Quotes

“no-neck monsters”

Maggie in Act 1

referring to Mae and Goopers children, monstrous children, contrasts the childless tragic couple

Southern grotesque

“monster of fertility”

Maggie in Act 1

noun phrase, referring to Mae potentially jealous of her fulfilling her role and her security in having children

southern belle, gender roles

“if the one that y’ love doesn’t love you…”

Maggie in Act 1, to Brick

ellipsis, conveying her sadness and vulnerability as she isn’t as chatty (shorter length of turn) syntactic parallelism, they feelings about each other aren’t the same

“I don’t want to lean on your shoulder, I want my crutch!”

Brick, in act1, speaking to Maggie

exclamative, suggesting his built up anger and resentment (at the world and himself)

extended metaphor, crutch symbolises his inability to act in a ‘traditional’ strong and active masculine way, as well as symbolising his alcohol dependency and inability to confront his problems and emotions

“You look so cool, so cool, so enviably cool.”

Maggie, in act 1, talking to brick

tricolon, referring to his indifference and absent nature, lack of emotion

“We occupy the same cage.”

Maggie, in act 1, talking to Brick about their living arrangement and marriage

metaphor, shows the isolation she feels, Brick being withdrawn from th world, their marriage as being prison-like, entrapment

“I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof”

Maggie, in act 1, speaking to Brick

simile, suggests her discomfort and unhappiness, feels vulnerable and uneasy

Michael Bibler quote (Maggie is a cat…), gender role

“like an old bulldog…stout woman”

stage directions, act one, referring to Big Mama

simile, suggesting that big Mama is overweight, reflecting the language Big Daddy used to describe her

southern grotesque

“Somethings not right! You’re childless and my son drinks!”

Big Mama, act one, talking to Maggie

exclamatives, suggesting her frustration and lack of understanding at the situation

face threatening act (+ and - face)

gender roles and stereotypes

“When a marriage goes on the rocks, the rocks are there, right there!”

Big Mama, act one, talking to Maggie

metaphor, face threatening act (Maggie’s + and - face) Big Mama quick to highlight the imperfections in their marriage suggesting the constraints and expectations of 1950s society

“poor as job’s turkey”

Maggie, act one, referring to when she was younger and her economic situation

simile, Maggie’s rags to riches (like Big Daddy)

American dream

“you - superior creature! - you godlike being!”

vocative, Maggie saying the impact he has, Brick as condescending, spoilt and hurtful

exclamatives, trying to insult him but instead complimenting him

“I had a friendship with Skipper. - You are naming it dirty!”

Brick, act one, talking to Maggie

fear of being accused of being homosexual, embrassed and ashamed (internally as well)

lavender scare

“born poor, raised poor, expect to die poor”

Maggie, act one, just had an argument with Brick about Skipper

trying to garner sympathy

Michael bible quote

“[Brick remains unengaged… faraway smile]”

stage directions

representing Brick’s cool, detached nature

“thought I was dying… you can stop… i’m not gonna die, you can just stop now”

Big Daddy, act two, speaking to Big Mama, Brick and Maggie

high modality ‘you can’ suggesting his desperation and denial in being ill, trying to shut down any conversation or chance that he may die

“Bossing. Talking. Sashaying your fat old body around the place I made! I made this place!”

tricolon of transitive verbs ‘bossing. talking. sashaying’ suggests him degrading her viewing her as fat and irritating suggesting the lack of love within their marriage

anadiplosis ‘I made! I made..’ suggests his desperation for people to be reminded of his hardwork, rags to riches

American dream, gender roles

“nervous as cats”

repeated by Brick and Big Daddy, act two referring to Mae and Maggie

simile suggests they haven’t found their footing in the family or society

gender roles

“If you don’t like Maggie, get rid of Maggie!”

Big Daddy, act two to Brick

syntactic parallelism, epiphora, objectification of women and shows the power imbalance that men can just discard women

gender roles and patriarchy

“I’m takin’ a little short trip to Echo Spring.”

Brick, act two, referring to a liquor (he is going to drink that liquor)

metaphor, suggests his alcohol dependency and lack of presence in the conversation therefore has to use alcohol as a barrier to shield and deflect himself from the outside world

“Ignorance - of mortality - is a comfort”

Big Daddy, act two referring to his illness

abstract nouns, suggests his realisation about his wilful ignorance, first time he is truthfully addressing death rather than skirting around the topic

“tight mouth”

repeated by Brick and Big Daddy in act two

adjective phrase, themes of deception and keeping your mouth shut, lying to people and not telling people things

toxic masculinity, gender roles

“that woman”

Big Daddy, act two, referring to Big Mama

demonstrative determiner and concrete noun, degrading objectification of her suggesting his lack of respect

“You didn’t mean those mean things you said to me, did you?”

Big mama, act two speaking to Big Daddy

tag question, suggesting her uncertainty an worry about the answer and the sadness she felt when he spoke to her like that

“I’m going to straighten you out”

Big Daddy, act two, speaking to Brick

repetition, suggesting his obsession to control things due to him losing control of his health, spiralling

“I just cain’t stainnnnnnnd - it…”

Big Mama, act two complaining to Big Daddy about him shouting

phonetic spelling, conventional southern grotesque (displaying her southern drawl)

ellipsis suggesting her fear at speaking out to him, gender roles and patriarchy

“lying and liars”

Brick, act two, highlighting the lack of honesty in the play

syndetic pair, epizeuxsis

“I haven’t been able to stand the sight, sound, or smell, of that woman for forty years now!”

Big Daddy, act two, referring to Big Mama

sibilance, the disgust he feels towards Big Mama, parallel to Brick’s attitude to Maggie

“Now, hold on, hold on a minute, son. - I knocked around in my time.”

Big Daddy, act two, trying to speak to Brick about Skipper (homosexuality)

euphemistic phrasal verb ‘knocked around’ suggesting he has experimented in the past and explored his sexuality

lavender scare

“you call me your son and a queer.”

Brick act two talking to Big Daddy

syndetic pair, suggesting they cannot co exist and that it isn’t possible for him to be gay, deep rotted denial

“ducking sissies? queers?”

Brick act two to Big Daddy

slurs, suggesting his denial and disgust

“unnatural thing”

Brick, act two, to Big Daddy talking about homosexuality and his friendship with Skipper

noun phrase, suggests that it is wrong, and therefore should not been, showing Skipper’s rejection and denial of it.

“This disgust with mendacity is disgust with yourself. You! - dug the grave of your friend and kicked him in it!”

Big Daddy, act two, to Brick

syntactic parallelism of first sentence, provides a sense that Big Daddy is holding a mirror up to Brick and giving him the hard truth that whilst he is criticising other for not being honest, he wasn’t honest with Skipper and isn’t with himself.

metaphor in second sentence, suggesting Brick’s cruelty towards Skipper, hiding his true feelings

“Mendacity is a system that we live in. Liquor is one way out an’ death’s the other…”

Brick, act two speaking to Big Daddy

suggesting the lack of honesty in the play and acknowledging his use of alcohol as a barrier from reality and the truth

“CHRIST - DAMN- ALL - LYING SONS OF - LYING BITCHES”

Big Daddy, act two, Brick suggests that the clinic lied (he is going to die from cancer)

“I know he’s drinkin’. You all don’t have to keep tellin’ me Brick is drinkin’. Cain’t I see he’s drinkin’ without you continually tellin’ me that boy’s drinkin’?”

Big mama in act three, speaking about Brick’s alcohol addiction

repetition suggesting her irritation and reflection at how regularly people keep reminding her of her son’s addiction

asserting her dominance and authority when Big Daddy isn’t there, becoming stronger

phonetic spelling, southern grotesque

“[her great, almost embarrassingly true-hearted and simple-minded devotion to Big Daddy]”

stage direction in act three referring to Big Mama

verb phrases, and compound adjectives suggest Big Mamas love and care for Big Daddy

parallel to Maggie’s feelings for Brick

“I want Brick! Where’s Brick? Where is my only son?”

Big Mama in act three wanting to speak to Brick after finding out about Big Daddy’s cancer

imperative, suggests her power and assertion of strength and desperation for Brick having received awful news

adjective ‘only’ suggests her love for Brick and lack of care and any acknowledgment of Gooper

“It’s all a mistake. I know it’s just a bad dream.”

Big mama act three in denial of Big Daddy’s cancer

metaphor, refusing to accept the truth due to her not being able to face life without Big Daddy, so upset at the thought of it

“Cooper and I think-

Shut up, Mae!”

Mae then Gooper, speaking about Big Daddy’s illness

imperative ‘shut up’ patriarchal ideas, men have the authority and more power and dominance, putting Mae in her place, too outspoken

“Mama, those tests are infallible!”

Gooper in act three wanting to speak about Big Daddy’s will therefore being very blunt with Big Mama when she shows an emotional reaction

no remorse just anger and frustration, money grabbing (Big Daddy’s money)

“Eventualities have to be considered and now’s the time”

Gooper, act three trying to speak about the will

passive voice and euphemistic abstract noun ‘eventualities’ suggests a mocking tone and lack of regard and the emotion felt by Big Mama, doesn’t care about Big Daddy dying, just the money

“Margaret. Child. Come here. Sit next to Big Mama.”

Big Mama act three

acts cooly towards Gooper and Mae yet lovingly and affectionately to Maggie

“how are you going to conceive a child by a man in love with his liquor?”

Brick to Maggie act three

personification, Brick finally acknowledging his addiction and its detrimental impacts

interrogative, suggesting that it is a genuine concern and that it won’t be possible for them to have a child with his addiction

“I do love you, Brick I do!” - Maggie

Wouldn’t it be funny if that were true?” - Brick

act three

Brick passive voice, suggesting he doesn’t believes she loves him as she has lied in order to make herself look better

“I didn’t lie to Big Daddy. I’ve lied to nobody, nobody but myself, just lied to myself.”

Brick, Broadway act three

epizeuxsis ‘nobody’ and epiphora, Suggesting moral redemption and recognition at his cruelty and untruthfulness to himself, being honest shows him developing as a character and wanting to improve himself

“poisons, poisons, venomous thoughts and words!”

Maggie, Broadway act three

metaphor, to describe the destructive nature of the family’s toxic communication and relationships

“Which stawm are you talkin’ about - th’ one outside or th’ hullaballoo in here?”

Big Daddy, Broadway act three

pathetic fallacy, storm outside reflects the destruction and noise going on inside amongst the family.

“what’s wrong with that long, thin woman over there”

Big Daddy, Broadway act three

noun phrase ‘long, thin woman’ contrasting to the fat shaming earlier, Big Daddy has become more caring and tolerant after finding out that he is going to die

“look over my kingdom before I give up my kingdom”

Big Daddy, Broadway act three

syntactic parallelism, suggesting his peaceful acceptance of his fate

“truth is something desperate, an’ she’s got it”

Brick, Broadway act three supporting Maggie after she reveals she’s pregnant

highlights the desperation and mental turmoil they have been facing in their marriage and suggesting the large complexities of human relationships

“I admire you, Maggie”

Brick, Broadway act three

first compliment he has paid to her, heartfelt expression of respect and appreciation