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$6WUHHWFDUQDPHG'HVLUHwas written in 1947 and was probably one of Tennessee Williams’

most successful plays. In all of his plays, he makes explicit use of symbols as a dramatic technique. He once said that symbolism is, “say(ing) a thing more directly and simply and beautifully than it could be said in words…sometimes it would take page after tedious page of exposition to put across and idea that can be said with an object or a gesture on the lighted page” (Jackson 26).

In this paper, some of the symbols used by Tennessee Williams shall be discussed. Since he makes excessive use of symbolism only the major ones shall be dealt with, but it shall be added that the distinction between major or minor importance lies in the perception of the author of this paper. The order of the symbols in this paper is not identical with the order of appearance in the play.

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In literature, symbols are widely used by authors as a means of emphasising certain atmospheres and characteristic features of people and places.

A symbol is something that is itself and also stands for something else. All language is symbolic considering that letters form words which stand for particular objective realities. In a literary sense, a symbol combines a literal and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive aspect. A symbol is an image that evokes an objective, concrete reality and prompts that reality to suggest another level of meaning. There are two broad types of symbols:

The first one includes those embodying universal suggestions of meaning, and the second one acquires its suggestiveness not from qualities inherent in itself but from the way in which it is used in a given work.

Symbols can therefore be regarded as visual complexes with two levels of meaning. The first level of meaning of a certain image is the SLFWXUD. The second level of meaning of a certain image is the VXEVFULSWLR, which describes the reflection of the complex image of the SLFWXUD

onto another complex image (Link 168).

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Blanche DuBois is the main character of the play and also the most thoroughly described one. The name Blanche is French and means ZKLWH or IDLU (Langenscheidt 80). Her last name DuBois is of French origin as well and translates as PDGHRIZRRG (Langenscheidt 82).

Regarding the subscriptio of her first name a clear connection to her character becomes quite obvious. Since the colour white stands for purity, innocence and virtue, the subscriptio of Blanche‘s name reveals these qualities, which stand in contrast to her actual character traits. The name suggests that Blanche is a very innocent, and pure person, but throughout the play it becomes obvious that Blanche cannot call any of these traits her own. Only the illusory image, which she tries to create for herself, suggests these traits, but her true nature is not like that at all. She constantly tries to hide her embarrassing past from all of her new acquaintances, because she fears that they might not accept her anymore. In order to maintain her apparent social status among her new neighbours and friends, she builds this intertwined net of lies which creates a false image of herself. She, herself, believes in this imaginary world, and as soon as there is the slightest sign of its destruction, she seems to be lost, and her nervous condition worsens. Therefore all she cares about is to keep that image alive. Her first name is therefore quite ironic since it means the exact opposite of Blanche’s true nature and character.

Her last name, however, stands in contrast to her first name, regarding the meaning on the level of the subscriptio. 0DGHRIZRRG suggests something solid and hard, which is the exact

opposite of her fragile nature and nervous condition

:RRGcan also be associated with IRUHVW or MXQJOH, and regarding her past, the connection

becomes clear. Blanche used to lead a rather excessive lifestyle. She had sex with random strangers and was known throughout her hometown Laurel for that. So her former life was more like a jungle or a forest, because it was hard to see through all this and detect the real Blanche. Like in a jungle, Blanche could not find a way out of this on her own. The term jungle appears in the play as well. In scene ten, when Stanley is about to rape Blanche, “the inhuman jungle voices rise up”(Williams 215). The jungle can be associated with wildness, brutality and inhuman behaviour.

As already mentioned above, ZRRG represents something hard, or hard-working. The 'X in

front of that, however, suggests something aristocratic and noble. There seems to be a

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