bathing

• Blanche's obsession with bathing shows us her need to purify herself from her past and is another way in which she escapes from her reality. In particular, Williams depicts this through the apartment, which she consistently refers to as overly hot and stuffy.
• This motif gains significance throughout the play, as cleanliness becomes increasingly associated with purity and virginity. This is especially apparent when Mitch finds out Blanche's promiscuous past and regards her as too unclean to bring into his family home. Blanche is constantly trying to cleanse herself of the 'dirty' elements of her past and become the epitome of perfect, traditional femininity.
• Her bathing continues throughout the whole play. They are never-ending, highlighting the redundancy of her constant bathing, as she can never forget her past.
• Ritual cleansing has a long history, going back to Pontius Pilate, who 'took water and washed his hands' after the Jews demanded the death of Jesus
• Blanche wants to be "buried in a clean white sack" at sea, emphasising her obsession with cleanliness and how it links to death.
• Stanley also turns to water to undo a misdeed when he showers after beating Stella. The shower serves to soothe his violent temper; afterwards he leaves the bathroom feeling remorseful and calls out longingly for his wife.