An Analysis On Cat On A Hot Tin Roof From The Perspective Of The Apollonian Spirit And The Dionysian Spirit

An artist of international renown, Tennessee Williams finished his masterpiece Cat ona Hot Tin Roof in1955, which won both the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama CriticsAward for the best play. The author himself is also a controversial figure. He is homosexual.Most of the protagonists in his works are his own epitome. With the wide application ofFriedrich Nietzsche’s Apollonian Spirit and Dionysian Spirit, the present author finds it agood way to interpret the play from this perspective. Firstly, the main character Brick in thisplay has dual personality. He is influenced by the Apollonian Spirit and the Dionysian Spiritsimultaneously. He is both serene and manic, both sensitive and indifferent. He is anaggregation of contradictions. Up to now, many researches have been done concerning theplay, yet no one has analyzed this play from the perspective of the Apollonian Spirit and theDionysian Spirit. Therefore, this thesis attempts to offer an in-depth analysis of TennesseeWilliams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof from the perspective of the Apollonian Spirit and theDionysian Spirit. Through the analysis of Brick, this thesis draws the conclusion that eachperson should live elegantly when he is alive and he might not feel regretful when he isdying. Only by keeping the balance between the Apollonian Spirit and the Dionysian Spirit,can a person live comfortably and happily.This thesis consists of four parts, apart from the Introduction and a Conclusion.The introduction gives a brief presentation to the author Tennessee Williams and hisworks as well as the literature review at home and abroad.Chapter One focuses on Nietzsche’s Apollonian Spirit and Dionysian Spirit. Thischapter mainly presents the spirits’ origin, the relationship and their completely differentperformances even occupied by the same person. Nietzsche highlights two impulses of art: the Apollonian Art and the Dionysian Art. The former is represented as the visual arts,while the latter is connected with the non-visual arts. The Apollonian Spirit symbolizesorder, rationality and intellectuality, while the Dionysian Spirit companies with instinctualpassion, irrational action and intoxicated self-indulgence.Chapter Two concentrates on Brick’s performance when the Apollonian Spirit comesnear him. The Apollonian Spirit requires him to keep elegant in the public, so Brick has tosuppress his instinctive desire and endure the rumor silently when confronting people’ssuspicious eyes. He becomes both sensitive and fragile.Chapter Three explores Brick’s Dionysian Spirit, which commands him to intoxicatehimself in the past sweet life with his homosexual friend Skipper, who has been dead. Hetotally falls into the bitter remorseful recalling owing to his indifference to Skipper’s cry forhelp. He thinks he has unshirkable responsibility for Skipper’s death. In addition, he blamesthe death on his wife Maggie. He thinks that it is Maggie who kills Skipper indirectly. Inorder to take a revenge on her, Brick tortures her both physically and mentally, which showshis brutality. What’s more, his indifference to the earthly strife about money and status alsoproves his Dionysian Spirit.Chapter Four gives the reason why the tragedy happens to Brick. Owing to the dualityof the two spirits and the social hostility to homosexuals, Brick is doomed to be theprotagonist of the tragedy. On the one hand, Brick is restrained and rational, he does notdare to act rashly and has to suppress his personal instinctive desire. On the other hand, heindulges himself into recalling his past glories and the sweet days with Skipper. At last, withhis spiritual death, Brick compromises with the reality, and the tragedy happens inevitably.Conclusion summarizes the thesis, revealing that each person should have theApollonian Spirit so as to keep his sociality. At the same time, everybody should have theDionysian Spirit in order to reduce pressure when facing the desire and the lure from the worldly society. Only the combination of the Apollonian Spirit and the Dionysian Spirit isperfect, can a person be accepted by the society and enjoy his happy life.