Ben Schuckman

Mr. Butler

English 11

22 February 2021

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Willians, a closeted homosexuals life is portayed

in 1950s Mississippi. Mendacity is the trait of being untruthful or dishonest. Many of the

characters can be seen acting mendaciously; compared to the rest of the characters, Brick stands

out the most when it comes to hiding his true feelings with others. Brick expresses mendacity

through the way he treats his wife Maggie, and how he hides his true sexual identity.

In the 1950s, a man leaving his wife is detrimental to the status of the woman, but a man

leaving his wife for another man, is even more socially unacceptable than a dicorce. Brick does

not want to leave Maggie because of how much it will damage her reputation so he has set

conditions with here in order for them to continue living together. Maggie, who still loves Brick,

often breaks these conditions and is constantly reminded that Brick does not “have to do

anything [he doesn’t] want to do. You keep forgetting the conditions on which I agreed to stay

on living with you” (Williams 895). Brick is not treating his wife properly and she constantly

wants more from his resulting in her breaking Bricks conditions. Brick is also seen treating his

wife poorly when she gives him a kiss and Bricks “immediately wipes [off] with the back of his

hand” (Williams 924). This upset Maggie and Brick shortly after goes on to say that he was not

even conscious of doing it.

 Brick and his friends Skipper are both closeted homosexuals but refuse to come out and

make it public. Back in college, Brick and Skipper were both football players trying their hardest

not to appear as gay. Once Brick got hurt and Skipper started to drink more, they did not have a

great mask to hide their true identities. Maggie becomes suspicious of Skipper and finally

addresses him about his love for Brick, this stress ends up killing Skipper and Brick is left alone

in this world with no one to love. Maggie tries to tell Brick that she knew his relationship with

Skipper was not clean and how they both had feeling for each other but Brick insists that his

relationship with “Skipper was that one great true thing, and you arc naming it dirty!” (Williams

910). Brick refuses tp come clean about his true feelings with his late friend Skipper.

Mendacity is the system in which is pushed on men to keep them acting more manley and

proper rather than letting them express themselves. Bricks closeted homosexuality and they way

in which he acts are clear examples. Brick treats his wife in awful ways after losing the only man

he loved in this world.