Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt is the father of the two grown boys in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Gooper, the older son, is the play-by-the-rules son and kisses up to Bid Daddy because he wants to inherit the farm when Big Daddy dies. Brick, the younger son, drunk and drifting through life, couldn’t care less. He is the favorite son.
In a very good dramatic scene, Brick and Big Daddy confront each other in the basement of Brick’s house, where Brick stores all his childhood toys and football honors. Big Daddy cannot understand why Brick is throwing away his life with alcohol, and Brick cannot understand why Big Daddy will not have the operations or take the medicine to ease his pain. Big Daddy says, wincing with pain, “It’ll kill the senses too! You… you got pain – at least you know you’re alive.”
With the pain, you know you’re alive. He’s wrong, you know! Forty years ago, I was involved in a near death auto accident. Since then, I have lived a very successful and prudent life. I have no complaints except that I have experienced pain every day since that dreadful day, and I will tell you that when you got pain, you know that parts of your body are dead.
BUT, with a strong faith, I have been able to overcome all of this and realize that my eternal body is pure and belongs to God. God does not allow that body to feel pain, so I comfortable with that fact and blessed every day of my life.
So, Big Daddy, pain don’t tell me nothing about being alive, only God does.
©Russell Kendall Carter, BA. MAT. Dlitt.
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