Symbols for Williams not only are the pure language of drama but also a poetic device to add aesthetic dimension and say more without utilizing many words. It goes without saying that they maintain important position in the architecture of his plays particularly in his monumental work, Streetcar Named Desire. So far, various critics have analyzed the play from numerous approaches. However, they neglected to explore the relationship between the symbols and the themes in the play. Therefore, the current article attempts to show how central symbols in A Streetcar Named Desire move ahead the theme of conflict between illusion and reality.

Dating back to the second half of Stone Age, Symbol is the mother of art and culture. Being omnipresent, symbols are interwoven to the humans' life, thereby becoming their inseparable aspect of living. In the realm of literature, they are categorized into two types: public and private. The symbolic import of public symbols is determined by a particular culture while that of private ones is determined by the writer himself/herself. Symbols play different roles in a literary work; one of them is delivering its theme(s). In American literature, Tennessee Williams is well-known for utilizing symbols widely in his plays. In fact, he expressed his world views through the language of symbols. Therefore, this article makes an endeavor to show how guitar as a private symbol pushes forward the theme of life-giving force of sex in Williams's Orpheus Descending.