1. Cleansing and Renewal: Blanche desperately seeks to wash away the grime and harsh realities of her life. The bath symbolizes her desire for purification and a fresh start, a way to escape her past and the crushing weight of her circumstances.
2. Illusion and Reality: The bath becomes a temporary sanctuary where Blanche can retreat into her own fantasy world. The steamy, fragrant bathroom provides a fleeting escape from the harsh realities of her situation, where she feels judged and rejected by Stanley and the working-class world she finds herself in.
3. Vulnerability and Fragility: Blanche's bathing is a symbol of her vulnerability and fragility. The act exposes her nakedness, both physically and emotionally. It highlights her dependence on others for her survival, especially in the face of Stanley's domineering presence.
4. Loss of Innocence and Self-Deception: Blanche's bath also reveals her struggle to maintain an illusion of grace and refinement in a world that is increasingly shattering her illusions. The bath becomes a ritualistic attempt to cling to her fading beauty and youth, highlighting the tragedy of her decline.
5. Symbolic Death: The final bath scene, where Blanche's mental state deteriorates and she is ultimately taken away by the doctor, can be interpreted as a symbolic death. She is symbolically cleansed by the water and leaves the world she knew, ultimately succumbing to the harsh realities that she could no longer escape.
6. Contrast with Stanley: Blanche's bath stands in stark contrast to Stanley's primal, animalistic nature. He is associated with the physical, the real, while Blanche is linked to the ethereal and the fantastical. Their contrasting views of life and love are reflected in their approaches to the bath.
The bath sequence is not simply a mundane act in the play. It is a deeply symbolic event that encapsulates Blanche's inner struggle, her yearning for escape, and ultimately, her tragic demise.