Book review
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary
- Course
- Institution
- Book
Full summary that is easy to read and will definitely help you understand better each character and their motivations.
[Show more]
Connected book
Book Title:
Author(s):
- Edition:
- ISBN:
- Edition:
More summaries for
-
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
Seller
Follow
izzystudies
Content preview
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF SUMMARYAct 1
Brick is taking a shower in the bedroom he shares with his wife, Maggie. While
undressing, Maggie complains that Brick´s brother Gooper and his wife Mae have
been having their monstrous children perform for Big Daddy, incessantly reminding
him of their own childlessness. Now that Daddy is dying of cancer, Mae and Gooper
are trying to cut them out of the estate. The doctors have lied to Daddy and Mama,
claiming that Daddy only suffers from a spastic colon, but tonight the truth will be
revealed.
Brick is not helping any with his incessant drinking and much-publicized stunt on
the high school athletic field, where he broke his ankle jumping hurdles. Maggie is
confident of their advantage, because Big Daddy favors Brick,despises Gooper and
his wife, and has a "lech" (sexual perverted desire) for Maggie herself. Suddenly
Maggie catches sight of Brick staring at her in the mirror. She cries that she knows
she has become hard and frantic. Living with someone who doesn't love her has
made her a "cat on a hot tin roof." (she's always stressed and hyperactive)
Fiercely Maggie locks the door and draws the curtains. As she attempts to seduce
him, Brick warns her against making a fool of herself. Maggie murmurs she has
realized her mistake: she should not have confessed to making love with Skipper.
Maggie continues and says that Brick and Skipper's love was sad and awful because it
could never be satisfied or even talked about. Maggie recalls how on their double
dates in college it always seemed like the boys were out together. The night of the
Thanksgiving game, Maggie confronted Skipper on his desire. He made a pitiful
attempt to prove her wrong.
Threatening to kill her, Brick hurls his crutch (muleta) at her. Maggie insists that
now is her time of the month to conceive and they must make love. Brick wonders
how she plans to have a child with a man who cannot stand her. Big Daddy enters
ferociously and greets Brick. The servants enter with Daddy's cake, and a grotesque
sing-a-long commences. Daddy furiously orders everyone to stop. Mama sobs that he
has never believed that she loved him. "Wouldn't it be funny if that was true" Daddy
murmurs.
Act 2
Daddy asks for Brick. Maggie delivers him, giving him a kiss on the mouth that he
immediately wipes off. Daddy asks Brick why he wiped off her kiss. Mae and Gooper
have been saying that he won't sleep with Maggie (they were listening to their
conversations every night). As Brick freshens his drink, Daddy asks him about his
drinking problem. Brick cannot explain.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller izzystudies. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53022 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now