The Lack of Communication in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams

    Tennessee Williams is one the major writers of the mid-twentieth century. His work includes the plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. One theme of The Glass Menagerie is that hopeful aspirations are followed by inevitable disappointments. This theme is common throughout all of Williams' work and throughout his own life as well. It is shown through the use of symbols and characters.

     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

Tennessee Williams is regarded as a pioneering playwright of American theatre. Through his plays, Williams addresses important issues that no other writers of his time were willing to discuss, including addiction, substance abuse, and mental illness. Recurring themes in William’s works include the dysfunctional family, obsessive and absent mothers and fathers, and emotionally damaged women. These characters were inspired by his experiences with his own family. These characters appear repeatedly in his works with their own recurring themes. Through The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents the similar thematic elements of illusion, escape, and fragility between the two plays, proving that although similar, the themes within these plays are not simply recycled, as the differences in their respective texts highlight the differences of the human condition.

There is not one comic or movie, where Superman fails to save the day, where in the end he does not win. The Harry always defeats the Voldemort. This is because when a Christ figure is developed, there are certain expectations that go along with that. However, what happens when a Christ figure fails to fulfill their duty? In The Glass Menagerie, a play by Tennessee Williams, Laura’s mother Amanda wants Laura to have a suitor. Finally, Tom —Laura’s sister— invites Jim O’Connor, one of his friends from work over to have a meal. Amanda goes into a frenzy preparing for him, and when he arrives he appears like the perfect suitor. As the night goes on, Jim eventually seduces Laura and then leaves in a rush. In Tennessee Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie, Williams uses a ironic Christ figure to demonstrate how illusions tear a family apart.

A couple that tried to present themselves as deeply in love, Gooper and Mae. They were just pretending, and after all they just wanted Big Daddy’s land and money. They were actually faking their love. But on the other hand, Big Daddy was pretending that he liked his son Gooper and his wife Mae, but then he showed something opposite. He could not even stand

For the first time in my life i dreaded walking into this dear courtroom. It brings great sorrow to see the hopeful look in Tom’s eyes. For I know he will never be deemed innocent, simply because of the color of his skin. No matter how innocent he is. I feel as if there is this weight setting on my shoulders, like a weight that will never be lifted. If Tom Robinson is deemed guilty, it will be solely my fault. I know deep down in my heart that Tom will never be set free, yet I still fight with every single breath of me. Tom is counting on me, and I will not let him down.

The Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” is filled with dynamic and well-rounded main characters that give the play a rich dramatic effect. This makes the play perfect for live stage performance. I believe that each character’s outlook on the concept of family and how they deal with each other is the key that makes this play so memorable. Consequently, the idea of family seems to be very different for each of the main characters Stanley, Stella, and Blanche, as well as, Mitch who is a secondary character that contributes greatly to the story due to his relationship with Blanche.

The first Character that needs to be mentioned, Brick, is the quietest and most reserved character in the play. Brick is a former football player and a famous announcer. (Williams 149). Brick is in a constant battle with himself throughout the whole story. This being because he has started drinking at all times so that he can hear a click in his head and become peaceful. The reason that he drinks is because he feels he is responsible for his friends Skipper’s death. Brick’s drinking is important to the play because it shows his disinterest in almost everything that occurs during the book. For example, while the will of Big Daddy’s is being discussed, Brick is outside on the balcony having a drink. Gooper says to Maggie during this scene “Why don’t you go out there and drink with Brick?” (Williams 149). This also is important because it shows that they characters in the play realize that Brick has no interest in anything besides his drink. Brick is an interesting character because he is the only one who does not thrive for Big Daddy’s love, yet he is the only one who receives it. Brick can also be described as a character who is disgusted. He is disgusted with many events in this play.”Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was heralded by some as the play in which homosexuality was at last to be presented without evasion” (Bentley). This quote by critic Eric Bentley stands true because the idea of homesexuality in the play is another reason Brick is disgusted. He is disgusted with the world for the most part because nobody understand that his and Skipper’s relationship was not a homosexual one.He states “Why can’t exceptional friendship, real, real, deep, deep friendship! between two men be respected as something clean and decent” (Williams 117). This could be a reason that he is also sort of disgusted with women. Critic Jere Huzzard says “Clearly both father and son had enjoyed a physical competency

Nevertheless, I appreciate William’s compassion towards her as audiences see their flawed lives echoed in hers. Subsequently, “mendacity is a system we live in” as it links contextually to Williams societal perceptions, by devising characters around these stereotypical mendacious Americans, highlights the corruption within society. In ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ however, instead of illusions we’re presented with truth regarding characters and their relationships. In all three plays studied above, Williams utilises an Ibsen-like technique of retrospective exposition: “the [pasts] never dead, it isn’t even the past.” Brick’s state of denial regarding life (and possible homosexuality) causes him to degrade Maggie. Maggie however publically rejects the heteronormative role of the Southern Belle and submissive wife, instead displaying her newfound authority in the town. Yet modern feminists may argue Maggie’s a ‘dependent creature’ tied by societal constraints, forcing her to occupying “the same cage” as

“Him! He’s the one that raped me!” I tightly clenched my hands that were full of sweat from the impatience and nervousness I had as I heard the voice of Mayella Ewell scream with tears.

During the 1940's, children's strictly grew up by standards of the parent's. Enduring the constant years of smothering and stuffage, relationships starts to fall apart, especially in families. In order to gain freedom, those children's rebel. Through the analysis of Tom from the Glass Menagerie and Biff from Death of a Salesman, one may recognize that both characters develop the common theme of dreams, hopes, and plans are necessary to survive. Furthermore, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller explores these themes and the similarities the main character's have in the plays; The Glass Menagerie and Death of a Salesman.

However, brick seems to pay attention to that. Maggie is loud and sarcastic as she makes fun of other people getting spit on their face. It is clear that brick is trying his hardest to tolerate his wife temperament and her high pitched voice according to his face expressions throughout the play. Specific type of relationships can be noticed among the family members. Maggie and Mae don’t really like each other, they have this sort of sister-in law adversity while they try their best to look respectful and to appear as

In the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Williams explores a theme of sexuality. The story focuses on Brick and his wife, Margaret. Margaret cares deeply for Brick and refuses to leave his side. Brick is ashamed of his sexulity in the play. When he was younger he was great at sports and had a very close relationship with his friend, Skipper.

– Then I thought, Yes! – I couldn’t make up my mind” (112). Furthermore, because Big Daddy is unable to come to a definitive answer, the turmoil throughout his family increases. Disorder is at the center of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; thus, Big Daddy’s internal conflict propels the family into complete chaos.

Tennessee Williams employs themes of loneliness, death and decay that pervade the play. These themes interact and build off one another in order to reveal that life has both its high and low points. Times when we feel our greatest with the ones that we love around us are accompanied by darker moments of feeling alone and vice versa. Through Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams reveals to his audience the rollercoaster that we know as life.