Introduction
The non-traditional orientation has always been a controversial topic of discussion. This was especially true of films and other forms of visual art. However, over time, more and more figures in this industry began to raise and expose this topic to the audience. Hence, this work aims to study the topic of homosexuality and homophobia in the movie “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Studying this film will allow gaining a more detailed and extensive understanding of how non-traditional orientation was perceived in the society of the fifties.
Homosexuality and Homophobia in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”
First of all, it is necessary to gain an understanding of what is the main storyline of the film. The film was directed by Richard Brooks and released in 1985 (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” para. 1). The story mainly concentrates its narrative on a married couple who have had relationship problems for a long time. The husband, named Brick, was injured, which stopped his brilliant football career and left him in a depressed state ever since. One day, the couple receives an invitation to the birthday of Brick’s father, who has cancer. The whole family gathered there, including her husband’s brother, sister, and their children. Later, family members will find out that he, Big Daddy, may not live to see his next birthday. Thus, everyone, especially Meggie, Brick’s wife, is interested in receiving an inheritance, the priority for which is the main character. However, due to problems in marriage, the spouses do not have a single child, which worries the wife very much.
During the events of the film, the audience also learns that Brick had a best friend who committed suicide. He was a homosexual all this time but did not realize it until Maggie decided to confront him about it. After that, Skipper, a friend of Brick, called him and confessed his feelings, after which he committed suicide. Further, the main character began to drink constantly and fell into an even greater depression. This episode is of the most significant interest for analysis for this scientific paper.
Therefore, homosexuality and homophobia run through the entire movie, leaving a mark on all the relationships the protagonist has with other people. It is also worth noting that in the fifties, the topic of non-traditional orientation was heavily taboo. Homosexual behavior was considered abnormal in society and was despised by many people. Research states that “homosexuality was pathologized, classified by the American Psychiatric Association as a psychiatric disorder” (“The 1960s” para. 1). However, on the other hand, at this time, the gay liberation movement started, which began to lay the foundations of the homosexual movement. At the same time, most of the participants and representatives of this movement were white men, which caused a complete lack of diversity. In other words, members of the Black community were still more censured compared to other people.
Based on this background, it is easy to understand why the main protagonist’s best friend, and perhaps Brick himself, hid their sexual orientation. Research underlined that he is seen “as a closeted gay man, a homophobic heterosexual, or as a man afflicted by homosexual panic” (Varney 18). This is because if a man openly declared his feelings, he would be subjected to severe social pressure. Moreover, it would affect his ability to receive the inheritance, and the family might even reject him altogether. Moreover, Brick’s unconventional orientation becomes one of the reasons why he does not have a relationship with his wife, and they still have no descendants.
Through Brick’s character, the film reflects a turning point in the history of the gay liberation movement. Thus, with the help of the history of internal and external conflict and the influence of social stigma, one of the main problems that are raised in the film is created. Most of all, the fact that the male protagonist did not have the slightest opportunity to express his feelings. The death of a friend became a real tragedy for him, after which he could not return to everyday life in any way. It is possible that Brick realized that he had more than friendly feelings for Skipper, but he did not have time to say. Thus, in addition to the loss of a loved one, the main character was under the pressure of being rejected and guilty for its occurrence.
The hostility and prejudices of society towards homosexuals have an adverse impact on both the internal and external state of the Brick. Consequently, the family, close ties, and the protagonist’s psychological state come under attack. Aspects such as the expression of the family and social environment come from the hero’s fear of publicly admitting his orientation. A man is afraid to face the consequences that can completely turn his life around and run it.
In addition to relationships, internal psychological pressure directly affects Brick’s behavior. Henceforth, this impacts his excessive use of alcoholic beverages to such an extent that he no longer seems to be sober and his concern for truth on mendacity. Of particular importance to the work and the study’s topic is Brick’s life story. He started out as Dad’s favorite, a great football player who seemed to have a bright and prosperous future (Adhikary 55). But after the suicide of his best friend, the whole life of the young man went downhill and did not return to its former state. This state of affairs makes his priority position on the inheritance less stable, which angers his wife. Because of this, Maggie begins to put a lot of pressure on Brick, which leads to more and more conflicts between the spouses.
To the understanding and designation of the main character of Brick as a homosexual contributes the fact of what strong feelings he is experiencing. Moreover, if it were not for multiple social prejudices and pressure, the peasant might have confessed his sexual orientation long ago. The relationship with his wife also shows how much the spouse’s internal conflict can affect the marriage. Consequently, the viewer can make an assumption that the main reason for Brick and Maggie’s early marriage was precisely the unwillingness to reveal his actual views. Thus, the couple’s personal life was highly calm, uneventful and tedious, which also caused disagreements. It is quite possible that Maggie guessed about her husband’s unconventional views.
Therefore, Brick’s behavior contributes to the increasing role of pretense and lies, which are inherent in each character of the film in this case. The fear of judgment makes Brick become duplicitous and play the role of the person he is not. This is due to the fact that Brick is absolutely not ready to sacrifice anything, be it status or inheritance. As already mentioned, in Brick’s character, the author tried to convey a typical representative of the time when the turning point in the concept of gay acceptance came.
In addition, it is also worth emphasizing that Brick’s behavior can be interpreted as narcissistic and self-centered. This is because the man has not come to an exact decision about who he really loves, his wife or his best friend. At the same time, both of these essential people in his life treated him with sincere kindness and all-consuming love. Because of this, there is a possibility that alcohol has become a haven for him that helps to isolate himself from reality, in which he does not have to live but exists.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this work is engaged in the research and analysis of the cinematic work “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” directed by Richard Brooks. One of the main themes of this movie is homosexuality and the homophobic attitude of society in the fifties to this orientation. Thus, the main protagonist suffers from the fact that social stigma may be imposed on him because of his orientation. He was fully convinced of it after the death of his best friend, who also had deeper feelings for him. Internal conflict and torment of the main character directly affect his constantly deteriorating relationship with his wife and loved ones and contribute to his dependence on alcohol. Therefore, this film shows that social stigmatization of non-traditional orientation can have a profound and tremendous result on people and their relationships.
Works Cited
Adhikary, R. P. “Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: Reading from the perspective of Existential Nihilism. Artech J.” International Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities, vol. 1, no. 2, 2020, pp. 55-62.
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”Turner Classic Movie.
“The 1960’s.” University Library. Web.
Varney, Denise. “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Idiom, vol. 53, no. 2, 2017, pp. 17-20.