There are 9 symptoms reminiscent of the personality disorder that is narcissism. From the list at least 6 of these symptoms can be seen in the character of Brick They are (1) Immense feelings of self importance (2) Fantasies of ideal love (3) A constant desire for attention (4) Experiencing feelings of rage, shame and humiliation (5) A disability to emphasise with the feelings of others.
Crandell explains how Bricks feelings of self importance could have stemmed from the constant praise and admiration given to him by members of his family. For Mae describes him as a ‘beautiful athlete’ and Maggie (referring to his physical attractiveness) calls him a ‘superior human being’ and a ‘Godlike being’. We also see how many sufferers of narcissism seem to have various quality in their characters that manage to arouse the envy or admiration of others. And as we know Brick is the youngest child in the family and therefore the most likely recipient of his family’s affections. And of course he is held in resentment by his older brother Gooper who has ‘resented’ him since the day he was born. Mae also shares the same feelings towards him and mocks his entry in the third act with the line ‘Behold the conquering hero comes!’. In the play we hear Big Mamma saying that Brick is her ‘only son’. Another tendency of sufferers of narcissism is that they will feel the full force of their family’s expectations of them. And although Brick is not an only child, we can evidently see that he is his parent’s clear favourite by the way in which Big Daddy singles him out to inherit the estate. Also we can see that Brick is aware of his self-importance from the way in which he consciously serves himself a drink before anyone else
‘Looks back over his shoulder and smiles with a wry and charming smile and says’ “I’m sorry! Anyone else ?”
Bricks second symptom which is that of ideal love. Following the death of Skipper, Bricks clings to the friendship that they once shared, blaming himself for what happened. ‘One man has one great good thing in his life. One great good true thing which is true! I had friendship with Skipper”. And even if Brick was admitting to having something more than just a friendship with Skipper, due to the strict code of what was considered to be socially acceptable it is highly unlikely that Brick would ever admit anything of the sort . As Kernberg says “Narcissistic patients characteristically develop to adapt themselves to the moral demand of their environment……….”
He then mentions Bricks constant desire for attention and admiration. A signal that not only does he rely on others to boost his self esteem but that he contrary to what he may think actually does crave some kind of contact with people. His constant want of attention spanned through his brief period as a pro football player. And through this Brick somehow became addicted to the attention it exposed him to. Like alcohol it became a drug to him through which he could escape. And whilst trying to relive this happy period on a school track, Brick falls and breaks his ankle once again ensuring him the majority of people’s attention. Especially as there is an article written about him I one of the local newspapers the ‘Clarksdale register’ . Even if the feelings of his family are not necessarily those of sympathy it does not matter as he once again is the centre of attention. This attention is essential to Brick he thrives upon it and again it is like some kind of tonic in which he lives on. He needs to be admired for attributes such as his beauty, charm and power. That night on the track he was merely trying to experience again the one time glory he had as an athlete. As his second job as a sports caster proved far less satisfying and failed too deliver him the attention he craved, as for once all eyes were not on him. In his conversation with Big Daddy he not only conveys to him his disdain for the job along with the reason he quit but he acknowledges that time has out-ran him. ‘Sit in a box watching a game I can’t play? Describing what I can’t do while players do it?.... Time just outran me, Big Daddy-got there first”. Could this realisation be part of the road to recovery for Brick. Showing us that even by facing up to just one realisation we can see that there are signs of a potential recovery.
Another factor in symptom in which Crandells seems to analyse is Bricks cold indifference and his apparent refusal to listen. Our first example of this is (near the end of the first act) when Maggie having been repeatedly ignored by Brick is prompted to yell “Are you listening to me? Are you? Are you LISTENING TO ME?. This is also shown in his communication with Bid Daddy and Bid Mamma.
From this Bricks selfishness is truly exposed and we learn that he doesn’t really care for anyone except himself just like anyone suffering from narcissism might. ‘It’s hard for me’ he says ‘To understand how anybody could care if he lived or died or was dying or cared about anything’. We see that he is concerned only with what troubles him and not the feeling of others. This ‘narcissistic gaze’ disables him from seeing anyone else’s point of view but his own.
Bricks sudden outburst of rage are also linked to his apparent illness. The majority of this rage we can see is normally vented on Maggie or Big Daddy. And each time the reason for this anger can nearly always be traced back to his relationship Skipper.
‘But you started drinking.’ Says Big Daddy when he speaks of how Skippers death may have affected Brick.
Brick: ‘YOU THINK SO TOO?’ reply’s Brick jumping to the conclusion that Big Daddy automatically thought that he and Skipper shared more than just a friendship. And following the late night telephone call that Skipper received in which Skipper chose to reveal to him his true feelings, we learn that Brick hangs up the call, rejecting Skippers love. And upon this he not only loses his best friend but experiences shame and ‘disgust with himself’. Maggie is also another main recipient of bricks anger and he repeatedly threatens to beat her with his crutch, if she ever brings up the subject of Skipper. ‘Maggie you want me to hit you with this crutch……I could kill you with this crutch!’. This anger is driven firstly by his wounded pride and secondly his petulant desire for revenge upon hearing what he does not want to hear.
‘Only this could even the score between them: one inadmissible thing in return for another’
He carries his revenge out by refusing to sleep with Maggie and by revealing to Big Daddy that he is in fact dying.
Another tendency of narcissism is a lack of interest in what happens in the future. Brick proved this by his refusal to sleep with Maggie and produce an heir, showing how he does not care for his family’s or the estates future. Also his alcoholism shows his lack of care for himself and his selfishness towards a family that needs him. Instead Brick prefers to relive the memories in his head of the times when he was at his happiest. Where he was young and always the centre of attention.
There is also an element of Brick being unable to interact with himself as does not realise that in his case ‘self reflection does not lead to self-revelation’ . He cannot see that his state of depression not only from skippers death. But from his own guilt and the fact that he refused to acknowledge Skippers love for him
In the third scene of ‘Cat on a hot tin roof’ Elia Kazan suggested that Williams make several changes. As like the original story of Narcissus he considered that Cat on a hot tin roof’ had an equally pessimistic outcome. Death eventually claims Narcissus, yet even in death his suffering does not end. ‘He found a pool to gaze im/watching his image in the stygian water’. And Elia Kazan felt that it would be wrong for the audience to leave the theatre thinking that Brick will never change. He shows that he will continue not to sleep with her by again refusing her pleas for an heir. And he rejects her last ditch attempt at declaring her love for him by responding with ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if that was true?’. Again this suggests a less that positive outcome.
Although in the Revised Broadway version Williams offers a different and much more positive ending. And just like Ovid he ‘exploits the optimistic possibilities suggested by the notion of metamorphosis’ in which Narcissus is transformed into a beautiful flower. And like Bricks apparent recovery this metamorphosis is seen as miraculous.
For Brick as if miraculously cured suddenly becomes aware of his alcohol problem and admits that he has ‘lies to himself’ And is willing to undergo treatment for his condition unlike in the original scene. He goes on to defend Maggie from Mae and Gooper when she lies about being pregnant and says to her ‘I admire u Maggie’ suggesting a much more optimistic outcome for their relationship and the other characters in the play. Although many critics have argued that it would be just too miraculous for Brick to make such a drastic change in such a short space of time. Considering the play does not exceed one day.
Susan Koprince in her essay entitled ‘Tennessee Williams’s unseen characters’ ……
But on the other hand Charles.E.May believes that what Brick suffers from is Metaphysical rather than psychological. Metaphysical being a certain branch of philosophy which is impossible to explain in sexual or psychological terms, in which an individual may struggle to come to terms with their place and purpose in the world. The question that he is trying to answer is ‘What does Bricks detachment mean?’ What he means by metaphysical is that like the Shakespearian character ‘Hamlet’ who also suffers from a similar thing in which he cannot find his true identity. As a result he takes his frustration and disgust at this out on others. Especially his mother, of whom he was supposed to have incestuous feelings towards. Even if she is not truly the object of his disgust, having these kinds of feelings towards her makes it easier for him to vent his disgust on her in order to deal with his situation . The same rule applies for Brick who is also going through a bit of an identity crisis himself. And with this he finds a vent for his disgust and frustration by taking it out on Skipper. And therefore he is unable to see the real cause for his dilemma. Skipper is just a small part of Brick’s problem. As like Hamlet who senses ‘that the rottenness in Denmark reflects a rottenness at the heart of existence’, Brick is aware of the mendacity in society and is even aware of the mendacity a little bit closer to home within Big Daddy’s plantation.
Big Daddy: If I give you a drink, will you tell me what it is you’re disgusted with Brick?
Brick: Have you ever heard of the word mendacity?
Even though Big Daddy fails to understand the general idea of how Brick is trying to explain his problem, he is still able to recognise that there are problems within the family and problems in society regarding what is socially acceptable.
What’s more, Brick makes no attempt to even deal with his problem. He seems to have just accepted it and the way that things are .For example when he drinks in order to achieve the ‘click’. This is his way of retreating from the world and its harsh realities such as the true nature of his friendship with Skipper. And due to the fact that Bricks is the main focus in the play, a great deal of action goes on around him regarding the characters and their motives. And therefore Brick remain inactive and un-revealed. This is probably because if Brick were to make any kind of effort it would be the kind of effort that would be doomed to fail. Also William’s story telling narrator says ‘that his self disgust came upon him with the abruptness and violence of a crash on a highway’. But what was this ‘crash’? Brick was as close as one can get to living the ‘American dream’ and he had what most young men would have killed for, he was rich, successful and handsome. So the only thing left to consider is the fact of whether his problem was that of a sexual nature such as his emasculation by his wife Maggie and sexual impotence. And May goes on to speak of the allusion of castration, ‘The meanest thing one human can do to another human being is to take his respect for himself away from him….I had it took away from me! I won’t tell you how , but maybe , being men about my age you’d be able to guess it’ . He continues this theory of castration when Brick speaks of addressing his alcoholism ‘I’m not going to take no cure and I’m not going to take no pledge, I’m just going to prove I’m a man with his balls back on him’. But, the irony and contradiction of trying to prove his masculinity should be enough of a hint that Bricks problem is not that is not that of a sexual nature. We learn that perhaps Bricks problem is more basic and pervasive than that of a sexual matter. And this ‘sexual’ problem is merely a symbol of objectification.
In the play Bricks running game of detachment is as destructive and as damaging as that in the ‘three players’ story. Brick just doesn’t care or love anyone enough o stop playing the game and consequently he damages Skipper, Maggie and Big Daddy. All of whom need or have needed his love. The thing is that Brick is actually aware their need for love yet he refuses to acknowledge these facts, as involving himself in their problems would mean returning to reality and the chaos of real life that disgusts him so. He has come to the conclusion that the love of another human is not enough to satisfy the soul but by ‘It’s very nature such a love negates the possibility of such fulfilment’ somewhere. Perhaps it was this realization that made Williams object to the changes that Kazan wished for him to make in the last scene. As in the original version when Maggie announces her pregnancy, Brick remains quiet. But not to help Maggie, it is purely to disentangle himself from the complexities o family life in order to keep up his continuing indifference. Although in the Broadway version Bricks last words are ‘I admire you Maggie’. Which gives us the implication that he has found some kind of solution to his problem. Although the conclusion to the original version is fare more ambiguous. In the last few lines Maggie says to Brick ‘Oh you weak beautiful people… I do love you…’ and Bricks final response as the curtain falls is ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if that was true’. This is not just a response to Maggie’s declaration of love for him, but quite a fitting response to Maggie’s claim that all people like Brick need to resolve their metaphysical problems in order for someone to love them.
In the ‘Three players of a summers game’ we see that the character Isabel is referring to Brick when she answers Mary Louise’s question about why the sun goes south, ‘Precious, Mother cannot explain the movements of the heavenly bodies, You know as well as Mother knows it. Those things are controlled by certain mysterious laws that people on earth don’t know or understand.’ And it is the reason that perhaps Tennessee Williams left Bricks problem unresolved and wished to end the play in the way that he did. Perhaps he was trying to emphasis that the matter was out of anyone’s hands even Bricks. As it is a problem that seems to be unknown by ordinary epistemology or solvable by the means of psychological analysis.