The details and functions that the houses in A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Their Eyes
Were Watching God illustrate two examples of poor communication and the external pressures
that cause it. Southern society is created through a tradition of social behavior focused on gaining
status. Feeling pressure appear content and happy regardless of internal struggles is represented
in Their Eyes Were Watching God and the necessity for gossip and sticking one's nose where it
does not belong is presented by A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The two houses represent the
difficulties of effective communication. The multiple interruptions by characters not intended to
hear Brick and Big Daddys conversation embodies southern gossip culture while the facade Janie
puts on in her own home illustrates the expectation of southern wives to always seem content and
happy in their marriage.
Brick and Big Daddy are interrupted a total of nine times during their conversation. Big
Daddy, frustrated by these constant interruptions while he is trying to have a conversation with
his son, exclaims to a spying Mae,
“No, I don’t want you. I want some privacy here, while I’m having a confidential talk
with my son Brick. Now it’s too hot in here to close them doors, but if I have to close those
fuckin’ doors in order to have a private talk with my son Brick, just let me know and I’ll close
‘em. Because I hate eavesdroppers, I don’t like any kind of sneakin’ an’ spyin’.” (Pg.84
Williams).
There are many interruptions, but this quote highlights the inability for the plantation house to
have privacy not by fault of its own but from spies and eavesdroppers. Big Daddy is trying to
have a heart to heart with Brick, these constant interruptions rely upon the tradition of prying
ears in southern society. Often, we are puzzled by people knowing things about ourselves, the
openness of the house is representative of how open a gossip obsessed mouth is. We rely on
trusting others to hold our secrets like we trust doors to hold in our conversations. When we are
unable to trust in those anymore what do we do? In the case of loose lips, we shutter ourselves in
unable to trust others with our true feelings causing a break in our communication. Just as doors
are shut in a parlor. The eavesdroppers and interruptions create a break in our trust to fully
express ourselves to others, effectively eliminating the truth of our words, similarly to how the
truth of Brick's reality hurts him so much he keeps it to himself.
Contrarily, Janie's solitude in such a massive house illustrates the point of view of
southern wives, feeling pressures to portray what society and their husband expect forces them to
also withdraw into themselves, not speaking their truth, and abiding by unsatisfactory rules. Janie
feels isolated and removed in their marriage, in the giant house, giant town, and as the most
affluent woman in Eatonville she is unable to express her true feelings because she must protect
the facade, she presents to the town to keep up with expectations. Joe also presents a problem,
unable to communicate feelings of jealousy and stress to explain his behavior out of fear of
appearing weak. Janie concedes the fight she is in between her feelings and expectations.
“So gradually, she pressed her teeth together and learned to hush. The spirit of the marriage left
the bedroom and took to living in the parlor. It was there to shake hands…” (Pg.71, Hurston).
Janie gives up on retaliating against Joe, she maintains a separation between her inside self and
outside self as she relies on her happy facade to go through the motions of her daily tasks.
During these tasks she separates further and further from reality, withdrawing into herself to find
the “blossom” she had as a child. The expectations placed on her as “mayor's wife” placed too
much societal pressure for Joe to be, perceived as unquestionable and strong, and for Janie to be,
submissive and obedient like the town’s population are.