A Study On Maggie’s Inferiority Complex In Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Tennessee Williams is one of the greatest playwrights in American history after World War II. As one of the two American play masters after Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams has the same fame as Arthur Miller. His masterpieces include The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and so on. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is Tennessee Williams’ s second play which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955 and his third play which won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. Tennessee Williams shows his talent in portraiture, particularly of women and describing the psychology of the female. And he has a sensitive ear for dialogue and the rhythms of natural speech. No matter Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, Amanda in The Glass Menagerie or Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, each female character has her own distinct personality and character. The thesis analyzes the tragic image of the heroine Maggie who is anxious and staying on a hot tin roof until victory in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof applying the theory of Alfred Adler’s inferiority complex. And then the thesis states the manifestations and origins of Maggie’s inferiority complex. At last the thesis points out the problems brought by Maggie’s making compensations for her inferiority complex.This thesis consists of six parts and there are four chapters besides the introduction and the conclusion.The introduction concentrates on Tennessee Williams,Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the literature review of this play. Tennessee Williams’ s concern of the female issues can not be separated from his childhood background. The women whom Tennessee Williams portraits in his plays are those who show rebellious spirit in the patriarchal society.Chapter One states Alfred Adler’s inferiority complex theory and its origin, development and arguments. Alfred Adler’s theory of inferiority complex is closely related to his childhood. Alfred Adler had a weak body and had severe inferiority complex. Due to his own efforts, he got the Medical Doctor’s Degree. After the breaking up with Freud, Adler founded his Individual Psychology. Inferiority complex and compensation are the important concepts in Individual Psychology.Chapter Two sketches the manifestations of Maggie’s inferiority complex. This chapter consists of three parts. The first part is Maggie’s hysterical manifestation. The second part is Maggie’s cruelty and mercilessness and the third part is the manifestations of Maggie’s dissatisfaction with her marriage. Maggie wants to get the estate of Big Daddy but her childlessness makes her anxious and harsh; because of the isolation of the homosexual relationship between her husband and Skipper, Maggie becomes irritable; because of her husband’s indifference, she endures endless loneliness in the unhappy marriage. These are all Maggie’s manifestations of her inferiority complex.Chapter Three analyzes the origins of Maggie’s inferiority complex. Maggie has a poor childhood and she hopes to change her life through her marriage. Maggie and Brick do not have any child after they get married. However, Brick’s elder brother is going to have his sixth child. And child is a key factor in scrambling for their Daddy’s estates. The childlessness is another cause of Maggie’s inferiority complex. And finally Brick’s homosexuality implication is also the origin of Maggie’s inferiority complex.Chapter Four reveals Maggie’s compensations for her inferiority complex. Maggie tries to get hold of Big Daddy’s fortune to compensate for the lack of money. At the same time, Maggie is longing for a perfect marriage and hopes that Brick will love her. The third aspect is that Maggie hopes to get others’ respect and love.The thesis draws a conclusion based on the above analysis: Maggie’s all performances such as her hysteria and sarcasm are oriented from her deep-hidden inferiority complex in her heart. Maggie tries to compensate for her inferiority complex by her own actions but because her direction and motive of the compensation is improper, she has a tragic life and brings a lot of trouble and confusion to other people.