeatedly to haunt her, ultimately causing her demented personality and frequent bathing. With the use of motif, Tennessee Williams is able to demonstrate Blanche’s intimate and promiscuous past and how much it deeply affects her feelings.

            In summation, through the use of motifs and symbols of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams is able to emphasize Blanche’s fantasy as well as her reality that she has been living in. Blanche is a very insecure and deranged individual who obviously needs help, ultimately leading to her being sent to a mental institution. The author is able to convey several different feelings throughout the characters in the play by the use of light, music, flowers, and bathing. Williams uses light as a motif to demonstrate Blanche’s constant need for masking her appearance to the public along with her insecurities. In addition, bathing is another motif in the play used by the author to illustrate Blanche’s need to “wash away” her previous sexual escapades. Furthermore, flowers are a recurring symbol and signify the irony of lust and happiness, to death, languishing, and resentment. The Varsouviana music and the “Paper Doll” music are perhaps the most crucial symbols throughout the play and truly signify Blanche’s contrition for her late husband, in which his death was primarily her fault. Conclusively, these symbols and motifs are fundamental in the implementation of Williams’ play and fabricate numerous narratives and aspects, such as the overall theme or mood, and represent various ideas and qualities.