Elise Reinelt
ADA2O
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof examines the mysterious and even grotesque interconnections that define a family. The playwright also portrays the struggle of individuals within the family to define a self. At first glance, the play is realistic: The lapsed time of the story is equal to the time of performance; the characters are complex and human; the situation is ordinary. Yet despite what you see on the surface, when read between the lines, it is evident that the play is very symbolic. Daddy delivers his ultimate diagnosis of Brick toward the end of Act II. Brick is disgusted with his untruthfulness before the homosexual desire in his friendship with Skipper. He dug his friend's grave rather than face the truth. Thus Daddy calls his son to
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judgment: "You!" he cries accusingly. “You been passing the buck. This disgust with mendacity is disgust with yourself.
You!—you dug the grave of your friend and kicked him in it!—before you'd face the truth with him! (Act II)” The Pollitt family is staged in a series of symbolic ways: husband and wife, youth and age, past and present, wealth and poverty, homosexuality and heterosexuality, truth and lies, love and hate, and life and death. The way characters speak is poetic, and almost every line is a monologue. The title 'Cat on a hot tin roof ' is a large symbol in the play. Using an analogy, one could imagine they are a cat, and they would probably want to be on a roof away from humans, living a cat life, in their own cat privacy. If they were a cat on a hot tin roof, they would know that tin conducts heat better than foil-wrapped chicken, then it wouldn't be crazy to assume that their little cat feet would get burned pretty quickly. In fact, they would probably want to jump off that roof fast. In the play, Maggie is the cat, and this "tin roof" is her marriage to Brick. She proclaims to Brick, "I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof." And Brick replies, "then jump off." Their marriage is hot, because it is full of anger, hatred, and argument instigated by Brick, and it is full of Maggie's lust
and, sexual frustration. Social issues barely whispered in mid-century America are now shouted out constantly in the playwright: spouse abuse (both physical and verbal,) marital issues and woman’s liberation (sexual and economic), and the inevitable corruption that comes with the concentration of great wealth. Unusual for this time period, it only slightly reflects the themes of the story. Many themes portrayed in the play are ones that were on a “don't ask, don't tell” basis. Presently, portraying themes like these in a playwright would not be considered “shouting” them. Many playwrights in the fifties would not contain such themes, but currently, writing about these themes is not as taboo as it is used to be. To direct this play, one could find it challenging because of the difference in time periods. Canadian actors most likely would not have the same accent as someone that is from the Mississippi Delta. The props may or may not be hard to find. You could probably find some props at the thrift store or at an antiques store. The Pillott family is a very wealthy family, Reverend Tooker is acutely aware of Big Daddy's wealth, instead of helping to support a family haunted by death, he discusses material possessions and must leave when the talk turns to Big Daddy's cancer. The setting is in the bed sitting room of a plantation home in the Mississippi Delta. Two articles of furniture are imperative for the set: a big double bed and a large liquor cabinet which are function parts of the set, but also symbolize sex and escape. The liquor cabinet contains many glasses and bottles.These are the most important props in the play. There would also be other misc. items like clothing jewlary, a dresser, a chair, and maybe a towel. Tennassee Williams describes the set “The set should be far less realistic than I have so far implied in this description of it. I think the walls below the ceiling should dissolve mysteriously into air; the set should be roofed by the sky; stars and moon suggested by traces of milky pallor, as if they were observed through a telescope lens out of focus”. This is important to show the time of day, an evening in the summer. Since the story only takes place in one place, you could make the set as detailed and specific to the bedroom as possible. If there were multiple scenes, ideally, I would have each act a different scene. Considering the type of room and the important props in it, some stage business would be looking in a mirror, putting jewellary on, getting dressed, and pouring a drink. Which would be appropriate for Margaret and Brick.
Class politics are introduced to the story when the Phonies arrive in Stella Street. The Phonies are disliked as soon as they arrive in Stella Street because of the renovations they make on Old Aunt Lillie’s house and the children of Stella Street make fun of the fact that the Phonies refurnish the house (p.13). Henni encourages the reader to make fun of the high class Phonies about the way they speak, because the Phonies use words such as ‘dinnah’ and ‘daaaarling’ (p.18). This shows the Phonies in a negative way enticing the audience to take Henni’s side or a middle class approach to the story. When the Phonies send a note from their lawyer to Frank’s family for a proposal of a new fence (p.22) they are once again looked at poorly.
Poney does not want to be in a boys home, due to his parents death all three boys should be in a boys home. He mentions both in the book and the movie he has to be careful with getting into huge trouble because if the cops found him they would put him in a boys home since he has no parent. Cherry is very kind hearted in both the movies she tells Ponyboy about how you can’t assume if one person from this group is like that, then that must mean everyone else there is the same. She finds a way to figure someone out, if they are a certain way it's because of their past because they've gone through tough stuff she says “Things are rough all over”(S.E. Hinton). In both Cherry spills soda on Dally for trying to hit on her and tells him “get lost hood” (S.E. Hinton), but then tells Pony that if she sees Dally she's afraid she will fall for him, because she sees the good in him. Poney boy also talks to Johnny about the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay in both while watching the sunset about losing your innocence and views in life. When Johnny passes away he tells Ponyboy Stay
As Jeannette gets older she realizes that her parents differences are not something to be proud of. She comes to this conclusion at first when she is in the hospital after getting severe burns from her mother letting her cook hot dogs at the age of three. She realizes that it is not right for a parent to let their three year old to be cooking. Another example of when she realized that is when she had to eat food from a garbage can at school while all the others had brought food from home. She decided to hide her shame by eating the food from the garbage can inside the girls washroom. As Jeannette gets older she changes a little bit more by her perspective of things when she meets Billy. Billy is a juvenile delinquent that also has a father for a drunk. When Billy laughs at his own father when he was sleeping from drinking so much the night before, Jeannette argues with him saying that no one should make fun of their own father. Billy
'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is essentially about Tennessee Williams as a writer uncovering the broad truths to an unsuspecting audience, by testing the social boundaries. The characters in this 1950s patriarchal play are amplified and give us an ambiguous ending to confirm to the audience that the constraints women face in the play are something to be considered. Williams introduces Maggie in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ as a self-evident, dominant character from very early on. Describing her voice to be “both rapid and drawling” Saying “she has the vocal tricks of a priest delivering a liturgical chant” In the play she is the first one on stage and lengthily stage directions are used conveniently to exhibit her significance in the play. The detailed description of her voice helps to build curiosity. By doing so Williams use of a dramatic technique, slowly creates tension, which is effective to the reader as it helps stimulate the beginning of the play. Very early on Maggie is illustrated as a genuine beauty “Way he always drops his eyes down my body when I'm talkin' to him” She is depicted as a very cunning woman, with the way she presents her body and looks to get what she wants. She recognises that her role in society is to be displayed as a trophy wife and be kept behind the scenes in many situations; in many ways she abides to this role, while also using it to supplement her own personal motives...
"In a little four-room house around the corner. It looks so cozy, so inviting and restful."(79) With this description Chopin introduces the reader to Edna’s new residence, which is affectionately known as the pigeon house. The pigeon house provides Edna with the comfort and security that her old house lacked. The tranquility that the pigeon house grants to Edna allows her to experience a freedom that she has never felt before.
Joshua Ferris, the author of the short story, “The Breeze”, closely links seasonal conditions and activities to different lifestyles. Specifically, Joshua links outdoor activities and spring in Manhattan to a life that needs “more adventure” and “thrills”. He also chooses to link indoor places and winter to the picture of a life that is “limited”, “dying” and “misspent”. Light and dark are also used as a binary within this story. What shows the connection between the ideas described is how the author uses repetition and patterns to emphasize his most important details.
The entire family is involved with lies to Big Daddy and Big Momma, as are the doctors. They tell them that Big Daddy does not have cancer, but only a spastic colon. Brick lies to himself about his feelings for Skipper until Big Daddy forces him to face it. He then understands that he is upset about the way his clean friendship has been misinterpreted. Gooper and Mae pretend to be loving and doting children, when in fact all they want is money and land. Big Mama lies to herself, think all the cruel things Big Daddy says are just jokes. She also lies to herself by thinking that a child from Maggie and Brick would turn Brick into a non-drinking, family man qualified to take over the family place. Big Daddy is even wrapped up in the mendacity. He admits to Brick that he is tired of letting all the lies. He has lied for years about his feelings for his wife, his son Gooper and his daughter-in-law Mae, he says he loves them, when in fact he can't stand any of them. Maggie, who seems to tell close to the truth the entire play, breaks down and lies about her pregnancy.
The play’s major conflict is the loneliness experienced by the two elderly sisters, after outliving most of their relatives. The minor conflict is the sisters setting up a tea party for the newspaper boy who is supposed to collect his pay, but instead skips over their house. The sisters also have another minor conflict about the name of a ship from their father’s voyage. Because both sisters are elderly, they cannot exactly remember the ships name or exact details, and both sisters believe their version of the story is the right one. Although it is a short drama narration, Betty Keller depicts the two sisters in great detail, introduces a few conflicts, and with the use of dialogue,
The House of the Seven Gables written by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that engages the reader in an intricate love story that blends history and a fanciful ancestry. Hawthorne stays true to the Romantic era’s convections through his detailed development of the plot. Through his writing, the reader can capture the emotions, morality and motives of each character. Although Hawthorne writes in the romantic style, he does not fail to go against the social norms with the plot. He defines the normal roles of women and he emphasizes the role of wealth in society. Furthermore he asserts his opinions on issues that were prevent in that time, such as, racism, slave emancipation and Jim Crow. The story was not created to just provide a creative love
Every time the family comes to a confrontation someone retreats to the past and reflects on life as it was back then, not dealing with life as it is for them today. Tom, assuming the macho role of the man of the house, babies and shelters Laura from the outside world. His mother reminds him that he is to feel a responsibility for his sister. He carries this burden throughout the play. His mother knows if it were not for his sisters needs he would have been long gone. Laura must pickup on some of this, she is so sensitive she must sense Toms feeling of being trapped. Tom dreams of going away to learn of the world, Laura is aware of this and she is frightened of what may become of them if he were to leave.
Communication is a very important aspect of any type of relationship. There are many themes in the play, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, by Tennessee Williams, but the major theme is that of isolation and the lack of communication. This type of theme involves many character such as Brick and Margaret. Big Daddy and his oldest son Gooper. And Big Daddy and his youngest son Brick. The entire Pollitt family manifests the theme isolation and lack of communication.
What happens if our home is no longer safe? What if the people we love are no longer trustworthy and become violent? How do we escape such madness when every exit in the home seems walled up? Edgar Allen Poe taps into some of our deepest fears, using the genre of horror. In his short story, “The Black Cat”, Poe addresses the very real and scary consequences of addiction, mental illness and domestic abuse. The horrific effect that these have on the family slowly unfold as Poe unravels the mind of the protagonist. While the narrator, in this case the protagonist, slowly slips into insanity with the aid of his drink, his wife silently transforms in the background, from a passive victim of abuse, to a defender of the helpless and weak.
Dramatic Devices in Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof "Williams instinctively understands the loneliness of a human being - his or her constant and desperate attempt that is to escape the reality that is there loneliness and their subsequent failure to do so". Williams portrays this loneliness to an audience through the spatial distances on stage between characters, which is suggested in the stage direction. " Margaret is alone". It is also emphasised through symbolism and the dialogue between characters. Big Mama accuses Margaret of not satisfying Brick in bed and of Brick's break down.
In A Bird in the House, Margaret Laurence is able to incorporate many themes and motifs into her stories such as, war, tragedy, religion, and faith. Another theme that is also shown throughout the book is identity, both national and individual identity. National identity is defined as “ a sense of a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, etc.” (“national identity”), while individual identity is what makes a person unique, it is what a person believes, thinks and feels. Sometimes in life identity gets mixed up and can become a confusing aspect of life. People are a product of their environment, which is a factor in shaping identity. The protagonist in the book, Vanessa MacLeod, witnesses and experiences both types of identity. She sees the influence of the Canadian national identity in her Grandfather Connor, Scottish heritage in her Grandmother MacLeod, Irish heritage in her Uncle Dan, which ultimately influence Vanessa’s personal identity.
In Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, each member of the Wingfield family has their own fantasy world in which they indulge themselves. Tom escaped temporarily from the fantasy world of Amanda and Laura by hanging out on the fire escape. Suffocating both emotionally and spiritually, Tom eventually sought a more permanent form of escape.