Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Theme of Gender

The protagonists in Cat struggle against the stringent and nonporous definitions of gender employed by society. As each character works to successfully fulfill the role and expectations attributed to his/her gender, the boundaries between masculinity and femininity are blurred.

1. What does it mean to be a woman, and what does it mean to be a man, in the world of Cat?
2. Does society play a role in how we understand gender in Cat?
3. How does gender translate into other aspects of the play, like the set and setting?
4. Who is most successful in the play at being a woman? A man?

The characters in Cat fight against society's stringent definitions of gender, and as a result they end up transgressing gender boundaries.

Each character in Cat possesses both masculine and feminine characteristics.