Act 1 Summary

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a three-act play showcasing the turbulent lives of the Pollitt family, led by Big Daddy Pollitt. The family lives on a Southern plantation in Mississippi in the mid-1950s. The plot revolves around the two main characters, Brick Pollitt and his wife, Margaret, informally called Maggie. Maggie is the play's namesake, which is attributed to her high spirits and perseverance.

The play opens in Brick and Maggie's bedroom, which also serves as a sitting room in the Pollitt plantation. Maggie enters the room in a huff because she needs to change her dress, which was soiled by a buttered biscuit thrown by one of Gooper's children. Gooper is Brick's brother and is married to Mae. Gooper and Mae's family includes five children with the sixth on the way.

Brick is in the shower and cannot hear...