Chapter NIne
LECTURE -- March 3, 2026 - Tennessee Williams, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"
Professor Emily Fuchs gave a very thorough lecture on Tennessee Williams. Born in Columbus, Mississippi, Williams wrote a number of very successful plays including "Streetcar Named Desire," "Glass Menagerie," and "Night of the Iguana" as well as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Along with Eugene O'Neil and Arthur Miller, Williams is considered one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th Century.
Coming directly to "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," Professor Fuchs said, "I asked you to watch the "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" movie because it focuses directly on the south and directly on sexuality. I had you see the movie rather than read the play because the movie emphasizes female sexuality and downplays the homosexual relationship between Brick and Skipper that is central to the play as written.
"The movie makes explicit the links between sex, pregnancy and womanhood. Maggie is full of sexual tension, but here sex is link closely with reproduction. Maggie has no thought of sex without conception. Big Daddy even says he'd have been pleased to fill Maggie with babies if he were younger. The concept that sex is something fun and a way to build childless relationships, isolated from reproduction, would be foreign to the characters in the movie.
"The main matter of competition between Maggie and her sister-in-law is that the sister-in-law has children, but Maggie has failed to satisfy herself sexually or to perform her basic role of breeding. This makes her position in the family illegitimate as does Brick's drinking. The movie ends with Maggie lying that she is pregnant and swearing later in the bedroom with Brick that she'll make it true. We never learn if Brick conquers his alcoholism and impregnates Maggie, but we know it will not be for lack of Maggie trying.
"Of course, Williams was a man and was in no position to speak for all of southern womanhood, but you should remember that Williams was also a friend of Carson McCullers. McCullers in 'Reflections in a Golden Eye' also seems to have linked female success with not merely having sex but in having viable offspring. A woman who could not satisfy her man and produce children might as well mutilate herself and die, at least in the view of one of McCullers' characters.
"We can be quite confident that Elizabeth Taylor would never do anything to hurt herself. Taylor, who starred in the movies on both 'Golden Eye' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' had three children from her womb and adopted one, not that the history of Taylor has any bearing on what McCullers or Williams intended."
"Maggie's disastrous attempt to cure Skipper from homosexuality through sex is significant not only for what it says about Skipper but for what it says of Maggie's willingness to use her sexuality outside the normal bounds. One may hope at the end that she does better throwing herself at Brick."
Professor Fuchs ended her lecture series by saying that those taking the course for credit should get their papers to her in two weeks.
The class applauded warmly and gave Professor Fuchs a standing ovation.
THE FINAL SEMINAR - Talk of pregnancy
Naturally, the discussion in the seminar touched on the homosexuality theme of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." It focused on the relationship between sex and pregnancy.
"Of course, it is a woman's role to produce children and I am sure that Elizabeth Taylor will be able to squeeze enough juice out of Paul Newman even if he is more bisexual that straight," Emma said. "Getting rid of his booze is a good start. Pity, though, that we could not read about a happy family in this course."
"I am sorry that my lectures were filled with adultery, rape, prostitution and female lust, but the course focused on women in southern gothic literature. Also, as Tolstoy said, happy families are all alike, they are therefore generally considered boring by authors."
"I don't agree that happy families are all alike," Avery said, "but it is easier to write something bawdy and sensational about gangsters, group sex, adultery, rape and murder than about the drama of learning to nurse a baby properly or the saga of getting the children to Sunday School on time."
"Perhaps all the bad women are making a big sacrifice for us all. They live with much adventure and drama and we normal women can use their sad stories to spice up our normal lives vicariously," Sophia offered. "It's much more safe not engage in murder, prostitution etc. ourselves."
"Certainly, it is less risky to read about Temple Drake than to be her," Emily agreed.
"It is also of interest that having children is thought of in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" as a source of competition. Maggie needs to get pregnant to maintain Brick's inheritance. The children of her sister-in-law are looked at almost entirely as a burden that one has to endure to get what one wants in society," Nora mentioned.
"It is like the 19th Century British aristocracy," Christine said. "The women had to have children, but they could not be bothered to care for them. There were governances for that."
"Now, the upper-class women and the women on the sex boats have children with the children being passed off to others to care for," Sophia said. "The boat women's children are put up for adoption and upper-class women pass their children off to indentured servants. In both cases, there is no attempt to disassociate sex from reproduction, the link is relished. Between the rich and boat women there are women trying to survive using the rhythm method and prayer."
"Williams makes getting pregnant seem sort of fun and sexy. That's pretty easy for a man to write. What did he know about childbirth," Blake said.
"What do you know about childbirth," Virginia said. "I've had eleven children and believe it or not, I found sex a lot more exciting when I thought it could lead to pregnancy."
"I always wanted to get pregnant every time I had sex even when I knew I couldn't," Emma said. "So, I was blessed with twelve beautiful children."
"I have always felt the same way," Avery added. "Sex when you are willing to accept all the consequences that God has attached to it, is the best sex."
"Let's leave God, out of this," Nora said. "I will say that sex is somehow more exciting when you can get pregnant as long as you are not afraid of social rejection or medical problems, but pregnancy is not always fun and raising children can be awful."
"So, if you won't be accused of adultery, are assured of good medical treatment and someone else takes care of the brats, sex when you can get knocked up is just perfect?" Virginia said.
"I did not say that, mother," Nora said in a tone making clear that her mother had cut somewhat too close to the bone.
"Let's just say, views differ," Christine said. "After my first child, part of my brain was saying 'yes, knock me up like a good female mammal' and part of my brain was saying 'sweet lord, don't make me a blimp again.' Also, I think the female brain releases some sort of drug that makes you forget how much childbirth hurts or women would only have one child."
"I found the pain became less after the second or third child," Virginia said.
Emily said, "I think we've gotten off the topic again and probably have discussed whether sex is better when one could get pregnant sufficiently. Is Maggie's competition with her sister in law in having children something that still happens in the south or is that incredible? It's almost as if Big Daddy is like Henry VIII in wanting descendants."
Most in the seminar group thought that there was still a strong pro-natalism feeling among southern men. Even Blake admitted that while she would not date a guy who felt that he had to spread his genetic material across the universe, there are probably men like that in both the north and south.
