Lauren Seigle enters the academic conversation by specifically engaging with critics Kathleen Margaret Lant and Anca Vlasopolos. In doing so Seigle negotiates the arguments presented by each critic before presenting her own view of playwright Tennessee William’s authorial view for the character Blanche Dubois in his play A Streetcar Named Desire. Seigle presents an aggregation of evidence to build her case for Williams as sympathetic not only to his character, but also—as she notes—to “the environment that has brought about Blanche’s tragic circumstances.” The author clearly draws on her close reading as she folds in quotes from the play to illuminate the argument. However, what stands out in this essay beyond this typical deployment of evidence in the academic argument is the inclusion of stage directions as sources for interpretation. Here, Seigle demonstrates a sympathy of her own—a recognition that a play, even absent its performance, is more than its characters’ words. This close reading of William’s words, as dialogue and stage direction, gives her argument its persuasive depth.