Book 150: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams.

“What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?—I wish I knew... Just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can...” 

I've only had one other experience with Williams, and it was pretty positive. And when I decided to pull this title down for a read during the readathon a couple weeks, I was expected a fast read and nothing more.

I think I should have learned by now that all the plays on my list are there for a reason. I can't so easily dismiss them.

Beginning this one, I was struck by the similarities to another play on my list, The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman. It took me a little while to place my reactions to Hellman's play aside in order to concentrate on this one, and once I did, I realized that a lot of the similarities were only on the surface (both focus on a dying cotton plantation owner and matter of inheritance). And I believe the years between the "publications" of each play show a remarkable different. Hellman's play, first written/performed in 1939, is definitely fiery and full of passion. There is a lot of scheming and plotting on part of the main female character to insure that she will be left wealthy. She pushes her family and insists on having everything she thinks she deserves.

And while Williams' play also has a strong female lead in Maggie, there seems to be a lot more at stake for the family members. There is a lot more depth to the backstory, and it appears that Williams play is more about the individuals than the plot. Each of the characters has a motive and a desire that is brought to the surface of the play, then they disappear a bit into the background. As I was reading, I kept catching glimpses of each struggle, all kind of bubbling there under the surface.

Essentially, the play is about Big Daddy and his fortune. He recently went to the doctor, and while most of the family knows the truth-that he is dying of cancer-he doesn't. So, his two sons and their wives are trying to win favor to get his inheritance. And as they push and prod him, all kinds of issues come out-alcoholism, infidelity, jealousy, repression, desire, and death. All of these issues influence the characters in different ways until it all comes out-the truth about Big Daddy's impending death, the truth behind a friend's suicide, secret desires, and a whopping big lie.

By the end, I was reading and flipping pages as fast as I could to discover what happened. It was fast-paced, tense, and incredibly unsettling, but I really did love it.

However, like all the plays I've read for this project, there is only so much I can interpret from reading the lines of the characters. I wish I could see all the plays on my list, then read them. I think I would pull far more from the performances. But I am glad I have one more by Williams to read-A Streetcar Named Desire-and a slew of other poems. :)

“In all these years, you never believed I loved you. And I did. I did so much. I did love you. I even loved your hate and your hardness.”

Weekly Wrap-up for January 6, 2013: End of Vacation, Classics Club Readathon, and more.

I woke up early this morning to find that it was snowing outside. We still had snow on the ground from the storm that hit us on the 26th, but I am glad that a new, fresh layer is down. I sincerely love the winter and everything it brings-including snuggling up in hooded sweatshirts with warm fluffy socks. So, I decided to stay nestled in bed for another couple hours to finish My Antonia, which I started last night for The Classics Club Readathon. It was nice to settle in with a warm and comforting read while the cold winter winds blew outside my window. The cats were also grateful to snuggle in for some cuddles. It was a great way to spend the last morning of my two-week break from school.

Obviously, I am sad that break is coming to an end. I enjoyed being home with my husband and having time to recharge. I also didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I guess I have to be okay with that. :) I am excited to get back to school, and the next few weeks will be really eventful. We have a full week this week to get things back in order and finish up content for the first semester. Then, next week is exam week. We'll be reviewing content and testing, so that'll be a fun time. :) After that, we start the new semester!

My classes are changing quite a bit second semester. We run on a 6-period schedule. Right now, I have 2 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of mythology, and 1 section of sophomore English. My sixth hour is also my planning period. Second semester I have 3 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of sophomore English, and I will be co-teaching theater. It is going to be a very FULL day of teaching, since I do not have a planning period. I'm excited for the new challenges of the theater class, and knowing that there is another teacher in the room with me settles my nerves a bit. :) I'm also excited to have more sections of the other two classes, since I very much enjoy teaching them!

I've done some plan/prep work this break, and I think that once things get started, I'll be just fine. I've taught the second half of both the core classes before, so I have materials and resources to turn to. I won't be "starting from scratch" like I did this fall (with 3 classes), so it should run much smoother this semester.

I'm hoping this means more time for reading and personal hobbies, since I didn't have much of a personal life this fall. But 2013 is already off to a great start, thanks in part to The Classics Club Readathon that took place yesterday. While I didn't manage to read all day, I did make enough progress that I feel successful. :) I finished the second half of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, read all of Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and read My Antonia by Willa Cather. I consider that a huge success! Starting 2013 with a string of good books makes me optimistic for this year.

I'm not sure what I'm going to grab next. I might stay with a couple slimmer books, but I've been eying a few big titles as well (Anna Karenina for one, Uncle Tom's Cabin is another). If you have recommendations, please suggest away!

I think it also helps that I got a jump-start on a few of my 2013 goals. I spent some time on Wednesday reorganizing the bookshelves in the living room. Everything got messed up a couple months ago when we purchased our new entertainment center and moved the old bookshelves (that housed our DVDs) into the second bedroom. Books have been sitting in piles everywhere and double-stacked on the living rooms shelves, so I re-alphabetized and rearranged my classics. I even managed to move all the "sets" I've been collecting onto one bookshelf, and I very much like how it looks:

 The top shelf has the Puffin Classics series, then the beginnings of my Penguin Clothbounds (Northanger Abbey goes in that open spot-I had it out since I was reading it). The second shelf contains the remaining clothbounds (including the two new titles I got for Christmas from my mom!). The next two shelves are the Penguin English Library editions that I've started collection. I'm up to 56/100, so I'm making good progress. ;) I'm trying to finish up all the Dickens titles (have 3 to go), and then I'll own all his major works.

I also pulled out a few doubles I had to pass along and moved my Shakespeare to a different location. It makes the room look a lot nicer, now that books aren't piled all over. ;)

Anyway, I'll be spending the rest of the day doing more planning and prep work. I finished my unit on The Great Gatsby last night, so today I turn my attention to my U.S. History classes.

Have a wonderful Sunday and happy reading!

Book 106: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (Finished).

"In memory, everything seems to happen to music."

The more plays I read, the more I realize that I know nothing about drama. I wish I would have taken a course in it in college, but at the time, plays really didn't interest me.

I do know that Tennessee Williams is one of the big ones, one of those playwrights most people have at least heard of. In addition to this play, I have A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof left on my list. And if they are even half as good as this play, then I am in for an amazing treat.

The Glass Menagerie is a play that should probably be seen rather than read. It is full of musical cues and lighting to emphasize different aspects of the play and characters. What I love best, however, is that the play is performed like a memory. The music and lighting are the products of Tom Wingfield, our narrator and leader through the production.

It begins with Tom explaining that what we are about to see is based on memory-this is what he remembers and finds important for us to see. I love this introduction he gives us,

"Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

It is obvious from the beginning that Tom has left the family. He mentions in a roundabout way that this is how he remembers them, leading us to believe he hasn't been back. But that's okay, because we learn why.

The play only contains four characters, Tom, his mother Amanda, his sister Laura, and a friend from work named Jim. The family was abandoned by Tom and Laura's father before the play begins. And it is apparent from the beginning that Amanda has worked hard to maintain what little they have. But she is obsessed with the past and what she used to have (in one scene, she decks herself out in a silly gown, much to the embarrassment of Tom). It is clear she wants bigger and better things for her children.

Tom seems to have his head on straight. He works hard in a warehouse doing who knows what. He spends his spare time writing and seeing movies. It is clear he wants more than what he is doing, but he seems to be biding his time, waiting for the right moment. We also know, based on their altercations, that Amanda does not approve of his choices. She wants him to continually support herself and Laura. This leads to a lot of uncomfortable moments.

Laura, on the other hand, is an extremely shy and sheltered kind of a person. She stays at home with her mother, plays the piano, and has a large collection of glass animals that she cherishes. It is clear that she just can't function outside the home. But Amanda wants her to marry, to have possessions and a wonderful life, like she once had.

This is where the conflict comes into play, where everything shatters. Amanda convinces Tom to bring a friend home from work to introduce to Laura as a suitor. So Tom does, and Jim arrives at the house for a meal and to get to know Laura. This is where everything breaks apart, the family splits, and Tom eventually leaves.

What stood out to me most in this play was what was said between the lines. Being set in the 1930s, this play definitely addresses the ideas of an American Dream and consumerism. The characters, Amanda in particular, want things that they cannot afford. She continues to dream big, even when it cannot become a reality for her.

I loved this. I loved the way it was written, that it flashes between Tom speaking to the audience and scenes in the home. I love that it addresses issues that are American and universal all at once. Most of all, I loved Laura. I felt for her shy little self as she struggles to voice what she wanted. I felt her pain in the last scenes and understood her in a way that Amanda and Tom could not. It was just a beautiful play, and I know that I must go see it performed. It touched a very human part of myself, as cheesy as that may sound.

But most of all, I can't wait to see what Williams' other plays are like and if they punch as much emotional impact as this one did.

"I didn't go to the moon, I went much further—for time is the longest distance between two places."