An old English idiom goes, “do not judge a book by its cover”, the meaning being that things are often more complex than how they appear. Contrary to this opinion, titles of a work frequently give insight into the basis of the composition. Tennessee Williams, a renowned playwright, often went against this standard, choosing instead to use complex titles with symbolic meanings as opposed to purely plot-based titles. Two of his most prolific plays A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof both have titles that describe the metaphoric relationship to the main characters in their plays. The titles A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof both characterize the traits of their primary female characters to spotlight the developing role of women in the public eye.
The traits of characters Blanche and Maggie are developed through the
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In a similar fashion, Maggie has already reached the optimal Elysium by the beginning of the play being married to an athlete with a large family inheritance. The characters Maggie and Blanche are found to be in almost opposite conditions with respect to backgrounds and current life with Maggie being born into poverty and eventually surrounded by fortune in opposition to Blanche who was born into a fortune but is now succumbed to the repercussions of her actions. At first glance, Maggie can be compared to the “cat” as she is strong willed and willing to stand up for herself, similar to the common superstition that cats have nine lives evidently showing that she is strong hearted. Although it seems as if she has her life together at first, her marriage seems to be on the rocks and can be compared to a “hot tin roof” as it is hot with anger, rage, and sexual lust by Maggie to get pregnant. Maggie at first compares herself to “a cat on a tin roof” and is told to “jump off”(Cat On a Hot Tin Roof), it is shown that the marriage