The first time I laid eyes on him I thought to myself, that man is my executioner! That man will destroy me.
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 6. Blanche reveals to Mitch what she thought when she first saw Stanley. Straight away she sensed his destructive nature, metaphorically comparing him to her executioner. This foreshadows the play’s tragic climax, when Stanley brings about Blanche’s downfall. He rapes her and causes her to have a complete mental breakdown – the "execution" of her sanity.