“ When people are soft—soft people have got to shimmer and glow—they’ve got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and put a—paper lantern over the light. ”
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947). copy citation
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
|---|---|
| Source | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| Topic | butterflies light |
| Date | 1947 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.metropolitancollege.com/Streetcar.pdf |
Context
“About you, Blanche?
BLANCHE:
I wasn’t so good the last two years or so, after Belle Reve had started to slip through my fingers.
STELLA:
All of us do things we—
BLANCHE:
I never was hard or self-sufficient enough. When people are soft—soft people have got to shimmer and glow—they’ve got to put on soft colors, the colors of butterfly wings, and put a—paper lantern over the light. . . . It isn’t enough to be soft. You’ve got to be soft and attractive. And I—I’m fading now! I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick.
[The afternoon has faded to dusk. Stella goes into the bedroom and turns on the light under the paper lantern.”
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