The constraints of men vs women in Tennesse Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958

Masculinity and femininity have been put on different standards by each other to compare and decide what the “supreme” gender is and who will take the hierarchy. Tennessee Williams wrote the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (COAHTR) between 1953 and 1955; it is a story focused on Margaret (Maggie) and Brick. Nearing Big Daddy’s birthday, on a warm evening, the story of married couple Maggie and Brick unfolds, and secrets arise, such as Brick’s homosexual tendencies, which he is unwilling to admit, and Maggie’s thoughts on their unhappy marriage. Williams compares the restrictions that apply to both masculinity and femininity, especially in the 1950s, which serves its purpose to critique gender expectations. In Act 1 of (COAHTR), Williams suggests the theory of how masculinity is as restrictive as femininity, especially when looking at the historical context of the 1950s.

Williams suggests that in the 1950s, men found other outlets, such as anger, affairs, and alcohol, to cope with societal restrictions when it comes to emotions. In the 1950s, consumerism and capitalism rose. It was also a period marked by conservatism and the return of traditional values due to post-war and the need for stability. Williams showcases the conservative expectations that are placed in America, especially in the South, and how they have affected Brick when he is talking to Maggie, “What you're doing is a dangerous thing to do. you’re - you’re -  you’re - foolin’ with something that- nobody ought to fool with.” When talking to Maggie, Brick stutters, allowing the audience to understand once Maggie states his homosexual tendencies, the traditional dream that he is trying to uphold and which has been enforced for him will fade. Williams hints at Brick's gay propensity by being representative of the traditional American dream; however, he is unemployed, an alcoholic, a failed athlete, and is injured. Through Brick's injury, Williams portrays his physical weakness as well as representing his psychological weakness through his drinking, which both showcase the lack of allowance for showing emotions in masculinity. Brick's alcoholism is a crutch, “the click I get in my head when I've had enough of this stuff to make me peaceful,” allowing him to hide his emotions and other tendencies. Williams also portrays another outlet for Brick's emotions through his dislike for Maggie and the domestic abuse towards her. To deny the accusations thrown towards him by Maggie, he threatens her before becoming psychical to hold on to his traditional dream, which he has been conditioned to think is the only ‘right' American dream. Due to his injury and alcoholism, as well as his homosexual tendencies, he is not sexually driven and fulfilling his role in the patriarchy, instead allowing Maggie to roam around like a cat, portraying how he is not fulfilling the demands that are demanded of him. Williams created Brick to showcase the expectations of masculinity in the 1950s and what the period was like if you were not following the American dream. He also critiqued the masculinity held by men in the 1950s, expressing his hopes for an equal world without the boundaries of masculinity.

Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958

Femininity in the 1950s allowed women only to live to please their husbands, and life should revolve around their children and spouse. There were restrictions in place only to allow you to thrive in the maternal aspect, but when it comes to work-life and parts of home life, it is up to your husband. Williams portrays Maggie with no maternal instinct and then compares Mae, her sister-in-law, and Maggie to portray the dream she desires with Brick. Maggie often calls Mae a “monster of fertility” to express her envy for Mae and her wish to have children, especially with Brick. Maggie romanticises Brick even though they are in a loveless marriage due to Brick's homosexual desires and not being sexually driven, and Maggie expects more from him, causing arguments. Williams portrays Maggie as a beacon of truth, making her confident that everyone will listen to her facts. The identity of women is flawed and based on the expectations of women in the 1950s to care for the home they shared with their children and husbands. Big Mama often blames Maggie for her and Brick's marital problems, suggesting that it is a woman's role to please her husband both sexually and in happiness, “D’you make Brick happy in bed?” Maggie struggles to find and understand who she is, as the expectations of women are to be feminine, gentle, obedient, and submissive to her husband, which are all things she is not. The Southern belle is the ideal woman to marry respectable young men and become a lady of society, representing the greatness of the South, all things which Mae does in (COAHTR). Williams compares Maggie to a cat, symbolising her desperation to fulfil the expectations of women in the 1950s, to be wealthy, and to have a happy marriage and children, all things which Mae has, fueling the resentment towards her. Brick often calls Maggie a “cat on a hot tin roof,” expressing her desire to stay with him even if, in the end, she gets hurt. By not being the traditional woman, Maggie tries to justify her loveless marriage “because I’m not that common, for one thing,” and expresses that she is not the run-of-the-mill compared to others, such as Mae, who follows the traditional dream created. Maggie expresses the urge for Brick to quit the alcohol due to generational trauma caused by her parents, “My daddy loved his liquor, he fell in love with his liquor… poor mama, having to maintain some semblance of social position, to keep appearances up.” Maggie dreams of being able to have the ideal life without any flaws and to be the perfect happy family without understanding that it is near impossible. The expectations the 1950s held for women allowed Williams to contradict and critique the restrictions that apply to women.