A Streetcar Named Desire: Character & Key Quotes: Eunice

Understanding the Character: Eunice

Eunice: She performs the role of a secondary character, but carries significant importance throughout the play’s narrative.
Eunice represents the reality of life in the Elysian Fields - her life, character and decisions contrast sharply with Blanche’s romanticised view of the world.

Character Traits

Practical and Nurturing: Eunice is the voice of reason and practicality among the characters. She often tries to diffuse tension and provide comfort, as shown in her interactions with Stella and Stanley.
Realistic: Unlike Blanche, Eunice accepts the hardships, coarseness, and violence in her life, symbolising the stark contrast between harsh reality and romantic ideals.
Loyal: Eunice stands by her friends, especially Stella. She is a pillar of support and often mediates during conflicts.

Themes

Survival and Acceptance of Reality: Eunice personifies survival in adverse conditions and acceptance of harsh realities of life, which starkly contrast with Blanche’s denial.
Friendship: Her strong bond with Stella and her attempts to protect her highlights the theme of friendship.

Important Quotes

“Don’t ever believe it. Life has got to go on.” - Eunice. This line exemplifies Eunice’s pragmatism, underscoring her survival instinct despite the adversities of life.

Literary Style, Language and Devices

Tennessee Williams uses the character of Eunice as a foil to Blanche, highlighting how starkly different responses can be to similar life circumstances.
Eunice’s dialogue, though often simple and direct, carries profound wisdom and reflects her life’s philosophy of acceptance and endurance.

Embed these points in your essay to articulate Eunice’s role in the play and to compare her character with that of Blanche for deeper analysis and argument.