Blanche Dubious and A Streetcar Named DesiderioBlanche Dubious, appropriately dressed in white, is presented for the first time as a symbol of innocence and chastity. Aristocratic, refined and sensitive, this delicate beauty has the appearance of a moth. She came to New Orleans to seek refuge in the home of her sister Stella and her rough Polish husband, Stanley. With her nervous and refined nature, Blanche is clearly a misfit in Kowalski's apartment. Blanche represents a deep attachment to the past. He has lived his entire life in Laurel, a small southern town; her family had aristocratic roots and taught Blanche some of the finer things in life. Unfortunately, he can't deal with life outside of Laurel. His life is a lesson in how a single tragic event can ruin the future; her refusal to break out of the time warp and face the real world makes her unrealistic and flighty. At the age of sixteen she fell in love, adored and ran away with a sensitive boy. She believed that life with Allan was pure happiness. Her faith is shattered when she discovers he is a bisexual degenerate. She is disgusted and expresses her disappointment in him. This pushes him to commit suicide. Blanche can't get over it. He holds himself responsible for his premature death. His death is soon followed by long vigils at the bedsides of dying relatives. She is forced to sell Belle Reve, the family villa, to pay for the numerous funeral expenses. He finds himself living at the second-rate Flamingo Hotel. In an attempt to escape the misery of her life in Laurel, Blanche drinks heavily and has meaningless affairs. She needs alcohol to keep the polka music, a symbol of Allan's death, from continuing to flow through her head and to avoid the truth of her life. She gives her body away to various strangers in an attempt to lose herself. She seduces the boys in Allan's memory. But his empty heart cannot find peace and his bad reputation puts an end to his teaching career. Blanche is an escapist who says, "I don't want realism." He hides from the bright lights, just as he hides from the truth. His delicate nature simply cannot handle the reality of today's existence; he finds it too painful. She, therefore, convinces herself that she has remained pure because "I have never lied inside". He knows that his soul, or inner self, has remained estranged from his physical encounters.