Differences

Though I didn’t really enjoy the play, I found it very surprising how different the two endings of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof are, especially concerning the character of Brick. In the first ending, Brick is seen as a very distant, ill-tempered drunk that is repulsed by Maggie. Conversely, the second ending portrays Brick as a loving, lost soul that admires Maggie for her determination to sleep with him. I think that I prefer the second ending to the Cat on a Hot Tin Roof rather than the first ending because is sheds a much more positive light on the whole situation. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a happy ending, but it just feels that in the second ending, Brick and Maggie do silently love each other. Brick is willing to back up Maggie’s lie about being pregnant instead of only thinking about drinking. In the second ending, Brick states, “I admire you Maggie,” in contrast with the first ending statement of “But how are you going to conceive a child by a man in love with his liquor?” Clearly there is a difference in the tone of the play at this point. I also liked that the last line in the second ending included the name of the play: “…and nothing’s more determined than a car on a tin roof – is there? Is there, Baby?” This one sentence ties everything together.