Tennessee Williams In The Illusive And Real World

Tennessee Williams, one of the most outstanding playwrights in the 20^th century, has influenced the American theatre and literary creation of other writers profoundly. His life is full of contradictions and mystery, and at the same time full of hardships and outstanding achievements. And his plays are always controversial for abundance of issues like violence, promiscuity, bibulousness, and homosexuality.To have a better understanding of Tennessee Williams, it is necessary for us to learn about his life and family background, since most of his works are written according to his own life and experiences, and more importantly, to probe into the great influence of the family background and social environment at that time on Tennessee Williams' psyche, and connect, contrast and compare his works with his growing experiences and events in his life.Literature is a mirror of social life, its content is not only response and reaction to social conditions and thoughts in a certain historical period, but literary reflection of authors' experiences. The creation of characters in Tennessee Williams' works is based on his own life and experiences, and also a vivid reflection of his psychology, because of which, his literature works are stirring, inspiring and full of lasting vitality.In The Glass Menagerie, the playwright's childhood experiences are reflected: living in a troubled family, his painful relationships with a rejecting, abusive father and an unhappy, controlling mother, and his helpless witnessing of the suffering inflicted upon his beloved sister. In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, as a homosexual, Tennessee Williams, just like Brick, deeply experienced the discrimination and persecution to homosexuals from the society and felt the tension. In the plays of Tennessee Williams, the playwright suffers in much the same way as his characters. His tragic plays touch readers so firmly, move them so profoundly, because they contain the sad experiences of a real person—Tennessee Williams.The thesis attempts to uncover the great influence from the society and his family's background on Tennessee Williams' mentality, examine closely his tragic psychology by comparing and researching two of his plays, The Glass Menagerie and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, with the happenings on him and his growing experiences based on the historical-biographical approach.