BPD of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire

【Abstract】Analyzing Blanche’s personality on the basis of BPD theory，this paper digs deep into the growing environment of the protagonist and the life experience of Williams，the playwright，and finds out the root causes of Blanche’s unique personality.

【Key words】BPD（borderline personality disorder）； root cause； childhood trauma； homosexuality

A Streetcar Named Desire is a powerful，one-act play of eleven scenes，providing an intense and dramatic account of a woman，Blanche Dubois’ struggle with effects of devastating loss and with her own fragile mental state. Unlike other people，Blanche has behaved in her unique way in the play. She tries her best to avoid the real world； she makes every effort to grasp a refuge，but can never keep a stable relationship with any other person； though arrogant and vain，she has no clear self identity，paying too much attention to her appearance and age instead； she indulges herself in alcohol and random sexual experiences； she stays in the bathroom too much，singing her beloved song，completely lost in her own paranoid ideation. All these behaviors adequately imply that Blanche is suffering from the borderline personality disorder. There are two reasons which might result into BPD，genetic factor and environmental factor which further includes childhood trauma and stressful maturational events during adolescence or adulthood. In the case of Blanche，stressful maturational events might be the main cause. Unexpectedly losing a relationship，often with somebody they initially idealized，often causes one to be overwhelmed with such feelings of despair and abandonment that is part of the syndromes of BPD. And this is exactly what has happened to Blanche. Sudden loss of her deeply cherished husband has left Blanche guilty and lonely forever. The vanishing of Belle Reve，the mansion in which she grows up，and deaths of her family members have taken everything away from her，depriving her of sense of security and financial support.

As a highly autobiographical dramatist，Tennessee Williams has intimately and incessantly inscribed his personal life within his scripts. Thus to know the play is to know Tennessee Williams. As the protagonist of Williams’ intensely autobiographical play A Streetcar Named Desire，Blanche is one of the most closely identified figures with the dramatist. In this way，her personality characteristics must have been greatly influenced by that of the dramatist. Further exploring Williams’ own personality problem，this paper has figured out deeper causes of his personality disorder，which have accordingly shaped the personality disorder of Blanche，his protagonist. In the case of Williams，childhood trauma and his homosexuality are the major causes leading to his personality problem. In 1918，Williams，together with his mother，left the comfortable pastoral setting of his grandfather’s home in rural Mississippi，joining his father in a small and shabby apartment in Saint Louis. This sudden change of living environment has left a traumatic shadow on the delicate young Williams. Williams’ family members have played an even more important role in the development of his personality. His father，Cornelius，is a rude person，indulging in heavy drinking and poker games. His cruelty and mocking have made Williams too sensitive and vulnerable to find the slightest sense of security. His mother，Edwina，shares her son’s anxieties in moving from her beautiful and cherished hometown to the hustling industrialized city. She also has serious problem getting along with her husband. Deeply hurt by her uncaring husband，Edwina has tried to avoid the miserable reality and escape into the recollection of her sweet past. This attitude towards life has directly affected her similarly ill-adjusting son. Likewise，Williams has also tried to avoid the reality and fled into his own fantasy world. Besides，the tragic fate of his dearest sister，Rose，has left him with deep guilt and fear. This undesirable domestic situation has foreshadowed the personality disorder of Williams，which has further shaped the BPD of Blanche，the protagonist of Streetcar.

Homosexuality is another important factor influencing the forming of Williams’ personality. Born in a sexually dysfunctional family amid a deeply conservative southern society，Williams was doomed to experience more anxiety in his sexual formation. At that time，homosexuality was almost a taboo in the society. A homosexual was despised and hated by the general public. This made Williams suffer more from his sexual orientation. Besides，the several experiences of gay love also left traumatic effects on him.

Based on the detailed analysis this paper has presented，the root causes of Blanche’s BPD are clearly displayed. As a sufferer herself，Blanche is not the only person to blame for her tragic life. Her weird behavior has its deeper reason in her life events as well as the traumatic life experiences of Williams，the dramatist. Bearing this in mind，readers can view the character Blanche in a more rational and tolerant perspective，accordingly appreciate the play more deeply and comprehensively.

Reference：

[1]Butcher，James N，Mineka，Suan and Hooley，Jill M. Abnormal Psychology. Beijing： Peking University Press，2005

[2]Leverich，Lyle.Tom： The Unknown Tennessee Williams. New York： Crown，1995