Fun Trivia : Williams, Tennessee

Structure Sub-topic of: Authors T-Z Quizzes Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 20 general entries. Special Topics A Streetcar Named Desire The Glass Menagerie Orpheus Descending Cat on a Hot Tin Roof "Cat on A Hot Tin Roof" on Screen

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Williams, Tennessee

What is Laura's most prized glass animal?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


The unicorn. The unicorn! I think that should be the main character personally for all the symbolism it held!



Where did Amanda grow up?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


Blue Mountain. Oh, the stories she tells about those days at Blue Mountain! Gentlemen callers this, gentleman callers that, jonquils...



Laura collects glass animals (hence the play's title). What else does she spend her time doing?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


playing the victrola. She plays the records her father left behind when he ran off. Amanda is the one who daydreams of her old beaux!



Did Tom and Jim meet in a bar?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


No. No, they met at high school briefly and then later worked at the factory together. Jim is Tom's supervisor.



What is Jim's nickname for Tom?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


Shakespeare. This is because he has seen him writing poems on shoebox lids.



Is Jim married?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


No. No, but he is engaged. This breaks Laura's heart.



Which famous novel does Amanda Wingfield refer to in her telephone conversation?

Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"


Gone With The Wind. She is trying to sell a woman's magazine and mentions the story which is said to be the next "Gone With The Wind".



Who says 'I thought the old man of bones had laid his cold hand on my shoulder'?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Big Daddy. At his introduction in Act Two, Big Daddy's first words, 'crap', emphasise his lack of fear and forthright attitude. But, as he engages in conversation with his son Brick, his earlier comment contrasts greatly with his revelation that he 'thought the old man of bones' had finally claimed him. His earlier confidence has now diminished, and in its place is uncertainty.



What is Mae's maiden name?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Flynn. While Maggie was 'born poor, raised poor', and 'expected to die poor', Mae, as a member of the Flynn family, is described as having nothing 'in this world except money'. Because of this, Maggie tries to use her poverty to justify her desire for Big Daddy's money, claiming that she deserves it more than Mae does.



What is the name of the famous treatment center for alcoholics that Maggie claims Mae and Gooper want Brick to be sent away to?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Rainbow Hill. Brick does indeed appear to be an alcoholic, and Maggie isn't the only character to have noticed, hence the reason 'so many allusions have been made to Rainbow Hill lately'.



What exactly is Brick referring to when he tells Maggie that she is 'naming it dirty'?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


His friendship with Skipper. Regardless of Brick's dominance at the start of the play, it is Maggie who emerges as the "trapper", by the end of Act One. Having known Brick for a number of years, Maggie possesses an insight into his personal life. She knows that Brick had homosexual feelings for his friend Skipper,(who is now dead), and she uses this knowledge to torment him, by saying that she thinks 'it was noble'. This causes Brick, who is unable to stand the intensity of the topic, to respond violently, turning to 'face her, half lifting his crutch'.



Besides Maggie, which other character also seems to disapprove of Mae and Gooper's children?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Big Daddy. Big Daddy is a powerful figure, and extremely dominant and demanding. He is forever in the characters' thoughts, and does not seem to approve of his grandchildren either, commenting to Gooper that he should 'put them pigs at a trough in the kitchen'.



As a childless woman, Maggie is intensely jealous of Mae's reproductive abilities. What reproduction-related insult does Maggie use to describe Mae?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Monster of fertility. Brick's brother, Gooper, and his wife Mae, have five children, with a sixth on the way. When Maggie enters the stage, she complains fiercely about these 'no-necked monsters', and continues to whine and joke about her poor nieces and nephews throughout the entire play.



What is Brick's drug of choice?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Alcohol. Brick and Big Daddy are alike in many ways. Both are honest and forthright men, locked in unhappy marriages, seeking an escape, which Brick does through liquor. During Act Two, Big Daddy reveals the rarely revealed "parent" within him. His only concern is for his son's welfare: "If you don't like Maggie, get rid of Maggie." He offers blunt, but reasonable advice, but as this scene progresses, Big Daddy realises the extent of Brick's alcoholism, when Brick mentions the need for the "click" he gets in his head.



Who celebrates a birthday during Act Two of the play?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Big Daddy. Act Two of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" results in a birthday party for Big Daddy. Throughout the act the audience is gradually fed information on this occasion, which ends up being quite an uncomfortable affair, as Big Daddy doesn't seem to want to celebrate. All he seems intent on doing is finding out what is wrong with Brick, who is his favourite son.



The characters of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" are trapped in various ways and by a variety of people. What ultimately traps Maggie?

Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"


Her love for Brick. Ultimately, Maggie is trapped by her love for her husband, Brick. Although she is held, somewhat, by the knowledge that she must play along with their "happy" marriage in order to gain a slice of Big Daddy's inheritance, it is actually her love for her husband and not money, that is her main motivation for staying.