Explore the Theme of Tolerance in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'

925 Words4 Pages
Focus on: Tolerance Which characters are used to explore ideas about this subject? It is mainly through the characters of Brick and Big Daddy that Williams explores ideas about tolerance. Big Mama, Maggie, Mae and Gooper also make comments about tolerance. Which characters are used to explore ideas about this subject? It is mainly through the characters of Brick and Big Daddy that Williams explores ideas about tolerance. Big Mama, Maggie, Mae and Gooper also make comments about tolerance. What are the three (or four – or five!) most important moments in the play where this subject is explored? (where are the ideas introduced, where are the developed, where – and how – are they resolved?)In the first two acts, tolerance is shown whether it is to do with family relationships or the theme of lying throughout the play.1) The first comment that Maggie makes is at the beginning of Act One, ‘One of those no-neck monsters hit me with a hot buttered biscuit’. This is showing Maggie’s dislike towards Mae, Gooper and their children. She tolerates them and accepts them as part of her family even though most of the time she complains about them to Brick. During ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, Mae and Gooper mock Maggie and Brick for not having any children which keeps up tension. 2) A little further into Act One, Maggie and Brick are talking about their relationship. Maggie says ‘I am not living with you. We occupy the same cage’. This shows how both Maggie and Brick are having marital problems but are tolerating each other in order to keep Big Mama and Big Daddy happy. Throughout the play, Maggie is trying to become closer to Brick but he just pushes her away. He is more concerned about his ‘click’ and the loss of Skipper than his relationship with his wife. Whilst talking about Skipper, in Act One, Brick and Maggie get into another argument (this alone showing an unstable

More about Explore the Theme of Tolerance in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'

Open Document