Your Claws Are Showing

Maggie the Cat

Brick: What exactly is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof?

Maggie: Just stayin' on it, I guess, as long as she can.

I just had this conversation on Facebook. It is probably symptomatic of 99% of my friendships and captures the duality of my personality.

Jackson: it figures that of all the characters in literature and film, u would identify with maggie the cat the most
Lo: Well, I feel a great affinity for Phineas in "A Seperate Peace" and Elizabeth Bennett in "Pride & Prejudice" and I feel that I share a lot of personality traits, besdies the whole cruelty thing, with Madame Merteiul in "Les Liasiones Dangerouses," but I think she's the closest fit.
Jackson: well, ur both southern and dramatic
Lo: I like that she's tenacious although she's ill at ease. She's resilient, and she loves a man that doesn't care nearly as much for her, and she just wants it all out in the open, you know? Even if it's bad, she'd rather have it all out on the table.
Jackson: she's also married to a raging alcoholic who might be a closest homosexual, a social climber, cunning, and ruthless
Lo: You say some of those like they're bad things. Mostly I acknowledge the cunning and ruthlessness, only when necessary. She actually did care about a lot of the Pollitt family besides the whole her scheming to secure her and her husband's position--I think she actually did like Big Daddy and Brick. And when she loves someone she'll do anything for them, even if it hurts her.
Jackson: again, it figures that u would identify with a tenessee williams character. u love the tragic poeticness of it all, don't u?
Lo: No, I just get the complexity of her personality and the struggles that she faces.
Jackson: it doesn't hurt that she has a gorgeous, broken husband and is played by liz taylor either, does it? yall do have that finishing school voice thing going for u, at least when ur not cursing up a storm
Lo: You know me too well.
Jackson: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Jackson: sharon just walked in and said u remind her the disney girl in that movie with the d bag from 1 tree hill
Lo: A CINDERELLA STORY? You have to be kidding me.
Jackson: u would know which movie i'm talking about
Jackson: she said u sounded like the disney girl when she was giving the speech in the locker room, all righteous and wounded and what not
Lo: Is she talking about the waiting for rain schtick?
Jackson: she said yes
Jackson: it depresses me severely that both of u have seen this movie and know it this well
Lo: I own it, and I've seen it multiple times.
Jackson: ur life is sad
Lo: Is it possible to be Maggie the Cat and Sam (the Disney girl) and Madame Mertieul and Elizabeth Bennett all wrapped in one?
Jackson: in other words a cunning southern belle, a 13 year old virgin heroine, a scheming manipulating maneater, and a rash, prideful, independent young woman?????
Lo: That's pretty accurate.
Jackson: if anyoje could, it'd be u

(Five minutes later)

Jackson:
Jackson: [in a virgin disney girl voice ]waiting for u is like waiting for rain in this drought.....useless and disappointing!
Lo: I hate you.
Jackson: u love me.
Lo: I really do love that movie, though.
Jackson: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

My life is ridiculous.

And so I leave you with the wisdom of Maggie the Cat.

Maggie: Silence about a thing just magnifies it.

Damn straight.