Tennessee Williams: Symbolism in Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof - Essay Example

Tennessee Williams: Symbolism in Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams was a tortured man who lived at a time when he could not fully express himself in his early life. He looked at society through a lens of disappointment, disillusionment and shame. He used his feelings to explore the ugliness of society and the realities that people dealt with during his time. Because he was able to translate this information in a way that people could relate to their own lives, he became one of the most renowned playwrights of his time. Williams grew up at a time when he would experience two wars. He would see how people treated each other and how they responded to the different facets of society. He grew up in Columbus, Mississippi, a small town that had its share of strangeness as any small town does. He was no stranger to adversity and dysfunction. He grew up in a family where his mother was aggressive and longed to stay within the genteel South. His father was emotionally distant and abusive. His older sister Rose would spend most of her life in and out of mental institutions for emotional problems that would never be totally resolved (Haley 1). Williams suffered from chronic depression and he often used drugs to try and heal the pain he felt. All of these situations would find a place within his most famous plays. WILLIAM'S EARLY LIFE Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911. The name "Tennessee" was given to him in college as a nickname because of his Southern drawl ("Tennessee Williams Biography" 1). His dysfunctional family influenced his writings in later years. His father was a traveling salesman who was emotionally absent from the family and abusive. As the children grew older he was increasingly emotionally and physically abusive to them. His mother was the daughter of a Southern Episcopal minster and was used to being treated as a spoiled Southern Belle ("Tennessee Williams Biography" 2). The family moved to St. Louis eventually but the change in the two environments was difficult for his mother and she never really adjusted to the situation. Williams was very sickly as a child, no doubt form the stress he felt growing up in his family and biographers say that his mother was more smothering than truly helpful to him. Williams would also find that he was emotionally fragile as he moved throughout his life. In 1929 he went to the University of Missouri and was promptly withdrawn from it after his father found out that he failed ROTC. He took a very unsatisfying job at his father's shoe company which eventually led to a nervous breakdown in 1935. He had begun writing at that time and the strain of work and writing became too difficult. He was able to recover from the breakdown while staying with his grandparents in Memphis; he always saw amateur productions of his plays in Memphis and St. Louis ("Tennessee Williams Biography" 2). While Williams was recuperating in St. Louis, his sister Rose had a "terrible" breakdown that eventually led to a lobotomy for her; this would haunt Williams for the rest of his life because he feared his own sanity would take him to the same place. Williams later went back to school and graduated for the University of Iowa in 1938 and "came out" as a homosexual. "After struggling with his sexuality through his youth, he finally entered a new life as a gay man, with a new name, a new home and a promising new career" ("Tennessee Williams Biography" 3). After college he took different jobs and took playwriting classes while working at MGM as a scriptwriter. In 1945, his play "The Glass Menagerie" won a NY Critics Circle Award after it was produced on Broadway. In 1947, he won another NY Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for "Streetcar Named Desire." As he was moving into his fame and fortune he also met a man that would become his life partner for ten years; his partner died of lung cancer at the end of those ten years. His partner had been a stabilizing force in his life when he was going through periods of depression and anxiety. After his partner died, Williams threw himself into his work and critics say this was when he was the most productive. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS A PRODUCT OF HIS TIME Like most writers during the 1940's and 1950's Williams wrote about what he knew. His characters are rich and unforgettable because he lets the audience understand his characters on a very deep level. He called this perspective "poetic realism" because he gave powerful portraits of the "human condition" ("Tennessee Williams Biography" 3). He also was not afraid to deal with the difficult and taboo subjects like madness, incest, rape, nymphomania, or violent and fantastic death. It seems that he wanted to show society what they really looked like and leave the audience with many things to think about and talk about after the play. Historically the nation would see World War II and the Cold War back to back. They would have already been through the Great Depression and they would have gone through their own difficult situations with finances and some of the very real problems that Williams showed. During the 1940's many other writers were creating works with realism as themes including Arthur Miller ("Death of a Salesman"), Eudora Welty and Robert Penn Warren. Most were also from the South and according to VanSpankeren they "all explored the fate of the individual within the family or community and focused on the balance between personal growth and responsibility to the group" (1). Williams fit well into this group because of his focus on disturbed emotions which were no doubt fashioned by his mother and older sister. He also focused on unresolved sexuality within families which may have been an aspect of homosexuality in his life. Most of his plays also explored the different types of sexual desire (VanSankeren 2). Williams explained that his characters were tormented by sexual desire which also showed their loneliness. His character's loneliness was possible overshadowed by his own struggled with loneliness and sexual desire as one of the first writers in America to live an openly gay lifestyle. GENERAL THEMES IN HIS WRITING According to Paul Reuben, Williams gave his themes a foundation through psychoanalysis which was particularly influenced by the writings of Freud. He used two of Freud's books specifically: Suppressed Desires and Interpretation of Dreams (Reuben 1). These two books would help him delve into the human psyche in ways that writers had not done up until his time. Some critics including Reuben believe that because Williams could not get close to his father he acquired an Oedipus Complex with his mother and repressed his sexual feelings for her. Whether this is true or not cannot be substantiated but the themes that run through his plays show many aspects of lust, sexual desire and complicated family relationships. His plays continue to inspire and entertain audiences and those that have been made into movies continue to draw audiences. THEMES AND SYMBOLISM IN THE PLAY "STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE" Blanche Dubois is one of the main characters in "Streetcar" and it becomes clear that she has more than a "nervous condition." Mental illness was not openly discussed in polite society and many family members were left in mental institutions when the family felt they were not fitting in well. Some, like Blanche lived with their families during bad times but no one discussed "the problem". Blanche goes to stay with her sister Stella after she looses their ancestral home. Stella's husband, Stanley, does not like Blanche from the beginning of her stay. Blanche is very prone to put on airs and behave in a way that makes Stanley uncomfortable. Stella pulled away from her family's wealth and "uppity-ness" to live quietly with Stanley who she loves deeply; she enjoys the sexual pleasure she receives from him and she is pregnant with their first child at the beginning of the play (SparkNotes). In "Streetcar" Williams explores the themes of domestic violence, intense sexual desire, alcoholism, sexual addiction and attempted rape; all taboo subjects for his time. In the play there were many symbols that were used to intensify the audience's reaction to what was happening on stage. It is revealed that Blanche sleeps around and that she is emotionally stable. Her descent into madness is represented first by shadows on the wall and later by discordant noises and jungle cries. By the end of the play she has slipped out of reality and into her own delusional and dark world (SparkNotes). Part of Blanche's emotional challenge is about Allen, a former husband who she finds out is a homosexual. She caught him in bed with another man and because of his shame, and because Blanche has called him "disgusting" Allen killed himself. This could have been a situation reminiscent of William's own life and it could have been a possible reality for him if he had not had the outlet of writing. When Blanche is thinking about him and feeling guilty about his death, the audience hears the music of the Varsoviana Polka. As she slips further into madness, the music is played more often. The music also symbolizes the loss of innocence (SparkNotes). Cardullo suggests that the audience should see that Blanche is a troubled soul. The audience should see her in a positive light because of the fact that she understands her lost innocence (45). She has always been abused by the men in her life and though she goes out with Mitch thinking she has finally found someone, she finds out that Mitch is just like all the rest: Mitch may be Blanche's hope at this point for a happy and secure future, but he will become, with the help of Stanley, another of the men who abused Blanche and caused her to relinquish not only her hold on her innocence but also on her sanity (Cardullo 45). She also feels so guilty about Allen that this is what triggers her descent into madness. The music is directly related to Blanche because as she begins to feel anxiety or panic, the music plays. Blanche is a chronic liar who already is living in a fantasy world by the time she gets to Stella. She has created a life of promiscuity and fantasy which makes "It's Only a Paper Moon" a perfect theme song for her. This song represents a carefree nature (that she believes she has) and the juxtaposition between the fantasy that Blanche has created in her mind and her present reality. The name of the play could also be a symbol because Blanche is told to take "a streetcar named Desire" as part of the directions to get to Stella's house. In one sense she has already taken a streetcar named Desire in her promiscuous behavior; she has been from stop to stop with many men. Michael Cummings says that she also is also looking for "the streetcar named desire" that will take her away from everything and help her to become a respectable woman (Cummings "Symbols" 2004). She is also told to take a streetcar named Cemeteries which Cummings is a symbol for the old "dead" and broken Blanche who will never find the man she seeks because she is "damaged property and edging towards madness" (Cummings "Symbols" 2004) The streetcar to Elysian's is a reference to a Greek mythology in that the Elysian fields were paradise; Blanche is seeking her paradise by moving to New Orleans. Williams was able to see the fallacies in the human condition and in "Streetcar", as in many of his plays, strong or unusual desire is mixed with passion and often leads to a bitter end. For Blanche, it ended bitterly and with a complete descent into madness. THEMES AND SYMBOLISM IN THE PLAY "CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF" "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" starts out with one of the main characters, Brick, in the shower. He is discussing a situation with his wife Maggie who is upset because the other relatives are in the house and may get money from Big Daddy's estate. She is upset because her relatives Mae and Gooper have children and this may sway Big Daddy to give them all the inheritance after he dies. Brick and Maggie have a tumultuous relationship. Brick borders on being abusive with his wife throughout the play. From the start of the play the audience is able to see the dysfunction within this family. It is revealed in the first few scenes that Brick had a homosexual relationship with a friend whose name is Skipper and that Margaret also attempted to sleep with him. Margaret (Maggie) confronts Brick about his relationship with Skipper and Brick throws a crutch at her (he is on crutches because he broke his ankle while jumping hurdles). "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a direct parallel to many of the experiences that Williams might have had throughout his life. Brick starts drinking after Skipper died. Tennessee Williams started using drugs after his lover died. In the play, Brick's father confronts him about his relationship with Skipper suspecting that he is a homosexual. This could have been Williams' way of creating the discussion between his father and himself that he could never have with his own father. Brick becomes emotionally distant from Maggie which is the way that Williams' father was with him. All of these are parallels to his real life situations. Themes in "cat" start with the fact that manliness is set with a specific idea. Everyone in this southern scene should be macho and manly. Brick is "broken" because of his homosexuality. Gooper is automatically manly because he has children. Brick cannot handle his relationship with his wife because of his homosexuality but he will not talk about it or admit it. He is allowed to distance himself with alcohol from even the thought of what he has done. The name of the play actually is the opposite them from manliness and it is expressive of a woman's desire for love and affection. In the play it is a symbol of Maggie's loneliness and she says she feels "like a cat on a hot tin roof" because of Brick's inattention. HOMOEROTICISM IN "CAT" Most literary critics point to the homosexual theme as one of the most important aspects in "Cat." There is no coincidence that the plantation is given to Big Daddy by a homosexual couple. The couple haunts the bedroom that Maggie and Brick share and they were a loving couple (Bibler 384). Bibler points out that the audience is never certain as to what is going on with Brick. Is he a closeted homosexual? Is he a heterosexual that is just experimenting? It is not important to the story to know for sure since Williams does not tell the audience. An interesting point that Bible makes is that this theme also creates an opportunity for the audience to contemplate the continuum of sexual desire for mean and that there may exist a "homosocial" continuum (Bibler 385). In a sense Brick is dealing with what Douglas Arrell calls a "moral paralysis" (62). Perhaps this is the reason that Brick has such a difficult time accepting his true sexuality. It is obvious that he feels ambivalent towards women because of the way he treats Maggie. This in of itself does not mean he is homosexual but it points to the idea of it. The moral dilemma comes in with the struggle that Brick has with is sexuality: on the one hand he has been taught that homosexuality is wrong but on the other hand he feels himself drawn to men. As in the manliness theme, there are certain ways that a "heterosexual" man is supposed to act and part of what he is supposed to do is get married and produce children. He is supposed to desire women and he shows this by lusting after them and making sure that he gets plenty of sexual pleasure from them. The fact that Brick ignores Maggie who is a desired woman by "manly men" again points to his possible homosexuality. In the society in which Williams lived and in society today, when a man does not do these things that are expected, society proposes that "he must be gay." The moral paralysis makes Brick stand in the middle after Skipper is gone without going towards either individual. He is attempting to stuff his desires for other men and he cannot bring himself to be with Maggie. Perhaps Williams wanted the audience to face the fallacy of human nature in that an individual is unable to express himself totally if he has desires that are not seen as "normal." Because Williams was homosexual and probably dealt with his own "moral paralysis" in his younger years, perhaps he wanted the audience to take a good look at themselves and how they judged people who were "different. SYMBOLISM IN "CAT" Ironically the bed that Brick and Maggie share once belonged to the original owners of the house and the plantation who were a homosexual couple. The bed is "haunted" by the homosexual loving couple throughout the play and as though Brick was to follow after them. (SparkNotes). The bed further suggests a troubled marriage and implies that the "ideal relationship that can't be found with a heterosexual marriage" (Kolin ""Tennessee Williams" 116). The console in the play is ugly and large which serves to show the "comforts and illusions" that people hide behind; this points back to the homosexuality because it was a desire that had to be hidden. It is also noted that Brick's crutch is a phallic symbol that becomes a symbol of his emasculation or castration. The crutch gets removed and given back several times throughout the play. Brick's broken ankle with the crutch also is a symbol of his "woundedness" and a symbol that his "castration won't be permanent" (Kolin "Tennessee Williams" 116). Philip Kolin states that the name "Skipper" is a significant symbol in the story because it is illustrious of desire and evokes the lustiness that sailors are supposed to possess. Skipper can also be attached to Brick in that he "skips along" on his crutches (Kolin "William's Cat" 215). Kolin also suggests that the name was a way that Williams used to shed a little humor into the story because technically Brick "skips" Maggie and goes to Skipper (Kolin "William's Cat" 216). Kolin also says that the play shows Maggie as a fiery and passionate woman who is sensual and mysterious but who can also be jealous and vindictive. This indicates the changing and unpredictable temperament of cats (Kolin "Tennessee Williams" 115). Michael Bibler suggests that the plantation that Big Daddy owns is also a symbol because it is there as a "stronghold of the past in an increasingly modern world" (383). Big Daddy is also a symbol as the backbone of the family and he is looking for someone strong enough (like himself) and manly enough to take over the plantation after he dies. The challenge is that the audience never gets to know who this other person might be because the play is totally centered on the homoeroticism and the interplay between Brick and Maggie. CONCLUSION Anytime a play or other written work is presented there are a variety of ways it can be interpreted. The only way to know for certain what an author is thinking about is to ask them. Williams wrote about his plays in several books so people have an opportunity to see exactly what he says about his plays. It is clear throughout his work that Williams wanted to make sure that the audience saw a myopic view of the challenges, stereotypes and ugliness that the society in which they live had created. His plays reflect his perceptions of the world through his own eyes and his experiences. He was a very troubled man and his plays are largely about his life and many of his characters are based on people he met in real life. Williams led a very good life and it is sad to say that he died from asphyxiation after a bottle cap to one of his prescriptions was lodged in his throat; he was 72 years of age (Thomas n.d.). He was able to receive crucial acclaim before his death and perhaps that is exactly what was needed for this immortal soul. Works Cited Arrell, Douglas. "Homosexual Panic in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Modern Drama 51.1 (Spring 2008) p. 60-72. Literary Reference Center Database EBSCOhost [AN: 33022703]. Bibler, Michael P. "A tenderness which was uncommon: Homosexuality, narrative and the southern plantation in Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. " The Mississippi Quarterly 55.3 (2002): 381-400. ProQuest. [Document ID: 354810641]. Cardullo, Bert. Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Explicator. 85. 43 p44. 8 May 2009. Academic Search Premier EBSCOhost. [AN: 7089664]. Cummings, Michael J. "A Streetcar Named Desire" A Study Guide. 2004. 9 May 2009. . Haley, Darryl E. "Thomas Lanier Williams March 26, 1911 - February 23, 1983 Biography: Tennessee Williams" 5 May 2009. . Kolin, Philip. (ed). Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance. 1998. CT: Greenwood Press. 7 May 2009 . ---.  "Williams's Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. " The Explicator  60.4 (2002): 215-216. Research Library. ProQuest. 6 May. 2009  [Document ID: 185119341]. Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 8: Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)" in PAL: Perspectives in American Literature-A Research and Reference Guide -- An Ongoing project. 4 May 2009. . "Streetcar Named Desire: Symbols." SparkNotes.com 1999-2009. 5 May 2009. . "Tennessee Williams Biography" Gradesaver. 5 May 2009. Thomas, Matthew. "Tennessee Williams: A Brief Biography" in PAL: Perspectives in American Literature-A Research and Reference Guide -- An Ongoing project. 4 May 2009. . Vanspanckeren, Katheryn. "Chapter 8: American Prose Since 1945: Realism and Experimentation" in Outline of American Literature. 6 May 2009. Read More