Mendacity vs Truth in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Essay

The friendships and relationships formed and broken by characters and how they impacted on others at the time was a big part of the read. More

In the play, Brick tells his father, Big Daddy, why he constantly drinks saying, “This click that I get in my head that makes me peaceful. I got to drink till I get it. It's just a mechanical thing” (Cat, act 2). Twice throughout the play, Brick is forced to confront his relationship with Skipper once by his wife Maggie and once by Big Daddy. In Act one, Maggie starts to talk about the “mistake” she made with Skipper and Brick tries to stop her saying, “Maggie, shut up about Skipper. I mean it, Maggie; you got to shut up about Skipper” (Cat). Maggie continued on making the

Theme of the story: The conditions of a character's life has a direct influence on how they act in the novel.

Leaving this important piece of information untold until the end allows the reader to develop a deeper understanding of the book by reflecting on hints left in previous

The ambiguous approach to developing the theme not only makes the story, it also adds to the reading experience. As the story progresses the reader begins to discover the values of the characters based on the dialogue between characters about the notion of a good man. The reader can

explained through stories imparted to the reader in the rest of the book. Throughout the

Moreover, the fake identity and lifestyle that the wealthy portray capture the reaction to knowing the truth and using it to dismiss it; this is necessary for the process of the characters to come to terms with accepting the truth and as a result having a new beginning captured by windows. Likewise,

plays a vital role in the plot. In this essay, I will be analysing the

Truth is possibly one of the most powerful forces in humanity. Truth has the power to set people free, change lives and end them. Because of this, the truth is usually feared and often concealed. In Susan Griffin’s “Our Secret”, the concealing of the truth become a major theme in the advancement of the plot, and also carries the meaning to the work’s title. The title of “Our Secret” refers to the secrets that the individual characters in the story keep from others reference to the fact that humanity is keeping secrets from itself.

     Brick, Maggie’s alcoholic husband, is an uncaring man who has no good feelings toward his wife. For example, when Maggie buys a gift for Brick to give to Big Daddy on his birthday and Maggie wants Brick to sign the card, he says “No… I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to do”(28). Even on Big

Readers are given an invaluable source of background information and context in the first portion of the novel, which allows for readers to have a starting point to work off of in regards to understanding what obstacles destiny will throw at the characters during the rest of their mission. For instance, Marlow is described in depth and the novel illustrates his development from one perspective to another as he grapples with the vast spectrum and realities of humankind. While the journey unfolds, imagery also begins to become a key role in moving the storyline along and providing crucial

Tennessee William’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is a story about the intricacies of an affluent Southern family as well as an exploration of the social laws of life in the South during the 1950’s. A prominent law was that a son had to have a family in order to receive his inheritance and carry on the family name. This unwritten law is the matter of Maggie Pollitt’s struggle as a wife, daughter in law, and outsider to the Pollitt empire. Maggie uses her humble origins as fuel, as well as her learned social dexterity in order to force her husband Brick’s hand and get him to start a family with her. Maggies drive, cunning, and triumph is nothing short of heroic, and through her actions she secured her and Brick’s inclusion into the future of the Pollitt empire as well as the potential to change the face of that empire and make it something new.

“There ain’t nothing more powerful than the odour of Mendacity”(Williams, 77) Mendacity is used effectively throughout the play Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. We witness how it tortures most of the characters in the play and its negative effect overall on the Pollitt family who as we can see suffers from the lack of association with each other. Mendacity acts as a vital part of every character’s life, it is also the turning point of the whole play which ends up causing disaster and for some happiness.

The resentment within the young girl’s family is essential to the novel because one can understand the young girl better as she makes her decision.

Tennessee Williams’ interesting play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof portrays the often strained dynamic of many different relationships between the members of a very wealthy family, all of whom are after a particularly large inheritance, and are all willing to do whatever it takes to earn it. The blunt nature and gritty tones of the play reflect the characters’ inner turmoils, as well as the many struggles they face when dealing with their materialistic family members. Williams uses the much desired inheritance as a way to show his readers how the greed and human nature of his characters affect not only themselves, but their relationship with those around them.