Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

The use of ambiguity in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is both marvelous
and maddening. For instance, there is a reference to a deal of some sort between
Margaret and her husband Brick that is never revealed, just hinted at throughout the
story. On the other hand, it is quite amazing in the sense that Williams was allowed
to "get away" with a lot more "taboo content" thanks to the use of ambiguity. For
example, in the play's text, there are subtle hints that Brick may either be homosexual
or had a homosexual affair with a young man named Skipper. Of course, it never
blatantly states the word "gay" or "homosexual," for the topic of such was almost
unspeakable during that time period in America (the 1950s.) I just found it interesting
that Williams, who was homosexual, managed to slip some innunendos into the text that
the reader or the audience member would not be able to pick up on. Repressed by
society, many popular gay writers of the time would follow a similar formula to that used
by Williams, thus allowing these authors to express themselves in a way that no one
would be able to recognize.