Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Mendacity, Mendacity, Mendacity. It appears that audacious lies pervade Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from Maggie and Brick's first scene until the final drop of the curtain. The host of characters feel that withholding the truth, at least for a while, is better then blatant, resounding honesty. Yet, they sentence themselves to torment by essentially legitimizing their fabrications, which is committing the biggest transgression of all: lying to yourself.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is also quite Gothic in a a number of ways. First of all, the manner in which the characters argue over the inheritance of the estate is extremely morbid and superficial, especially considering the fact that Big Daddy is suffering from terminal stomach cancer. Indeed, the family argues over land and represses Big Daddy's anxiety concerning his death by telling him that he is fine, although they really know that he does not have long to live. Gooper and Mae also have a very cut-throat relationship with Brick and Maggie. Brick's perpetual ambivalence towards everything leaves Maggie to defend their marriage against the psychological abuse accrued at the hands of Gooper and Mae. Also worth noting: the large antebellum plantation house provides the setting for the dark drama that ensues.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof also provides a stunning example of homosexual repression in the south through the character of Brick. While its certain that Brick and Skipper’s relationship was homoerotic, it is harder to argue that their relationship was sexual. Brick’s love of Skipper could have been merely platonic, or he could have had sexual desires for Skipper that he never acted on because of his internalized homophobia. Regardless of his resistance to talk about his orientation, there is much evidence to suggest that he is homosexual: his inability to impregnate Maggie, Maggie’s revelation that on a double-date it was as if Brick and Skipper were actually on a date with one another, and Brick’s abuse of alcohol after Skipper’s suicide. What is also interesting is that most of the characters in the play know of Brick’s behavior, yet they are willing to look past it. Despite Maggie and Big Daddy voicing their acceptance, Brick still remains stoic and unwilling to talk about his relationship with Skipper; however, there are many reasons for this. He not only lives in the 1950’s, but also in the deep South. During this time, homosexuals had to live their lives behind closed doors; their lifestyle was taboo, and people certainly didn’t live “out” lives. Also, Brick is living in an overtly religious region of the country where homosexuality is viewed as an outlandish sin. Finally, Brick is afraid that society will see him as a degenerate. If he admitted that he had homosexual feelings, he would be marginalized as corrupt and amoral.