It’s a French name. It means woods and Blanche means white, so the two together mean white woods. Like an orchard in spring!… We are French by extraction. Our first American ancestors were French Huguenots.
– Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene 3. Blanche DuBois tries to impress Mitch as she explains the meaning of her name, using a tone of superiority about her ethnic origins. In a simile she compares her name to an orchard in spring. She tells him that Blanche means white, which is ironic, because the color symbolizes purity and Blanche is hiding a promiscuous past.