In the play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, the central character Blanche DuBois represents a deep attachment to the past. Blanche was once the overseer of her family's mansion, Belle Reve, until she lost the estate on account of funeral expenses. Blanche then seeks refuge in New Orleans, at the apartment of her younger sister Stella and her husband Stanley. The two contrasting places, Belle Reve and New Orleans, both represent two different things and stages in Blanche's life, and they both contribute to the plays theme of the inability of letting go of the past and realizing the present.

The physical and social aspects of the two settings were to dissimilar, making it hard for Blanche to adapt to the reality of New Orleans. Belle Reve means beautiful dream, and this connects to Blanche's situation because when she loses Belle Reve she also loses her...