Personification
Big Daddy: "The odor of mendacity is a powerful and obnoxious odor" (Williams III.166)
Mendacity is an abstract concept that is given a physical characteristic here when Big Daddy is fed up with the lies and deceit amongst his family; mendacity, which had been previously discussed for its unavoidable nature, is given a trait here that can be identified and realized in reality. The negative reek of mendacity builds the theme that lies bring about turmoil and destroy relationships; it is significant that mendacity is readdressed in such a way, as the idea that mendacity is an odor that can spread and infect and hurt all around represents the actual path of the lies spun throughout the play.
Parallelism
- The relationships between Big Daddy and Big Mama and between Brick and Maggie are paralleled - perhaps foreshadowing that Brick and Maggie's marriage will be equal to that of Big Daddy and Big Mama's eventually.
- Big Daddy and Brick are compared through the close parallelism found in their lines (illustrates the close, similar characters of Brick and Big Daddy).
Brick: --the click....
Big Daddy: Did you say click?
Brick: Yes, click.
Big Daddy: What click?
Brick: A click that I get in my head. (Williams II.100)
Allusion
Big Daddy: "I want you to know I breathed a sigh of relief almost as powerful as the Vicksburg tornado!" (Williams II.103)
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Big Daddy's allusion to the terrible tornadoes that ripped through northern Mississippi in the early 1950s is meant to demonstrate his great relief at learning he did not have cancer. This not only alludes his relief to a tornado, but it also builds the cultural setting of the play as all of the characters would have been very well familiar with the tornadoes.
- Also introduces irony as the Vicksburg tornado brought about destruction as will Big Daddy's cancer when he learns that he does indeed have this malignant disease
Repetition
Brick: "Exceptional friendship, real, real, deep, deep friendship!" (Williams II.122)
- Brick repeats "real, real" and "deep, deep" when describing his close friendship with Skipper, which he claims is only one of camaraderie and brotherly love; the repetition serves to enforce what Brick is attempting to convert to Big Daddy - that he had no homosexual relation with Skipper
- Brick's anigmation during these lines, however, make his words seem like he is trying to convince himself. The repetition is intended to illustrate the truth behind Brick's words, but it only seems to make his words seem more artificial
Similes
Maggie: "It’s just like shutting a door and locking it on a house on fire in hope of forgetting that the house is burning. But not facing a fire doesn’t put it out." (Williams I.32)
She says this when she is talking about the destructive, festering nature of silence when a conflict is left unaddressed
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Use of simile brings the heat of the conflict alive; make it relatable and understandable of the destructive power; easier to visualize the inescapable threat of a fire as a way to deepen the understanding of how destructive silence can be in burning down relationships
Stage directions: "Big Mama, entering through hall door like a charging rhino." (Williams II.67)
- Use of simile to show the large, heavy presence of Big Mama; it also serves to make her seem manly and unappealing - possibly the reason why Big Daddy is not attracted to her sexually. Big Mama desperately loves Big Daddy, but her bustling, robust characters does not make her appealing to him. This simile, seen in the stage directions notably, only serves to support this unfortunately.
