How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Page.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used the New Directions edition of the play, published in 1971.
Quote #4
BIG MAMA
[…]—Shoot, Maggie, you just don't like children. (I.43.618-619)
Here Big Mama insults Maggie by suggesting she is failing in her role as wife and woman.
Quote #5
BIG MAMA
D'you make Brick happy in bed?
MARGARET
Why don't you ask if he makes me happy in bed?
[…]
BIG MAMA
Something's not right! You're childless and my son drinks! (I.47.721-725)
Maggie shows a progressive edge when she questions why Big Mama doesn't inquire after her sexual satisfaction rather than her husband's. Big Mama expresses a bigger societal concern when she points to the abnormal behavior and nature of Maggie and Brick's marriage: they are deviating from the roles that have been assigned to them, and this deviation is cause for great worry and even fear.
Quote #6
BIG MAMA
- When a marriage goes on the rocks, the rocks are there, right there! (I.48.729-730)
Ironically, Big Mama cites sex as the focal point of every marriage, but we learn from Big Daddy later on that their sex life has not thrived. In this moment, Big Mama refers to the bed that remains at the center of every moment of Cat.