Explore the significance of the title of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

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Explore the significance of the title of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

        In the play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof the title is a metaphor. It refers to someone who is doing something that is hurting him/her physically or emotionally but he/she has to do it like a cat. A cat has to jump on hot tin roofs to get from one place to another quickly. They can jump off at any time and not burn their paws but they still carry on. However, some cats like the hot tin roof because they can bask in the sun. This implies that the people in the play, who feel like these cats, may enjoy being in the situations they are in. This makes it multi-faceted. In the play, the significance of the title is very important as nearly all of the main characters refer to it. Maggie, however, uses the title Cat on a Hot Tin Roof openly about her self, whilst Brick and Big Daddy talk about it.

        Tennessee Williams is the author of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and was American. This play was written in the 1950’s and addressed the problems people had in society then. These included homosexuality, dynasty/money, dreams, alcohol problems, and strong women. The title Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is significant because it expresses the emotions of people in America using images so that people nowadays can understand what they felt like.

        Maggie and Mae both want Big Daddy’s money and are cunningly, “squaring off on it, each other determined to knock off a bigger piece of it than the other” (p.56) as Brick put it. They are playing a game that is dangerous but they play it because the end result is Big Daddy’s inheritance. Mae asked Maggie, “Why are you so catty?” and Maggie replied, “cause I’m a cat!” This shows both women know who they are up against which essentially is a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The title is significant in this context because it tells us what Maggie and Mae are feeling like and how they both want Big Daddy’s money so much.

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        Maggie, on the other hand, is likely to be more a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof because she has another problem. Maggie loves Brick but he does not seem to show his affections back towards her. Maggie does not want to leave him and keeps on telling him how she is feeling. Brick responds by saying, “then jump off the roof, jump off it, cats can jump off roofs and land on their four feet uninjured!” He answers Maggie’s metaphor by twisting its meaning. What Brick really means is “take a lover” but Maggie insists she is a ...

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