The Role of Gender in a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

In 1955, William acquired a Pulitzer Prize for his drama, A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, which primarily revolves around the lives of Maggie, Daddy, Mama, Brick, Gooper and Mae. As most of the characters are surrounded by yelling noise and anger, communication and the challenges associated with it are the central themes in William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The play’s characters face numerous difficulties concerning communication which acts as a stumbling block for the real issue of gender roles. The capacity commonly associated with either males or females extensively defines society. Gender plays a central role in defining how different characters communicate their feelings and issues. An analysis into this drama establishes that a reader will be able to gain great insight into this drama only when he or she shifts attention to how gender shapes the events of this film.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof focuses on Maggie’s feminine desires which serve as a source of gender-based distinction. Maggie is presented as a hysterical and dissatisfied character that even goes to the extremes of prostrating herself before Brick. Her actions enable readers to deduce the societal views regarding women when the play was developed. Maggie offers an understanding of the subordinate role assumed by women and their reliance on their male counterparts for social validation. Furthermore, Maggie suffers from bouts of hysteria, bitterness, and anxiety because the man she wants does not want her. In earlier days, society underscored the feminine nature of such tendencies. Even so, the audience identifies with this hero, but is bound to be disappointed seeing that she is helpless when it comes to her love life in which she greatly relies on male validation and constantly appears helpless with respect to her relationships.

The men in this play display strong masculinity in their relationships, as each of them is keen on stamping his authority. Daddy and Brick present an inclination to depict narcissistic tendencies in their relationships. More specifically, Brick behaves as his father did in his youth: his temperament was filled with masculine indifference. Daddy pressures Brick to give him a grandson who bears the same qualities as Brick as well as his own to ensure that Daddy remains immortal (Brooks 12). This kind of pressure is bound to break their communication as it forces both to have a showdown about the secrets they have been keeping for themselves.

During the time frame William published the play, drunkenness was predominantly affiliated with men. In the play, Brick’s drunkenness paves the way for his repression while Daddy’s journey in the death country almost removes him from the scene. Regardless of the similarities present in Daddy and Brick’s relationship, their enmity becomes deep-rooted over time as they become either the recipient or the revealer of each other’s inadmissible secret. Daddy indicates an unshakable intent to force Brick to admit that he desires a relationship with Skipper, his dead friend, so that Daddy can receive a death sentence. Instead of allowing his father another chance at life, Brick lays out Daddy’s secrets, a violent act and brutal attack on Brick’s behalf. This action shows clearly that the two characters are keen on outdoing each other in a masculinity showdown. However, the tense nature of their relationship strains their communication presenting some difficulties in their ability to resolve their issues.

Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof rides on gendered ideas of what true marriage should be, which is depicted to be mainly heterosexual. However, Brick deviates from the gender norm and instead opts for a same-sex relationships. This kind of lifestyle seemingly hinders his manliness, which, according to society, is measured by the ability to subdue women in relationships. In particular, being a homosexual in this society equals broken manliness (Wensbay 14). Brick is constantly reminded of his relationship with Skipper, which impedes his capacity to communicate effectively. From the look of things, Brick is a broken man in spite of being the favorite son of a wealthy plantation owner. He would rather resort to liquor so that he can run away from the world that is keen on judging him for the choices he has made. Brick mourns the love he had for Skipper, though he imagines he feels that this is the only good and true thing to have happened in his life (Williams 12). As a result, Brick chooses to bottle up his feelings regarding his gender-related preferences thus concealing them from society in order to avoid their harsh judgments and criticism.

The setting used for the play indicates that women were tasked with the responsibility of building families. Under such circumstances, it became permissible for them to do whatever they could to deal with rogue men who deviated from upholding their station. When mama realizes that the two men in her life are at loggerheads, she takes it upon herself to put her family in order before it comes to ruin. She is still hopeful that Brick in spite of his abnormal sexual affiliations has the capability of turning into a family man. Mama hopes that the responsibilities that come with having a family that looks up to Brick will be a major factor in ending Bricks' alcoholism. As a result, their estate would fall in the hands of the rightful heir who would ensure the perpetuation of the family line.

An in depth analysis of the play highlights the fact that sons held the responsibility of continuing a family lineage, a highly gendered view. In comparison, the drama fails to confer a similar role to women. Mae and Gooper who are considered the monster of fertility as they have five children already and who belong to this family are not considered for the position. The reason is that they did not have effective communication with Daddy, which made Brick and not them the most, preferred heir. Mama is just following her husband's orders, as many women in a gendered society ought to do. The women must support their husbands’ decisions even if and when they are unconventional.