1. Overview of Illusion vs.

Reality

Both The Great Gatsby and A Streetcar Named Desire explore how characters create and cling to illusions to cope
with their realities—whether that’s rooted in the American Dream, lost love, or identity. However, these illusions
ultimately collapse, revealing the often harsh and tragic truth.

2. Jay Gatsby and Blanche DuBois as Tragic Figures of Illusion

Jay Gatsby and Blanche DuBois are central figures who embody illusion.

●​ Gatsby constructs an elaborate identity to win back Daisy, believing he can recreate the past. His entire
persona—from his Oxford ties to his extravagant parties—is a façade masking his humble origins.
○​ "Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!" – Gatsby’s belief encapsulates his delusion.
○​ His mansion, car, and lifestyle are material symbols of his illusion, designed to attract Daisy, but
they are hollow when faced with the reality of her choices and the rigid class divisions of the East
Egg elite.
●​ Blanche fabricates stories about her past, her status, and her relationships to maintain a sense of dignity and
romanticism.
○​ “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche openly admits her preference for illusion,
highlighting her inability to cope with the truth of her life (e.g., the loss of Belle Reeve, her
husband’s suicide, her aging).
○​ Her constant bathing symbolizes an attempt to cleanse herself of reality.

Both characters are eventually destroyed by the dissonance between their illusions and the worlds they inhabit.
Gatsby is killed; Blanche is institutionalized.

3. Settings as Metaphors for Illusion and Reality

●​ In The Great Gatsby:

○​ West Egg (Gatsby’s home) represents new money and self-made illusions.
○​ East Egg symbolizes established wealth and the brutal reality of class barriers.
○​ The Valley of Ashes functions as a stark contrast to both Eggs, symbolizing moral and social
decay—the reality behind the American Dream.
●​ In Streetcar:
○​ Elysian Fields, ironically named after paradise, is gritty and vibrant, representing working-class
reality.
○​ Belle Reeve stands for Blanche’s lost world of Southern gentility, a romanticized illusion that no
longer exists.

4. Relationships and the Breakdown of Illusion

●​ Gatsby and Daisy:

○​ Gatsby’s idealization of Daisy is a fantasy; he is in love not with Daisy herself, but with the dream
of her.
○​ Daisy, in reality, is shallow, careless, and unwilling to sacrifice her comfort for Gatsby.
●​ Blanche and Mitch:
○​ Blanche tries to maintain a façade of virtue for Mitch, seeing him as a potential savior.
 ○​ When Mitch learns the truth about her past, the illusion shatters—“You’re not clean enough to
bring in the house with my mother.”

Both relationships illustrate how illusion cannot withstand the scrutiny of truth.

5. Symbolism and Motifs

●​ Light and Darkness:

○​ In Streetcar, Blanche avoids bright light to hide her aging and true self—she even covers light
bulbs with paper lanterns.
○​ In Gatsby, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams—an illusion he never truly
reaches. Once he is with Daisy, the light loses its meaning: “It had seemed as close as a star to the
moon. Now it was again a green light on a dock.”
●​ Names and Identity:
○​ Gatsby was born James Gatz—his reinvention is an illusion of identity.
○​ Blanche’s name means “white,” symbolizing purity, which contrasts with her actual past.

6. Social Critique through Illusion

Both authors use the theme to critique society:

●​ Fitzgerald critiques the hollowness of the American Dream. Gatsby’s illusion of success and love is
destroyed by the entrenched class system and moral corruption of the elite.
●​ Williams critiques the decline of the Southern belle ideal and the brutal reality of post-war America, where
traditional values no longer hold sway. Blanche’s illusions are incompatible with a world represented by
Stanley’s aggressive realism.

7. Conclusion

In The Great Gatsby and A Streetcar Named Desire, illusion is both a coping mechanism and a tragic flaw. Gatsby
and Blanche retreat into fantasies to escape their pasts and reshape their futures, but both are ultimately destroyed
when reality intrudes. Fitzgerald and Williams, through their protagonists, interrogate the costs of living in illusion
and the impossibility of sustaining dreams in a world governed by harsh truths.

🟩 The Great Gatsby — Illusion vs. Reality

1. “Can’t repeat the past?... Why of course you can!” — Gatsby

●​ Technique: Dialogue, irony

●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s naive confidence to underscore his obsession with the
illusion of re-creating a perfect past.
●​ Effect on Reader: Invites the reader to question the attainability of the American Dream and to pity
Gatsby’s self-delusion.

2. “He invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent.”

●​ Technique: Narrative exposition, characterization

 ●​ Authorial Intention: Reveals the artificiality of Gatsby’s persona, emphasizing the theme of self-created
illusion.
●​ Effect on Reader: Encourages the reader to view Gatsby as both admirable and tragic — a man shaped
more by dreams than reality.

3. “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams...because of
the colossal vitality of his illusion.”

●​ Technique: Hyperbole, narrative voice

●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald shows how Gatsby has idealized Daisy beyond what any human could be,
reflecting the impossibility of his dream.
●​ Effect on Reader: Creates tension and foreboding — the reader anticipates that this illusion must
inevitably collapse.

4. “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

●​ Technique: Metaphor, cyclical syntax, poetic narration

●​ Authorial Intention: To reflect on humanity’s eternal struggle between aspiration and reality — the futility
of chasing illusions.
●​ Effect on Reader: Leaves the reader with a sense of melancholy and resignation, suggesting that the dream
is always out of reach.

5. “She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby—nothing.”

●​ Technique: Symbolism, parallelism

●​ Authorial Intention: To show the divide between illusion and reality, and how class privilege insulates
characters like Daisy.
●​ Effect on Reader: Sparks disillusionment with the elite and deepens sympathy for Gatsby as a victim of
that world.

🟪 A Streetcar Named Desire — Illusion vs. Reality

1. “I don’t want realism. I want magic!” — Blanche

●​ Technique: Direct dialogue, juxtaposition

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams foregrounds Blanche’s preference for illusion as a means of psychological
survival.
●​ Effect on Reader: Elicits both empathy and concern; readers see the necessity and danger of illusion in a
harsh world.

2. “I tell what ought to be truth.” — Blanche

●​ Technique: Paradox, unreliable narration

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams shows Blanche’s tendency to reshape truth to fit her emotional needs.
●​ Effect on Reader: Challenges readers to question the nature of truth and to see Blanche as both fragile and
deceptive.

3. “He tears the paper lantern off the light bulb. She utters a frightened gasp.”

●​ Technique: Symbolism, stage direction

 ●​ Authorial Intention: Light symbolizes truth; removing the lantern is Stanley’s act of forcing Blanche to
confront reality.
●​ Effect on Reader: Creates dramatic tension and evokes sympathy for Blanche’s shattered world of
illusions.

4. “A woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion.” — Blanche

●​ Technique: Aphorism, gender commentary

●​ Authorial Intention: To critique how societal expectations force women to rely on performance and
illusion to retain power or affection.
●​ Effect on Reader: Prompts reflection on gender roles and societal pressures, making Blanche’s coping
mechanisms seem more understandable.

5. “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” — Blanche

●​ Technique: Irony, tragic repetition

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams uses this final line to encapsulate Blanche’s persistent clinging to illusion
despite being broken by reality.
●​ Effect on Reader: Deeply tragic — the line reinforces Blanche’s vulnerability and the futility of her
illusions, leaving a lasting emotional impact.

🧩 Thematic Overview: Class and Social Stratification

Both The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams explore the
rigid hierarchies of class in 20th-century America. While Fitzgerald critiques the myth of the American Dream by
showing how class divisions remain entrenched despite wealth, Williams portrays the decline of Southern
aristocracy and the rise of the working class through the psychological breakdown of his protagonist. In both texts,
class stratification drives conflict, creates illusion, and leads to tragic outcomes.

📚 QUOTES with Devices, Intentions, and Effects

🟩 The Great Gatsby
1. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated
back into their money.”

●​ Literary device: Metaphor, Authorial intrusion

●​ Authorial intention: To expose the moral bankruptcy of the upper class and its insulation from
consequence
●​ Effect on reader: Provokes frustration; positions readers to see wealth as a barrier to empathy and
accountability

2. “This is a valley of ashes — a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and
grotesque gardens.”
 ●​ Literary device: Imagery, Symbolism, Oxymoron (“fantastic farm”)
●​ Authorial intention: To depict the spiritual and economic desolation of the working class
●​ Effect on reader: Creates a sense of decay; contrasts the glamour of Gatsby’s parties with the forgotten
cost of industrial wealth

3. “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”

●​ Literary device: Irony, Dialogue

●​ Authorial intention: To highlight Gatsby’s naive belief that wealth allows him to transcend time and class
●​ Effect on reader: Evokes pity; underlines the futility of social mobility for those without pedigree or
inherited status

4. “Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly.

●​ Literary device: Metaphor

●​ Authorial intention: To link Daisy’s allure directly to her class status — she is wealth
●​ Effect on reader: Deepens the theme of material obsession; emphasizes that Gatsby’s love is tied to status
as much as emotion

🟪 A Streetcar Named Desire

1. “I don’t want realism. I want magic!”

●​ Literary device: Juxtaposition, Symbolism

●​ Authorial intention: To reveal Blanche’s dependence on illusion to cope with her lost social status
●​ Effect on reader: Evokes sympathy; shows how class collapse leads to psychological fragility and
delusion

2. “There’s something downright — bestial — about him!”

●​ Literary device: Animal imagery, Classist diction

●​ Authorial intention: To emphasize Blanche’s aristocratic disgust toward Stanley’s working-class
masculinity
●​ Effect on reader: Reinforces class conflict; readers may feel torn between Blanche’s refinement and
Stanley’s raw realism

3. “I was born at Belle Reeve!”

●​ Literary device: Symbolism (Belle Reeve = “Beautiful Dream”)

●​ Authorial intention: To represent the fall of the Old South and its genteel illusions
●​ Effect on reader: Enhances the tragic nature of Blanche’s decline; her class identity is all she has left

4. “Every man is a king! And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!”

●​ Literary device: Irony, Masculine assertion

●​ Authorial intention: To show the rise of working-class dominance and male entitlement in the new social
order
●​ Effect on reader: May unsettle or disturb; illustrates power shift from heritage to brute strength
🔁 Comparison Table (Quote-Based)
Theme Aspect The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire

Wealth as identity “Her voice is full of money” “I was born at Belle Reeve!”

Decay of lower “Valley of ashes” “Streetcar named Desire... Cemeteries...

classes Elysian Fields”

Class conflict “They were careless people…” “There’s something downright — bestial —
about him!”

Illusion of class “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course “I don’t want realism. I want magic!”
mobility you can!”

Class vs gender Gatsby’s exclusion by Tom despite Stanley’s dominance: “Every man is a king!”
power wealth

🎯 Final Effect
Fitzgerald and Williams use class as the scaffolding for their tragedies. Through metaphor, symbolism, imagery,
and contrasting character dialogue, they emphasize that class systems not only determine social belonging, but also
dictate who gets to thrive, suffer, or disappear. The reader is forced to confront the illusory nature of
meritocracy and the brutal reality of class-based exclusion.

🟩 The Great Gatsby – In-Depth Analysis of Class

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby during the Roaring Twenties, an era of rapid economic growth in post-war
America. Despite the apparent social mobility, Fitzgerald exposes the illusion of the American Dream and reveals a
deeply stratified society. The novel presents three major social classes: old money (East Egg), new money (West
Egg), and the working class (Valley of Ashes)—each defined not just by wealth but by cultural capital, taste, and
lineage.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque
gardens.”

●​ Literary Technique: Gothic imagery, symbolism, oxymoron (“fantastic farm”)

 ●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald symbolically locates the working class in a literal wasteland between the
Eggs and New York. The ashes represent spiritual and social decay.
●​ Effect on Reader: Forces confrontation with the hidden cost of wealth; builds tension between glittering
upper-class façades and the human suffering beneath them. This setting critiques capitalist exploitation.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism (the bay as a class divide), irony

●​ Authorial Intention: Despite Gatsby’s immense wealth, the physical and symbolic distance between him
and Daisy is insurmountable. Fitzgerald uses the bay to illustrate that money cannot bridge entrenched class
barriers.
●​ Effect on Reader: Triggers sympathy but also a realization that Gatsby’s romantic idealism is tragically
naïve—he underestimates the power of class as an inherited identity.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“They’re a rotten crowd…You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.” – Nick

●​ Literary Technique: Antithesis, moral judgment

●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald uses Nick’s voice to suggest that personal virtue matters more than social
pedigree—yet this is ironic given Gatsby’s end. This line reflects Fitzgerald’s ambivalence: he admires
Gatsby’s hope but criticizes his moral compromises.
●​ Effect on Reader: Creates inner conflict—admiration for Gatsby’s idealism clashes with discomfort over
his criminal means and society’s rejection of him.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“Her voice is full of money,” he said suddenly.

●​ Literary Technique: Metaphor, synesthesia

●​ Authorial Intention: Daisy is not just associated with wealth—her very essence is constructed by it.
Fitzgerald blurs sensual and economic descriptors to reflect how money shapes identity.
●​ Effect on Reader: Provokes critique of how love and attraction are entangled with materialism; encourages
readers to question what Gatsby is really in love with—Daisy, or what she represents?

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead,” he suggested. “After
that, my own rule is to let everything alone.” – Wolfsheim

●​ Literary Technique: Dialogue, moral ambiguity

●​ Authorial Intention: Wolfsheim, a figure of shady new wealth, values pragmatism over sentimentality. His
indifference reflects the ruthless social Darwinism of the upper echelons, where Gatsby never truly belongs.
●​ Effect on Reader: Reinforces the theme of abandonment and class hypocrisy—Gatsby is used, then
discarded, not unlike Myrtle.

🟨 A Streetcar Named Desire – In-Depth Analysis of Class

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
Williams' Streetcar dramatizes the collapse of the Southern aristocracy and the rise of a new urban working class in
post-war America. Class is tangled with gender, sexuality, and illusion, with Blanche embodying a decaying,
idealized past and Stanley representing brute modern materialism. Williams critiques the brutal triumph of realism
over refinement, but not without ambivalence.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“I don’t tell the truth. I tell what ought to be truth.” – Blanche

●​ Literary Technique: Paradox, confessional tone

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams uses Blanche to explore how class is performed. Blanche sustains illusions
of gentility because her value—and even safety—as a woman once relied on class-based codes of
femininity.
●​ Effect on Reader: Generates empathy but also raises discomfort; readers may reflect on how class identity
becomes a psychological survival mechanism in an unforgiving reality.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“There’s even something – sub-human – something not quite to the stage of humanity yet! Yes, something –
ape-like about him.”

●​ Literary Technique: Bestial imagery, repetition

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s description of Stanley reveals her disgust at his working-class masculinity
and social power. Williams presents Blanche’s class elitism even as she is increasingly powerless.
●​ Effect on Reader: Creates moral ambiguity. Readers are repulsed by Blanche’s snobbery but also fearful of
Stanley’s violence. It destabilizes traditional class sympathy.
🔹 QUOTE 3:
“Stella! Stella, sweetheart! Stella for Star!” – Blanche (Scene 1)

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, wordplay

●​ Authorial Intention: The metaphor of “Star” positions Stella as hope or idealism. Yet Stella’s marriage to
Stanley symbolizes the fall of old Southern ideals in favor of raw, pragmatic survival.
●​ Effect on Reader: Evokes loss. Readers may mourn the cultural and emotional richness associated with
Blanche’s world, even if it was flawed or illusionary.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“I pulled you down off them columns and how you loved it, having them colored lights going!” – Stanley

●​ Literary Technique: Colloquial diction, metaphor

●​ Authorial Intention: Stanley asserts sexual and social dominance over Stella, mocking the fall of her
upper-class background. The “columns” evoke the Southern plantation aesthetic—now degraded.
●​ Effect on Reader: Exposes how class and gender are co-opted in power struggles; provokes complex
reactions to Stella’s passive submission and Stanley’s crude triumph.

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“Deliberate cruelty is not forgivable.” – Blanche (Scene 10)

●​ Literary Technique: Declarative statement, moral absolutism

●​ Authorial Intention: In her final plea, Blanche reclaims a sense of moral superiority grounded in class
decorum and sensitivity. Yet, the society around her has changed—violence and realism dominate.
●​ Effect on Reader: Invites ethical reflection. Williams questions whether civility without power is
meaningful, or merely decorative.

🔷 Synthesis: Cross-Textual Comparison

Theme The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire

Illusion of Class Gatsby climbs economically but is never Blanche’s descent shows loss of inherited
Mobility truly accepted. class without mobility.
 Critique of the Dream corrupted by materialism and class Dream replaced by physical power and
American Dream gatekeeping. base realism.

Old vs New Power East Egg (old money) dominates West Egg Stanley (new working class) overpowers
Structures (new). Blanche (old South).

Gender & Class Daisy is protected by wealth; Myrtle dies Blanche’s vulnerability stems from class
Intersect trying to move upward. and gender dependency.

Moral vs Material Gatsby valued morally by Nick, but Blanche values sensitivity, but this is
Value destroyed socially. irrelevant to survival.

🟩 Gender and Power in The Great Gatsby

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
The Great Gatsby examines gender dynamics in 1920s America, a period of shifting social norms, particularly for
women. However, the novel reflects a society still dominated by patriarchy. Women’s roles, particularly those of
Daisy and Myrtle, are primarily defined by their relationships to men. The power they wield is often illusory or
derived from their beauty and ability to manipulate men, rather than from genuine independence or agency.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” – Daisy
Buchanan

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, direct characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Daisy’s remark is a reflection of the limited options available to women in her social
class. The irony lies in the fact that while Daisy expresses a desire for her daughter to be ignorant, she also
implicitly critiques the societal expectations of women.
●​ Effect on Reader: This quote reveals the futility of women’s empowerment in a patriarchal society. It
creates a feeling of sadness and resignation, as Daisy’s role as a wife and mother seems to limit her to mere
decoration in the world of men.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“I hope you’re enjoying yourself, Nick. I’m certainly enjoying it. I’m having a marvellous time.” – Myrtle
Wilson

●​ Literary Technique: Dramatic irony, characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Myrtle’s line reflects her desperate attempt to assert some agency in her life, as she is
trapped in an affair with Tom, a man who represents power and status. Her attempt to live in the illusion of
high society, however, is doomed.
●​ Effect on Reader: Myrtle’s use of the phrase “marvellous time” is ironic because the reader knows her
reality is far from glamorous, making the reader feel sympathy for her but also recognizing her powerless
position within a patriarchal system.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to make a move on Daisy and see if I can get her back.” – Gatsby

●​ Literary Technique: Dialogue, character motivation

●​ Authorial Intention: Gatsby’s obsession with Daisy reflects the power dynamics in the novel, where men
like Gatsby believe they can “win” women, even those who are already married. Daisy’s role as the object
of desire underscores the way women are commodified in a male-dominated society.
●​ Effect on Reader: This quote suggests that women are seen as prizes or objects to be won, which creates a
sense of discomfort and highlights the gender inequalities that restrict women’s agency in this society.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“Tom’s got some woman in New York.”

●​ Literary Technique: Gossip, direct characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: This brief revelation from Daisy illustrates the unequal power dynamics within her
marriage. Tom’s infidelity is an open secret, and Daisy has little power to challenge him or leave him. The
casual nature of the comment suggests that Tom's actions are acceptable within the confines of their social
class.
●​ Effect on Reader: Readers are reminded of the limited autonomy women like Daisy have, even within
relationships that seem ideal from the outside. Daisy’s passive reaction to Tom’s infidelity reinforces her
position of powerlessness.

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of money.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, indirect characterization

 ●​ Authorial Intention: Nick’s assessment of Daisy’s voice symbolizes how she represents wealth and class.
Her beauty, charm, and allure make her an object of desire, but also an emblem of the class hierarchy, rather
than an autonomous individual.
●​ Effect on Reader: This reinforces the idea that women’s worth in the novel is tied to their appearance and
their role in representing social class, rather than their personal character or achievements.

🟨 Gender and Power in A Streetcar Named Desire

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams explores the complexities of gender roles in the American South. The play
portrays traditional gender power structures, particularly through the relationships between men and women. The
characters struggle with these roles, with Blanche embodying the fragile, decaying image of the Southern belle,
while Stanley represents the emerging, modern working-class masculinity that challenges and dominates the old
order.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“I am not a delicate little flower, but a woman with a mind, and a lot of them don’t understand that.” –
Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Defiance, direct characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s statement challenges the traditional Southern expectation of women as
demure, fragile, and subservient. She asserts her independence, but this assertion clashes with the reality of
her situation.
●​ Effect on Reader: Blanche’s defiance is poignant but tragic, as her attempts to assert control over her own
fate lead to her downfall. This highlights the tension between the old gender roles and the new societal
dynamics.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, pathos

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s famous line is both a cry for help and a reflection of her dependence on
male validation and protection. It reveals her vulnerability in a world that no longer accommodates her
idealized view of gender roles.
●​ Effect on Reader: The line evokes both sympathy and despair, showing how Blanche’s reliance on others
for emotional support is her undoing. It also reflects the power imbalance between men and women in her
world.
🔹 QUOTE 3:
“Stanley Kowalski—survivor of the stone age! Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!” –
Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Metaphor, exaggerated imagery

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s description of Stanley as a primitive, animalistic figure underscores her
perception of him as a challenge to the genteel, refined masculinity she associates with Southern
aristocracy. It also reflects her fear and disgust at the loss of the traditional gender power structures she
once embodied.
●​ Effect on Reader: This depiction of Stanley invites the reader to see the clash between the two social
orders, and while Blanche’s words are charged with disdain, the reader also senses the force of Stanley’s
modern masculinity.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Contrast, emotional appeal

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s rejection of realism symbolizes her desire to escape the harshness of the
present and retreat into a world where gender roles are more malleable. She seeks a return to an idealized
past when women were cherished and protected.
●​ Effect on Reader: This quote resonates with readers’ understanding of Blanche’s fragility and her inability
to adapt to the changing gender dynamics, underscoring the tragedy of her character.

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“You’ve got to be soft and make love to him, like the rest of the girls do. You know what I mean?” – Stanley
Kowalski

●​ Literary Technique: Colloquialism, manipulation

●​ Authorial Intention: Stanley’s words here expose his dominant view of women as objects for male
pleasure and control. He assumes the position of power in his marriage, reflecting the patriarchal gender
dynamics at play in the working-class world of the play.
●​ Effect on Reader: This quote reinforces Stanley’s brutal masculinity and highlights the oppressive nature
of gender relations in the play. It shows the transactional nature of relationships and the lack of genuine
emotional connection.

🔷 Synthesis: Cross-Textual Comparison of Gender and Power

 Theme The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire

Gender Roles Women’s roles are limited to their Women must submit to traditional roles, but Blanche
and beauty, charm, and marriage. rebels against this.
Expectations

Male Tom’s infidelity and Gatsby’s Stanley’s dominance contrasts with Blanche’s fragile
Dominance and obsession illustrate male power. idealism.
Control

Class and Gender is deeply intertwined with Class shapes gender power, but Blanche’s fading
Gender class, as seen in Daisy and Myrtle’s aristocracy clashes with Stanley’s modern
lives. masculinity.

Agency vs. Daisy and Myrtle have limited agency, Blanche’s desire for autonomy is crushed by
Subjugation often manipulated by men. Stanley’s forceful masculinity.

Here’s a detailed analysis of Desire in The Great Gatsby and A Streetcar Named Desire using the same quotes where
applicable. We will explore how desire drives the characters and shapes the narrative in both texts, focusing on its
connection to love, power, and identity. I’ll also include the literary techniques, authorial intentions, and effects
on the reader.

🟩 Desire in The Great Gatsby

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
In The Great Gatsby, desire plays a central role in the characters’ actions and motivations. The novel’s portrayal of
desire is often tied to social status, materialism, and the elusive American Dream. Gatsby’s desire for Daisy
represents both personal longing and a broader, unattainable dream. Meanwhile, Daisy’s desire is entangled with her
sense of security and social standing.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” – Daisy
Buchanan

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, direct characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Daisy’s remark is ironic because, while she wishes for her daughter to be a “fool,” it
reveals the society's expectation that women’s desires should be limited to superficial concerns like beauty.
Daisy herself desires a world where women are not burdened by awareness of their own limitations, yet she
is trapped by the very system she critiques.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader sees how desire for simplicity and ignorance can be both a form of
protection and a symptom of a patriarchal system that stifles women’s aspirations. The reader feels
sympathy for Daisy’s own entrapment in this world.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“I hope you’re enjoying yourself, Nick. I’m certainly enjoying it. I’m having a marvellous time.” – Myrtle
Wilson

●​ Literary Technique: Dramatic irony, characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Myrtle’s declaration is ironic because, although she claims to be enjoying herself, the
reader understands that her desires for wealth and status through her affair with Tom are ultimately hollow.
Her desire for upward mobility is unattainable and self-destructive.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader becomes acutely aware of the fragility of Myrtle’s desires and how her
pursuit of a better life, through her affair, leads to her downfall. It exposes the emptiness of pursuing desires
tied to materialism and class.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to make a move on Daisy and see if I can get her back.” – Gatsby

●​ Literary Technique: Dialogue, character motivation

●​ Authorial Intention: Gatsby’s desire to “win” Daisy back is driven not just by love but by an idealized
version of the past. His longing for Daisy represents his longing for the American Dream—something
perfect, unattainable, and increasingly distant.
●​ Effect on Reader: This quote evokes the tragic nature of Gatsby’s desire, which blinds him to the reality of
who Daisy is. It presents his idealized desire as futile, creating a sense of inevitability and sadness about the
consequences of his fixation on an unattainable dream.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“Tom’s got some woman in New York.”

●​ Literary Technique: Gossip, direct characterization

 ●​ Authorial Intention: This remark by Daisy is both an acknowledgment of Tom’s infidelity and a subtle
critique of the power dynamics in their marriage. Daisy’s desire to maintain appearances in a socially
acceptable manner conflicts with her knowledge of Tom’s desires.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader sees the complexity of Daisy’s desires—her wish for love and security
contrasts sharply with her acceptance of Tom’s betrayal. This creates a sense of discomfort about how
societal expectations force women to reconcile their desires with external realities.

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“She’s got an indiscreet voice,” I remarked. “It’s full of money.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, indirect characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Nick’s comment suggests that Daisy’s allure and desirability are tied to her wealth
and status. The “indiscreet voice” symbolizes the corrupting influence of money on love and desire in the
world of The Great Gatsby.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader is made to question the authenticity of desire in a world where materialism
and class are so intertwined with romantic relationships. This leads to a realization that the desires
portrayed in the novel are often superficial and not rooted in genuine connection.

🟨 Desire in A Streetcar Named Desire

🧠 CONTEXTUAL FRAME:
In A Streetcar Named Desire, desire is equally central but manifests differently. For Blanche, desire is tied to
romantic escape and the longing for a past she can never return to. For Stanley, desire is more primal, linked to his
dominance and control over others. The play explores how these different desires collide, leading to tragic
consequences.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“I am not a delicate little flower, but a woman with a mind, and a lot of them don’t understand that.” –
Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Defiance, direct characterization

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s defiant statement suggests her desire for intellectual recognition, but it also
reflects her denial of the physical and emotional realities of her life. Her desire for independence and
respect is in direct conflict with the role society expects her to play as a delicate Southern lady.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader sees Blanche as a tragic character, caught between her desires for autonomy
and the reality that her past and personal flaws undermine her ability to fulfill them. This quote invites
sympathy for her but also foreshadows her inability to escape the consequences of her desires.
🔹 QUOTE 2:
“I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.” – Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, pathos

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s line reveals her reliance on others for emotional support, but it also
exposes her delusion that she can find safety and escape through external means. Her desire for protection,
however, is ultimately an illusion.
●​ Effect on Reader: This line evokes both pity and disillusionment. The reader understands that Blanche’s
desires for comfort and escape are misguided and tragic, as they are based on false hopes and dependency
rather than self-sufficiency.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“Stanley Kowalski—survivor of the stone age! Bearing the raw meat home from the kill in the jungle!” –
Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Metaphor, exaggerated imagery

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s description of Stanley as a primitive, animalistic figure reflects her fear of
him and her desire to preserve the dying aristocratic values that he represents. Her desire for control over
her environment is challenged by Stanley’s raw, untamed masculinity.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader becomes acutely aware of the class and gender tensions between Blanche
and Stanley. The imagery reinforces the primal, destructive nature of Stanley’s desires and presents
Blanche’s desire for control as incompatible with his worldview.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“I don’t want realism. I want magic!” – Blanche DuBois

●​ Literary Technique: Contrast, emotional appeal

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s rejection of realism illustrates her desire to live in a fantasy world, where
her romantic desires and ideals about love and power can be realized. This desire for “magic” is contrasted
with the harsh realities of her situation, leading to her eventual downfall.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader feels the tragic tension between Blanche’s desire for an idealized past and
her inability to move beyond it. The quote serves as a poignant reminder of the destructive nature of
unattainable desires.

🔹 QUOTE 5:
“You’ve got to be soft and make love to him, like the rest of the girls do. You know what I mean?” – Stanley
Kowalski

●​ Literary Technique: Colloquialism, manipulation

●​ Authorial Intention: Stanley’s words reflect his belief in controlling others through sexual desire. His
power over women is rooted in his ability to manipulate their desires to assert dominance.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader is confronted with the brutal, transactional nature of desire in the play.
Stanley’s view of women as objects to be manipulated highlights the power imbalance in relationships and
reinforces his role as the antagonist.

🔷 Synthesis: Cross-Textual Comparison of Desire

Theme The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire

Desire Gatsby’s desire for Daisy is tied to his desire Blanche’s desire for magic and escape is tied to her
for for social status and success. loss of social status and the illusions of the past.
Status

Desire Daisy’s love is tainted by societal Stanley’s desire is more primal and controlling,
for Love expectations, while Gatsby’s is idealized and while Blanche’s desire is tied to a past idealization
unattainable. of love.

Desire Tom exerts control over Daisy through his Stanley seeks control over Blanche, using power and
for affair and behavior. manipulation to dominate her.
Control

Illusion Gatsby’s desire for Daisy is an illusion, Blanche’s desire for magic contrasts with the harsh
vs. unattainable and rooted in a false past. realities of her life.
Reality

🟩 Setting as Symbol in The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses setting symbolically to reflect divisions between social class, ideals, and the
decay of the American Dream. Each location—East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and New York
City—represents a different facet of the social and moral landscape.
🔹 QUOTE 1:
“This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque
gardens.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, imagery, oxymoron (“grotesque gardens”)

●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald transforms the Valley of Ashes into a dystopian landscape that symbolizes
the moral and spiritual decay beneath the surface glamour of the Jazz Age. It is the byproduct of
industrialization and the pursuit of material wealth.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader feels the bleakness of the setting, understanding it as a powerful indictment
of the American Dream. It functions as a moral wasteland where the lower class (like the Wilsons) is buried
beneath the ashes of the rich’s excess.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“Across the courtesy bay the white palaces of fashionable East Egg glittered along the water.”

●​ Literary Technique: Juxtaposition, color symbolism, irony

●​ Authorial Intention: East Egg symbolizes old money and inherited wealth, contrasted with the nouveau
riche of West Egg. The word “white” implies purity, but the irony lies in the moral corruption beneath its
surface.
●​ Effect on Reader: The setting emphasizes the social divide, with East Egg embodying elitism and
exclusivity. The reader begins to associate space not just with geography but with power and legacy.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, metaphor, pathetic fallacy

●​ Authorial Intention: The green light, located at the end of Daisy’s dock in East Egg, symbolizes Gatsby’s
unattainable dream. The physical distance across the bay becomes a metaphor for social and emotional
distance.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader sees setting used to represent both hope and futility. The geography between
Gatsby and Daisy mirrors the gap between aspiration and reality—desire and fulfillment.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“It was when curiosity about Gatsby was at its highest that the lights in his house failed to go on one Saturday
night.”

●​ Literary Technique: Motif, foreshadowing

 ●​ Authorial Intention: Gatsby’s mansion, initially a symbol of wealth and spectacle, begins to deteriorate as
his dream fades. The house reflects his emotional state and symbolizes the transience of constructed
identities.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader interprets setting as fluid and reactive—Gatsby’s house is a shell of a dream,
and its decay foreshadows his end and the fragility of the life he built.

🟨 Setting as Symbol in A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams uses setting—especially New Orleans and Elysian Fields—to symbolize cultural change,
social tensions, and personal decline. The setting is claustrophobic, sensory-rich, and acts as an extension of
Blanche’s internal collapse and Stanley’s dominance.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“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!”

●​ Literary Technique: Allegory, foreshadowing, symbolism

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams transforms the setting into a symbolic journey: Desire → Death → Illusion
of Paradise (Elysian Fields). It mirrors Blanche’s trajectory—from longing to destruction.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader is made to see the setting as fate itself—a tragic path tied to Blanche’s
emotional state and inevitable fall. The layering of metaphors imbues the geography with fatalistic
undertones.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“The houses are mostly white frame, weathered grey, with rickety outside stairs.”

●​ Literary Technique: Imagery, color symbolism

●​ Authorial Intention: The decaying setting of Elysian Fields reflects the decay of the Old South,
personified by Blanche. The weathered homes symbolize fading gentility and the rise of a rougher,
working-class modernity (Stanley’s world).
●​ Effect on Reader: The environment is not romanticized—it feels oppressive and raw, mirroring the
discomfort and instability that Blanche experiences. The reader is pulled into the tension between setting
and character psychology.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“Her appearance is incongruous to this setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit... looking as if she were
arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district.”

●​ Literary Technique: Stage directions, visual contrast, symbolism

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s aesthetic and mannerisms are at odds with the gritty, multicultural New
Orleans setting. The clash between her and her environment is symbolic of the clash between illusion and
reality.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader sees setting as a hostile terrain for Blanche—a symbol of her anachronism
and vulnerability. It creates dramatic tension and foreshadows her inability to adapt or survive.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“The kitchen now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance, the raw colours of childhood’s spectrum.”

●​ Literary Technique: Lighting as symbolic setting, mood

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams uses colored lighting to reflect emotional states. The “lurid brilliance”
suggests heightened psychological tension and artificiality—like Blanche’s delusions.
●​ Effect on Reader: The setting becomes hyper-stylized, immersing the reader in Blanche’s fractured mind
and the emotional volatility of the apartment. The setting responds to the characters rather than simply
containing them.

🔷 Synthesis: Cross-Textual Comparison of Setting as Symbol

Symbolic The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire
Setting

Decay The Valley of Ashes symbolizes moral Weathered homes of Elysian Fields reflect
and spiritual decay. societal and personal decline.

Illusion vs. Gatsby’s mansion and the green light Blanche’s white clothes and stage lighting
Reality represent illusion and faded dreams. contrast with her grim surroundings.

Class Division East Egg vs. West Egg as symbolic Blanche (Old South) vs. Stanley (working class)
markers of old vs. new money. embodied in their surroundings.
 Psychological Gatsby’s home dims as hope fades. The apartment lighting and confined space reflect
Landscape Blanche’s inner turmoil.

Journey of Gatsby’s attempt to cross the bay is Blanche’s journey (Desire → Cemeteries →
Desire symbolic of his desire. Elysian Fields) is symbolic of her downfall.

🟩 The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald presents the American Dream as corrupted by materialism and hollowed by class barriers.
Gatsby embodies the dreamer striving for success and love, only to find that the dream is a lie—reserved for those
born into wealth.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”

●​ Literary Technique: Symbolism, metaphor, foreshadowing

●​ Authorial Intention: The green light symbolizes Gatsby’s dream—specifically Daisy, but also the promise
of success and fulfillment. Fitzgerald critiques the unattainability of the American Dream and how it
deceives those who believe in it blindly.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader feels sympathy and disillusionment. The dream is shown as seductive but
ultimately unreachable, especially for those like Gatsby who weren't born into privilege.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“He smiled understandingly... it was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it.”

●​ Literary Technique: Characterization, hyperbole

●​ Authorial Intention: Gatsby is crafted as an embodiment of charisma and aspiration—someone who has
rebuilt himself in pursuit of an ideal. Yet the over-romanticized description suggests something too good to
be true.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader is enchanted, but also suspicious. Gatsby’s persona is part of the American
Dream’s illusion: carefully crafted and ultimately hollow.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back
into their money.”

●​ Literary Technique: Juxtaposition, accusatory tone

●​ Authorial Intention: Fitzgerald uses the Buchanans to show how the American Dream protects the elite
while destroying the strivers like Gatsby. The system is rigged in favor of those who already have money
and status.
●​ Effect on Reader: This passage evokes anger and helplessness. The dream is unachievable not because of
lack of effort, but because of entrenched inequality.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“Gatsby sprang from his Platonic conception of himself.”

●​ Literary Technique: Allusion, metaphor, myth-making

●​ Authorial Intention: Gatsby is positioned as a self-made man, but the use of "Platonic" hints that his
identity is an illusion—an ideal more than a reality.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader recognizes Gatsby’s admirable drive, but also sees the tragic cost of chasing
perfection. The American Dream encourages reinvention, but not truth.

🟨 The American Dream in A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams reframes the American Dream through the lens of post-war survival, gender roles, and the
decay of aristocratic ideals. Blanche’s belief in old Southern values collides violently with Stanley’s raw,
working-class realism. There is no room for idealism—only power.

🔹 QUOTE 1:
“They told me to take a streetcar named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries… and get off
at—Elysian Fields!”

●​ Literary Technique: Allegory, symbolism, foreshadowing

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams uses Blanche’s literal journey as a metaphor for the failed American
Dream. Desire leads to destruction, and what should be paradise (“Elysian Fields”) becomes a trap.
●​ Effect on Reader: The American Dream is darkly inverted. Blanche’s dream of romance, status, and
security becomes her undoing. The reader sees the cost of illusion.

🔹 QUOTE 2:
“Her appearance is incongruous to this setting.”

●​ Literary Technique: Stage direction, contrast

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche’s refined look clashes with the rough, cramped apartment. Williams is
highlighting the death of the Old South and its ideals—symbolic of a once romanticized America.
●​ Effect on Reader: This visual mismatch illustrates the impossibility of reconciling past dreams with
present realities. The dream is an anachronism, out of place and doomed.

🔹 QUOTE 3:
“I don't want realism. I want magic! ... I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth.”

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, metaphor, dialogue

●​ Authorial Intention: Blanche admits that her fantasy world is preferable to brutal truth. Williams critiques
the American Dream as a system that demands illusion to be tolerable—especially for women.
●​ Effect on Reader: This moment is tragic and revealing. The reader understands Blanche’s need to lie as a
defense mechanism in a world that denies her power and safety.

🔹 QUOTE 4:
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

●​ Literary Technique: Irony, motif, final line impact

●​ Authorial Intention: Williams leaves us with a broken vision of the dream. Blanche’s last words
underscore her helplessness and the failure of a dream that promised security through beauty and grace.
●​ Effect on Reader: The reader is left haunted by the cost of believing in a dream that only works for the
strong and aggressive—like Stanley. The American Dream is gendered and unforgiving.

🔷 Synthesis: Cross-Textual Comparison of the American

Dream

Aspect The Great Gatsby A Streetcar Named Desire

Central Dreamer Gatsby – reinvention, wealth, love Blanche – romance, security, aristocratic
identity
Symbol of the Green light, Gatsby’s mansion Elysian Fields, Blanche’s wardrobe and
Dream speech

Collapse of Dream Gatsby’s death and social rejection Blanche’s mental breakdown and
institutionalization

Obstacles to the Class barriers, moral decay, elitism Gender roles, social realism, violent
Dream masculinity

Illusion vs. Reality Gatsby’s self-invention vs. East Egg’s cold Blanche’s fantasy vs. Stanley’s brutal
elitism realism

Tone Tragic nostalgia and critique of postwar Southern Gothic decay and postwar
materialism existentialism