#26
Posted: 1/4/13 at 5:38pm
As a Southerner all my life, I don't understand this. It's a different culture, and the language is sometimes used differently, but the heart of it is the same.
Also from the South, I was joking. I believe "Big Daddy" and "Big Mama" are terms for grandparents, to distinguish them from Brick's brother and his wife who are "Daddy" and "Mama" to their own children. (But I haven't reread the play in 10 years.) "Big Daddy" also serves to symbolize how the man is seen by everyone.
***
If Brick is gay, then Maggie is just a fool in her final speech and the play is pointless. IMO, obviously.
Brick's problem is that his wife and his best friend have betrayed him by not living up to his ideals. Maggie's point is that we don't stop living just because we experience disillusion. Yet surely we all know by now that sexuality isn't a duality but a spectrum, so, yes, in that sense, Brick may have glimpsed the homoeroticism inherent to close male friendships and may be troubled by it. That's not the same thing as being in the closet.
All of this would be quite clear if I could just use the Warhol Factory group as an extended analogy. But I have eschewed that behavior at Namo's request. (Thanks again, ghostlight2.)
Also from the South, I was joking. I believe "Big Daddy" and "Big Mama" are terms for grandparents, to distinguish them from Brick's brother and his wife who are "Daddy" and "Mama" to their own children. (But I haven't reread the play in 10 years.) "Big Daddy" also serves to symbolize how the man is seen by everyone.
***
If Brick is gay, then Maggie is just a fool in her final speech and the play is pointless. IMO, obviously.
Brick's problem is that his wife and his best friend have betrayed him by not living up to his ideals. Maggie's point is that we don't stop living just because we experience disillusion. Yet surely we all know by now that sexuality isn't a duality but a spectrum, so, yes, in that sense, Brick may have glimpsed the homoeroticism inherent to close male friendships and may be troubled by it. That's not the same thing as being in the closet.
All of this would be quite clear if I could just use the Warhol Factory group as an extended analogy. But I have eschewed that behavior at Namo's request. (Thanks again, ghostlight2.)
Updated On: 1/4/13 at 05:38 PM
