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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Study Guide

by Tennessee Williams

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a study guide on the play that contains a biography of Tennessee Williams, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

On a single summer evening, the Pollitt family gathers to celebrate the birthday of patriarch Big Daddy.

On the previous evening, Big Daddy's son Brick broke his leg while trying to jump hurdles at the school track. His wife Margaret chides him for his foolish behavior and his constant state of drunkenness, but mostly she is trying to impress – and seduce – her husband. Brick has refused to sleep with Maggie ever since his friend Skipper died. Maggie desperately wants Brick to sleep with her – both to satisfy her own physical needs, and because she wants to get pregnant.

Maggie feels a particularly urgent need to have a baby because she needs to produce an heir. Big Daddy is dying, although he has not been told this yet, and he does not have…

Read the full Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary

• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary
• About Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Act One
• Summary and Analysis of Act Two
• Summary and Analysis of Act Three
• The Second Third Act
• Related Links on Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Major Themes
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Essays
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Questions
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Tennessee Williams: Biography