Social Expectations In Tennessee Williams Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Most people care greatly for image. Social groups will usually change their interests, clothing, and sometimes personality to fit the cultural norm or popular standard. Tennessee Williams depicts this in his popular play, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Throughout the show, the audience can notice the characters’ various overdramatic mannerisms and even what comes through their speech. Thus, a viewer can conclude that this production’s main theme is social expectation and its effects on society. A literature theme is an idea that the author attempts to imply through the behavior of the characters and the development of the plot. This is the code through which writers convey and communicate their ideas and explorations. “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” reviews and explores social expectations and their effects on society. Some of these ideas include homosexuality and feminism. Williams explores homosexuality in Brick and Skipper, while he illustrates feminism through Maggie. “She adjusts the angle of a magnifying mirror to straighten an eyelash,” (Williams 20). Clearly, the audience can see that she is vain in that she deeply cares about her appearance, like all distinctly feminine women do. “She giggles with a hand fluttering at her throat and her breast and her long throat arched.” (Williams 24).

Through Maggie’s fight between femininity and boyish activities and Brick’s struggle with homosexuality, readers are given the option to see and understand the world through Williams’ perspective. The playwright likely chose this topic to outline in his play because it is something that everyone struggles with daily. One may try to live up to impossible social standards, yet one has no grounds in one’s character to even begin. No human being is perfect. Despite this, these standards remain expectations and social