Marital Tensions

-Tension evident between Brick and Maggie as well as Big Daddy and Big Mama in their marriages. 

-Unrequited love on the women’s behalf for their men in both situations. 

-Maggie, despite her beauty, holds no physical appeal to Brick. This is ironic as Big Daddy even finds Maggie attractive, and she uses this to her advantage. Yet she is still unable to use her looks to secure Brick's favor, and she struggles against this in order to secure herself in Brick's family. 

-Big Mama, who is relatively unattractive, does not appeal to Big Daddy who desires young, voluptuous women. 

  • Stage directions: “Nobody laughs louder at [Big Daddy’s] jokes than Big Mama herself, though sometimes… Big Mama has to pick up or fuss with something to cover the hurt that the loud laugh doesn’t quite cover.” (I.67-68)
    • Big Daddy cruelly insults Big Mama. It is often very hurtful to her, but he neither notices nor cares. She covers up the hurt because she dotes upon Big Daddy extensively. The tension in their marriage is primarily on Big Daddy's behalf as he resents Big Mama while she remains hopelessly doting.
Rocks symbolizing the rocks in the marriages throughout the play.

Maggie’s desire for a baby (security)

-Maggie wants to have Brick’s baby as this would secure her position in the Pollitt family and please Big Daddy; it is this fight for financial and social security that has guided Maggie her whole and continues to control her now - the reason for her metaphor as a "cat" 

-Brick constantly refuses to have sex with her

  • To Maggie, Mae: “You can’t conceive a child by a man who won’t sleep with you!” (III.170)

-She eventually conceals Brick’s alcohol in order to convince him to sleep with her; she is willing to do anything to have his baby 

Big Daddy’s cancer

- Big Mama and Big Daddy believe that he is free of cancer at the beginning

- Maggie, Brick, Mae and Gooper know the truth that Big Daddy does have terminal cancer, but they lie to him 
 initially to let him enjoy his 65th birthday

Brick’s alcoholism

- The surface conflict for a problem that cuts much deeper: his struggle with his sexuality and identity amidst social mores 

- He drinks constantly and lives to feel the "click that [he] get[s] in [his] head that makes [him] peaceful" (Williams II.100)

- Big Daddy chides Brick for his drinking often: 

  • Brick: There is something else that you can live with!
  • Big Daddy: What? 
  • Brick: This! Liquor. 
  • Big Daddy: That's not living, that's dodging away from life. (Williams II.111)