The needless decline of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire After examining the play, A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, it would appear that the character of Blanche DuBois is worthy of closer scrutiny. With her previous occupation as a teacher of American literature and her previous social status being that of a well-educated woman from the very traditional Old South, Blanche could be any human being who moves from one culture to another with customs very different from the current ones left behind. Even today it can happen that someone suddenly finds himself faced with a totally new and different system of values ​​with which he must learn to live in order to be accepted in his new environment. This is the situation Blanche finds herself in. After careful examination of the plot of A Streetcar Named Desire, it appears that the course of the play could have easily transformed from decline and tragedy to rescue and triumph for Blanche DuBois with only a few minor adjustments. A tram called Desiderio took Blanche to the final station of her decline. “Blanche's backbone or leitmotif is 'find protection'; the tradition of the Old South says it has to be through another person… his problem has to do with his tradition… the fact that the tradition in the 19th century was that it worked then” (Donahue 30). But today Blanche can no longer feel safe within the limits of the traditions of the Old South. On the contrary “…[tradition] makes Blanche feel alone, outside of her society. Excluded, insecure, shaky” (Donahue 32). In the exposition of the play, Blanche arrives in her new environment and does not feel at all comfortable when she sees how her sister lives. Blanche p......middle of paper......n mind and body because a community is only as strong as its weakest link. Williams knew this and had a great desire to help those less fortunate than himself. He sought to do this through his works by calling attention to the problems that many people faced on a daily basis, thus forcing his audience to choose to ignore the problems or do something to bring about change. Works Cited Bloom, Herald (ed.). Tennessee Williams. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Donahue, Francis. The dramatic world of Tennessee Williams. New York: Frederic Ungar Publishing Co., 1964.Hirsch, Foster. A Portrait of the Artist: The Comedies of Tennessee Williams. London: Kennikat Press, 1979.London, F.H. Tennessee Williams. New York: Frederic Ungar Publishing Co., 1979. Williams, Tennessee. A tram called Desiderio. Stuttgart: Phillip Reclam, 1988.