Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Lit. Analysis

GENERAL
 

1. In the mid 1950’s on the Mississippi Delta is a very large plantation where a party takes place. Big Daddy, who owns the large estate, and his wife, Big Mama, have a gathering with the family to celebrate Big Daddy’s birthday. Brick, his youngest son, came with his wife, Margaret. Gooper, the eldest son, brings his wife, Mae, as well as his five children. The reverend and doctor of the town arrive for the party as well. Big Daddy had arrived from the clinic with news that he didn’t have cancer, which leaves Big Mama in an ecstatic mood. Margaret addresses to Brick about their loveless marriage ever since he began drinking. She describes herself as a “cat on a hot tin roof” because she has been left undesired by Brick, which makes her bitter, nervous, and dissatisfied. Brick is rather indifferent towards everyone around him, especially his wife. Brick also has a broken ankle from when he hurdled on the track field and broke his ankle in doing so, leaving him leaning on a crutch. Margaret goes on about Brick’s friend, Skipper, and how they loved hanging out together before Skipper died. She also has realized her mistake before by mentioning that her and Skipper had made love once. Brick is furious with her at the mention and tells her that they can’t possibly conceive a child if he couldn’t stand being with her. When the party takes place, Margaret detests the fact that Gooper and Mae had brought their “no-neck monsters”, as in children. She knows that they’re rubbing the fact that they have children in her face as well as trying to get Big Daddy to leave them the estate instead of Brick, who is the favorite. Big Daddy, a large, burly man, goes to talk to Brick alone to try and gather information out of him about his drinking habit and his lack of affection towards Margaret. Big Daddy also talks about his hated affection towards Big Mama and that he was sick of her, but continues trying to press on with the subject at hand. Brick tells Big Daddy that he doesn’t know why he drinks and explains that he’s looking for a “click” to make him peaceful. When Big Daddy questions him about Skipper and their relationship, Brick tries to escape from the conversation, complaining that their conversations are never materialized. Big Daddy detects that Brick his hiding something and forces him to stay, which Brick quickly denies any homosexual feelings that he had for Skipper, which angers Big Daddy that Brick isn’t telling the truth. Brick solemnly states to leave Gooper the estate and not him. Then Brick announces that Big Daddy does have cancer and he did have feelings for Skipper. Big Daddy goes on a rampage shouting about liars and goes to bed. Later, everyone surrounded Big Mama to tell her the truth about Big Daddy having cancer. Big Mama doesn’t want to believe it but tells Maggie—Margaret— to fix Brick up if he was going to run the plantation, which angers Gooper and Mae. They present her with a will so as to leave the plantation to them but Big Mama rejects it with disgust. Big Mama declares to Brick that nothing would make Big Daddy happier than for him to have a grandchild from him. Without warning, Maggie announces to everyone, including Big Daddy, that she is pregnant. Mae shrilly accuses Maggie that she’s a liar as Big Daddy and Big Mama take leave. Maggie doesn’t know what Mae is talking about and leaves to her room with Brick. Brick, after a few drinks, announces that he has found his click, but still acts indifferently, which saddens Maggie. She hides all the liquor he has and refuses to give them back until after she is satisfied from her desires. After she affirms her love for him, Brick vaguely replies, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that were true?”

2. The theme of the novel (play) is the mere concept of mendacity. Throughout the entire play, mendacity has marked its territory in each character. Multiple secrets escape to further move the plot along and the characters react to the incessant lying going on. The largest lie in the play included everyone keeping a secret about Big Daddy having cancer, except Big Mama, who had always believed that Brick will run the estate alongside with Big Daddy in that fantasy world of hers. When Big Daddy had caught Brick lying to him at the end of Act II he said, “This disgust with mendacity is disgust with yourself.” Pg 127. It really put Brick’s character into perspective as well as Big Daddy.

3. The author’s tone is rather depressing in the play because there is just so much relationship problems with the characters. The readers feel sympathetic for those characters by how other characters treat them. It was depressing to read Big Daddy’s obloquies towards Big Mama whenever they were near each other. The solemn air surrounding the conflict between Brick and Margaret was clarified by the author’s tone. Thirdly, the inevitable depressing truth about Big Daddy’s cancer affected the characters.

4. 1) Foreshadowing: At the end of Act I, Margaret had announced she had seen a gynecologist, foreshadowing for the later announcement about her “having” a child with Brick. Pg. 63. She also said that she would work out the problem when they got there. The mention about Brick and Skipper was foreshadowing their relationship. Pg. 57.

2) Symbolism: Brick’s crutch symbolizes a number of things in the play. For one thing, it symbolizes his manhood. Brick’s rendered immobile whenever Maggie or Big Daddy take his crutch away from him. That’s when he is really stranded. Maggie throws it in Act I, pg. 58, and Big Daddy takes it from him in Act II, pg. 109.

3) Motif: A recurring concept in the play is mendacity, or lies. This is pretty static throughout the entire play. The lies between Big Daddy and Brick in Act II, Maggie’s lie about her conceiving a child just to make Big Daddy happy in Act III, and Brick’s lie to Maggie about his drinking problem in Act I.

4) Metaphor: The title says it all. Maggie occasionally brings up the talk of her being a cat. She refers herself to a cat because she’s a “cat on a hot tin roof”. Even the other characters say that she’s catty. In the beginning of Act I, Maggie describes herself as that. Pg’s. 40 and 55. Also, Big Daddy mentions in Act II that the old man made out of bones laid his cold and heavy hand on his shoulder, which is a metaphor for death catching up to him, Pg 93.

5) Imagery: Even though it’s a play and mainly consists of dialogue, the author gives the reader a good understanding of where everything is by having the imagery being described by the characters. He had a descriptive introduction of where everything took place and how everything was set up, specifically for a theater. At the beginning of Act I we are given this clarification.

CHARACTERIZATION

1. An example of direct characterization was in the beginning of Act I with the description of Margaret. She is described as a pretty young woman with anxious lines in her face. Her voice is also described as rapid and drawling in the beginning. Another example of direct characterization would be Big Mama. She appears as a short, stout woman who wears flashy gems all the time. Since this is a play, indirect characterization is common. A good example is when, in the every start of Act I, Maggie describes Mae and Gooper’s children as “no-neck monsters.” She also describes them as little pigs running about. Another example of indirect characterization is when Big Mama is describing Brick and his red hair in Act III, which is a physical characteristic I didn’t know about until the end.

2. Tennessee Williams, when focusing on his characters, will change his syntax/diction through certain characters. Big Daddy uses rather offending language and describes relationships in lengthy paragraphs whereas Brick uses short and vague sentences in the play. The diction/syntax really reflects off of the character’s personalities. William used that southern diction through the entire play, but certain characters will alter the syntax through their characterizations/personality.

3. The protagonist, Maggie, is stays static through the play until she becomes more forceful towards Brick at the end of the play, becoming a stronger person with the realization that she is better than her drinking husband and could love him more fully. But, in all honesty, she is still that catty and hysterical character in the play nearly the whole time.

4. I felt as though I’d met a person, because, as a fan of acting, I read plays and become engrossed in the characters and having to connect with the character I feel I would know a lot better than any of the other characters. The character I connected with the most was Maggie because she’s a very interesting and funny character who I loved reading about. She was also one of the more innocent of people in the play. For example, her attitude with Gooper and Mae’s children had me laughing and instantly becoming close to her character and who she was about.