The versatility of glass as a medium is infinite. It can be generated by nature or protect from it. Liquid or solid, it can distort light or more importantly, reflect the image of the thing that stands before it. Scarlett acts as one such reflecting glass in Gone With The Wind, as she uses her femininity as a mirror to reflect the positive aspects of the men with whom she comes in contact. As a result of the flattering effect of this reflection, men are inclined to change their behavior to be as close to her as possible, even to accommodate her every desire. As is the case with the unfluctuating glass in a mirror, however, Scarlett, being the origin of the reflection, is not inclined to change her own behavior. At every point in the story, she is able to either write off any flaw by "thinking about it tomorrow" or she is complacent to the point of not desiring any change in herself.
             In Blanche's case, on the other hand, stability acts as her "holy grail" throughout A Streetcar Named Desire, the constant search for which causes her behavior to be impressionable. She demonstrates the characteristics of a structurally different glass, as the raw virility she inspires in men is distortedly reflected and impressed back upon her. Blanche's tendency both to cause changes in men and change herself as a result of these confrontations supports Williams' depiction of Blanche as being surrounded by a prism. Both women act as types of glass reflecting different aspects of men's personalities, and in Blanche's case, the part of the interaction that penetrates the prism affects her as well. Whereas Scarlett's beauty and flattery act as a catalyst for chivalry in men's behavior, Blanche's distortion of reality both exposes the raw virility in others, and reflects back and alters her own behavior.
             "I want to eat barbeque with you, Charles Hamilton, and don't you ...