Honors Theses
Date of Award
2010
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Colby Kullman
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
While many themes appear in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the theme of deception emerges as one of the most prominent. To determine exactly how deceit impacts the lives of the characters in each play, an analysis of deception from both a psychological and philosophical standpoint is given. Based on the findings of this analysis, Williams effectively employs three general categories of deception in his plays, including deception with self-awareness, deception of others requiring deception of the self and self-deception regardless of another’s presence. Williams also implements one of the most popular forms of deception among humans—lying, which can be classified within each of the three broad categories, depending upon the situation. After exploring the different forms of deception used within his works, an obvious progression of deception develops. Not only do the incidences of lies and deception increase, but the harmfulness and seriousness of the consequences intensifies as well. Ultimately, Williams’ three plays prove that the use of deception leads to destruction.
Recommended Citation
Henning, Holly Nicole, "Tennesse Williams' Web of Deception in The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (2010). Honors Theses. 2347.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2347
Accessibility Status
Searchable text