Page 9 – I am getting softer Maggie till page 11: the click I get in my head when I have had enough

of this
stuff to make me peaceful

Discus Williams presentation of Maggie at this point in the play. In your answer, you should refer in detail
to William’s use of language and action in the extract

 But one thing I don't have is the charm of the defeated, my hat is still in the ring, and I am
determined to win! —can’t acknowledge that her relationship with Brick is perhaps irreparable –
not prepared to accept that
 Oh, excuse me, forgive me, but laws of silence don't work! No, laws of silence don't work. . . .
(hypocrisy) – relate to later point inn play
 Infatuation with getting with child (relate with Mae) and holding brick in such high esteem --
internalized patriarchy – relate this with big daddy
 truth teller -- though not honest with herself
 catty (dialog)
 one sided relationship – visible in amount of dialog and the dialog itself
 pragmatism vs idealism of Maggie
 change of tone+stage directions
 desperation visible through italics/tone
 Brick crosses to the bar, takes a quick drink, and rubs his head with a towel.
 Spoken like lightning – mirrors his physical threats – cowardly nature – Maggie has propensity to
bring that side out of Brick

When looking at the American South of the 1950’s, it is perfectly symbolized in Tennessee Williams ‘Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof,’ which is perhaps one of the reasons why it has immortalized itself in recent literature.
The internalized patriarchy, homophobia, subordination of women and slavery which are salient features
of the era of the time are also key elements within the play itself. However, while the play is indeed
reminiscent of the lies we tell others and even ourselves, it has managed to carve its own space in
modern literature with characters like Maggie who have set themselves apart from others with their
identity as a ‘truth teller.’

From the very onset of the play, it is apparent that the relationship between Brick and Maggie is strained
and not at all a ‘normal’ relationship. In fact, it would be quite an understatement to describe it strained
since it is characterized by the one-sided hate of Brick towards Maggie and her largely doomed attempts
to win his heart back. The reasons for this dynamic in their relationship is not apparent to the audience
at all while reading the play but this is one of techniques that Williams to provide context which is
known as the Ibsenian technique by revealing context behind the problems of the couple’s relationship.
He not only keeps the suspense alive through this technique by keeping the curiosity of the audience
peaked but there is always more to unpack about each character and their interactions with others. The
same goes for Maggie who has been presented at this point as a character who tries to force Brick to
confront the underlying reality of their relationship, something which he has no interest in talking about.
In actuality, he has no interest in talking about anything, which is visible by his sparse dialogue and more
than 4 fifths of the dialogue taking place by Maggie within this very scene. Relating this to the entirety of
Act 1, this is a trend that is carried which suggests two things: one, that Brick hates and despises Maggie
so much that he does not even deign her with a reply and two, that Maggie is unnaturally optimistic
about returning the relationship to its ‘prior’ status given her determination by her incessant pestering.
In many ways, It mirrors her role as a ‘cat on a hot tin roof’ within the play which is ascribed to her by
other characters and even herself. Much like a cat on a hot tin roof, her incessant dialogue can be taken
as the constant meowling of the cat calling out for anyone to help her but there is no one to listen to the
cat, much like Brick, the intended target is not listening to Maggie. In effect, this describes the inability of
Maggie to accept defeat, something which is echoed by her dialogue ’one thing I don’t have is the charm
of the defeated, my hat is still in the ring and I am determined to win.’

This dialogue itself shows us another sign of Maggie: that she treats all of this to some level like a game
and much like how people in a game tend to cheat and use anything to their advantage, in much the
same manner, Maggie, who is accepting of the harsh truths around her unlike many of the characters in
the play tends to weaponize these things to her advantage. One example is of her sexuality and sensual
nature. Maggie is aware of her physical beauty and knows that it is one of the only metrics that the
patriarchy judges women by and she feels no hesitation in flaunting it as a means of seducing Brick. Even
more importantly, Maggie is aware that Brick hates her and that his alcoholism is one form of coping
with his disgust and existential crisis. Quite sadly as well, she knows the only hope she has of breaking
Brick’s ‘wall’ is if he becomes so drunk that he loses all semblance of reality when she says, Later tonight
I'm going to tell you I love you an’ maybe by that time you'll be drunk enough to believe me.’ This forces
the audience to question why she is making all these attempts- which at times are rather pathetic and
mirroring the behavior of a beggar- to repair their relationship when she is aware to a large extent that it
is irreparable. This is because Maggie is a pragmatist, much like Big Daddy which goes against Brick’s
idealistic mindset. She is not willing to accept Brick’s silence and admit defeat because she has come
from nothing and it is not an option for her to give up when the topic of Big Daddy’s inheritance is
looming near and near. According to her, ‘When something is festering in your memory or your
imagination, laws of silence don't work,’ which is interesting considering that she doesn’t live up to her
own words. An example is of her saying to Brick to say nothing to Big Daddy and just write Happy
Birthday on his card which is contrary to her emphasis on the fact that ‘laws of silence don’t work.’
Maggie is also not able to fully accept that her relationship with Brick is perhaps irreparable which
suggests that maybe she is a ‘truth teller’ for others, but just not for herself.

Looking deeper into the extract, Maggie’s infatuation with Brick is a very curious topic. Maggie knows
that even in the past, Brick didn’t really ‘love’ her in the ways that counted. She says so herself regarding
Brick’s lovemaking that it was ‘more like opening a door for a lady or seating her at a table than giving
expression to any longing for her……. —strange? —but true.’ She is admitting to herself that this behavior
is ‘strange’ but accepts it as the truth because it is ‘Brick’ we are talking about, the absolutely dashing
and handsome ‘Greek God,’ as he has been presented by Maggie herself elsewhere in Act 1. This is a
glaring example of the internalized patriarchy that is rooted within Maggie and all the female characters
within the play like Mae and Big Mama. While Maggie does weaponize her sexuality, unlike other
characters in the play, at the same time she has never imagined herself beyond that when we know that
she is quite smart if not twisted at times. The only value she sees herself bringing to the family is to serve
as a breeder and ‘carry on the lineage’ which is the entire problem regarding the marriage between Brick
and Maggie. Societal pressure in the form of Big Mama confronting her regarding her nighttime activities
with Brick and Mae’s incessant snooping feed further into this internalized patriarchy. A major problem
that Maggie has with Brick regarding the discontinuity of their sex life is the lack of children. She has very
clearly accepted or at least recognized Brick’s detached nature and indifferent attitude while lovemaking,
which is a very pragmatic attitude and is reminiscent of a person who tends to look at the larger picture,
which is the lack of children.

Maggie’s role as a truth teller is also most apparent within this scene. She has a knack for bringing out
the other side of Brick that he has purposefully restrained: the side that is filled with disgust and
violence. It is important to note that the liquor cabinet, the liquor itself as well as the ‘crutch’ wielded by
Brick are common defense mechanisms to avoid confronting the truth at all costs. It is interesting for the
audience to see that the moment Maggie mentions the mysterious character ‘Skipper’ who seems to be
the unmentioned variable in the equation, Brick crosses to the bar for a drink because he is resorting to
the bliss that is offered by alcohol to avoid confronting the truth. Even more interesting is him dropping
his crutch after Maggie’s monologue on the importance of letting the truth out. In many ways, the crutch
symbolizes the many masks that Brick puts on to ignore the past and the inescapable truths in his life
and we see time after time again that Maggie makes him vulnerable in this regard : he loses his ‘crutch’
when he is around Maggie. What is also more interesting is that Maggie tends to bring out the worst in
Brick as well and always manages to change the tone of the scene, something which is visible in Brick’s
outburst – ‘I don't want to lean on your shoulder, I want my crutch!’ The italicization along with the stage
directions describing the lightning-like utterance of this dialogue are enough for the audience to gauge
that this is a violent outburst from Brick, something which deviates from his calm, composed figure as a
fallen Greek God presented previously. What is funny though, that Maggie while scared at this outburst
by Brick as visible by the italicized ‘Here, here, take it, take it!”(one can just imagine the hushed tone in
which this dialogue is said by Maggie) displays an almost childlike curiosity and excitement at breaking
the ‘wall of Brick’s composure.’

Thus, it can be said that Williams does a superb job within this scene of not just providing exposition
regarding the problems within Maggie and Brick’s relationship but at the same time change our attitude
towards certain characters by showing sides of them that were previously not seen before and
highlighting them to great extents to mirror the questions regarding the institution of marriage and
internalized patriarchy that he has raised at other points in the play.