Throughout the 1950's many revolutions took place. There was a loss of idealism. The end of what would be called "the golden age" brought upon the children of the fifties a sense of illegitimacy and unimportance. The 50s brought in the music of Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis and the entertainment value of the Annie Oakley show. All of which had a certain revolutionary quality. Elvis brought America sex appeal and caused what was later seen as a great loss of morality among the children of the time. The Annie Oakley show was one of the first television shows to have a woman as a main character and the first to depict a true heroine. Also, in the 1950's there was a significant amount of intolerance; intolerance toward, blacks, and other minorities, but mostly towards women. In analyzing the characters of the A Streetcar Named Desire, especially Blanche DuBois, we see these themes show up repeatedly. The drama, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, reflects the 1950s by its depiction of sexual mores, intolerance and the end of idealism.
             Before one can understand Blanche's character one must understand the reason why she moves to New Orleans and joins her sister, Stella, and brother-in-law, Stanley. By analyzing the symbolism in the first scene, one can understand what prompted Blanche to move. Her appearance in the first scene "suggests a moth" (Williams 96). In literature a moth represents the soul. Therefore, it is possible to see her entire voyage as the journey of her soul (Quirino 63). Later in the same scene she describes her voyage, "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks and get off at Elysian Fields" (Williams 63). Taken literally this does not seam to add much to the story. However, if one investigates Blanche's past one can truly understand what this quotation symbolizes. Blanche left her home to join her sister, because her ...