I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic. I try to give that to people. I do misrepresent things. I don’t tell truth. I tell what ought to be truth. And if that is sinful, then let me be damned for it! – Don’t turn the light on!
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 9. Using a metaphor, Blanche says that she doesn’t want realism and truth, but desires the magic of illusion and make-believe. Preferring the world of dreams, she pleads with Mitch not to turn the light on. As well as wanting to hide her aging appearance, she does not want her real character and secrets exposed to the light of reality.