Showing or Telling: Narrators in the Drama of Tennessee Williams

Author(s): Nancy Anne Cluck

Source: American Literature, Vol. 51, No. 1 (Mar., 1979), pp. 84-93
Published by: Duke University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2924921 .
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in theDrama of
Showingor Telling:Narrators
TennesseeWilliams
NANCY ANNE CLUCK

Universityof Texas at Dallas

Tl RADITIONALLY, dramahas been describedas the mostdirectand

. objectiveof the literarygenres.Drama requiresneitherthe
speakerof the lyricpoem nor the narratorof prosefiction.It is a
uniquelyunmediatedvisionwhichrelieson actionratherthandeThis emphasison showingratherthan tellingoftenbescription.
in othergenres.Manynovelistsand critics
comestheenvyofwriters
of novelsaspireto let a storytell itselfthroughthe actionsof its
In fact,PercyLubbockimpliesthata novelis successful
characters.
to theextentthatit tells.
to theextentthatit showsand unsuccessful
Lubbocknotes:
In hisdiscussionof The Ambassadors,
Justas thewriterof a playembodieshis subjectin visibleactionand
like Strether's,
dealingwitha situation
audiblespeech,so thenovelist,
of
overthesurface
thatflickers
it bymeansof themovement
represents
mustbearhis part
a character
his mind.. . . In dramaof thetheatre
of
thoughts
man,harbouring
tobe a desperate
unaided;ifhe is required
crime,
he cannotlookto theauthortoappearat thesideofthestageand
his
through
itforhimself
inform
theaudience
ofthefact;hemustexpress
the
so arranges
wordsand deeds,his looksand tones.The playwright
will make the right
matterthatthesewill be enough,the spectator
inference.'

the
Lubbockwriteshereof the"dramaof thetheatre,"
Significantly,
however,
acteddrama.The unacteddrama may be quite different,
obforit movestowardthegenreof fiction.Lubbockperspicuously
nothingbutthebaredialogue,
servesthat"ifhe (the novelist)offers
hisplay
amplifying
he is writinga kindofplay;justas thedramatist,
in
a
read
book,has
and puttingit forthto be
with'stage-directions'
reallywrittena kind of novel."2The dramatistmay,then,tell his
of a
as thenarrator
readersomethingsthroughhis stagedirections,
novelrelatesinformation.
1 Percy Lubbock, The Craft of Fiction (London,
2

The Craftof Fiction, p.

III.

I92I;

rpt. New York,

I957),

p.

I57.

Narrators
in theDrama of TennesseeWilliams

85

though,to shortdescripare mostoftenconfined,

Stagedirections
shouldmoveor whatexpression
tionsofwhereand how a character
he shouldassume.Rarelydo theyadvancetheactionof theplot or
inaccessibleinsightsinto characteror theme.
providedramatically
whichcannotbe subsumedintotheactionof the
Anystagedirection
to the
and antithetical
playitselfis generallyconsideredsuperfluous
mayspeakto his readersat lengthin a prefaceas
art.The dramatist
to
Shaw did,butrarelydoes he includematerialdirectedexclusively
thereaderin thebodyof the play.Yet, TennesseeWilliamsseems
critic,and philosopherin manyof his stage
to be poet,storyteller,
of his acteddrama.
fromtheintegrity
withoutdetracting
directions
affirms
his concernwith the acted play, while he
He vigorously
the writtenformin his "Afterword"to Camino Real:
deprecates
Thereareplaysmeantforreading.I havereadthem.I have readthe
fromus who are peras distinguished
worksof 'thinking
playwrights'
them
readthemearlierand appreciated
mitted
onlytofeel,andprobably
liketheincantation
as muchas thosewhoinvoketheirnamesnowadays
a theatre
blazeoflivetheatre,
ofAristophanes'
Buttheincontinent
frogs.
hasneverbeenand neverwillbe extinmeantforseeingandforfeeling,
new or old,bearingvesselsthat
guishedbya bucketbrigadeof critics,
punchbowltoHavilandteacup.Andinmydissident
rangefromcut-glass
a playin a bookis onlytheshadowofa playandnotevena clear
opinion,
shadowofit.3

for the acted play should not be

Williams'spreference
Certainly,
however,Williamsoften
notwithstanding,
ignored.This statement
revealshimselfas poet and even as novelist,not onlyin his poems
in theplays.
but,perhapsmostsuccessfully,
and hisfiction,
It is throughTom Wingfieldof The GlassMenageriethatwe can
of thedrama.The autobiographical
beginto educethepoet-novelist
betweenTom Wingfieldand TennesseeWilliamshas long
similarity
Tom, thenarrator/
butevenwithouttheseaffinities,
beenrecognized,
can furnishinsightsinto how Williams
character/poet/playwright,
works.Tom is theacknowledgednarratorof thisplay in whichhe
is alsoa majorcharacter.
of
is an undisguisedconvention
Williamsstatesthat"thenarrator
is contheplay.He takeswhateverlicensewithdramaticconvention
3 Tennessee Williams, "Afterword" to Camino Real in The Theatre of Tennessee Williams
(I953;

rpt. New York,

I970),

II,

423.

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American Literature

venientto his purpose."4Tom does presenttheplay,but he is also

who
verymuchinvolvedin it.He is notsimplyan objectiveobserver
servesas a pointof view; he is a major characterand even playand in theopening
The settingof theplayis in hismemory,
wright.
"Yet,I have tricksin my
speech,he castshimselfas artist-magician:
I havethingsup mysleeve.But I am theoppositeof a stage
pockets,
magician.He givesyou illusionthathas theappearanceof truth,I
giveyou truthin thepleasantdisguiseof illusion"(I, i, p. 22). As
he createstheplaytoexorcisehissisterfromhismemory,
playwright,
and to freehimselffrom
to trytoexplainhisown actionsto himself,
entersthepresenttimeof theEpilogue,
his guilt.He exitsmemory,
and exclaims:"Oh Laura,Laura,I triedto leaveyoubehindme,but
I
I am morefaithfulthanI intendedto be! I reachfora cigarette,
I runintothemoviesor a bar,I buya drink,I speak
crossthestreet,
thatcan blow yourcandlesout!
to the neareststranger-anything
For nowadaystheworldis lit by lightning!Blow out yourcandles,
Laura-and so goodbye. . ." (II, vii,p. "I5). NeitherTom the
can escape the
character
withinthe play nor Tom the playwright
realityof Laura in thepresent.
Tom is evenidentified
as stagemanagerat one pointin theplay.
recountshow thingsused to be when
As Amandamelodramatically
the stage
the
at
plantationin Mississippi,
callers
had
gentlemen
she
directions
read: "Tom motionsfor music and a spot of lighton
Amanda,her eyeslift,her faceglows,her voice becomesrichand
elegiac"(I, i, p. 27). Tom not onlyarrangessettingand theme;he
also directsthetechnicalaspectsof theplay at thispoint.
in this
and centralcharacter
Tom is,then,theundisguised
narrator
who mayalso be associated
play.Yet thereis also a disguisednarrator
forWilliams,and the
withTom in so faras Tom is a poet,a stand-in
in thestage
who appearsprimarily
creatorof theplay.This narrator
verymuchlike a dramatizednarratorin prose
directions,
functions
who also tellsthestory.Through
fiction;he is one of thecharacters
directs,and writeshis play,we can begin
Tom, who acts,narrates,
to understand
how Williamsworks.He doesnotmerelylettheplay
himselfor anotheriminterjects
tellitself;like Tom he frequently
which
plied narratorinto the play to give the readerinformation
4Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie (I949;
furtherreferencesto thisplay will be from this source.

rpt. New York,

I970),

p.

22.

All

Narratorsin the Drama of Tennessee Williams

87

play,
to theaudienceof theperformed
could notbe communicated
to commenton the themes,and, occasionally,to imbue the stage
quality.
witha metaphoric
directions
information
simplyprovidesstraightforward
Oftenthestory-teller
in
are
Act
I, iii that
we
told
For
example,
muchas thenovelistdoes.
Amandawearsan old robe,"muchtoo largeforherslightfigure,a
relicof thefaithlessMr. Wingfield"(p. 40). The audiencein the
theatrecould not possiblyknow thatthe robe was once her husis givenin the stagedirections
band's.A similarbit of information
in Sceneiv. Preparingto go outside,Laura pullson a coat whichis
the sleevestoo shortfor
made-over,
"one of Amanda'sinaccurately
know the
Laura" (p. 47). Althoughtheaudiencewill undoubtedly
onlythereaderreceivesthedefiniteinforcoatis old and ill-fitting,
mationthatit has belongedto Amanda.Stilllater,as Laura prepares
forhergentlemancaller,we are told thatherdressis "coloredand
designedby memory"(II, vi, p. 69). How can thisbe conceivedas
a directionto actorsor evento costumedesigners?Whose memory
had designedit and evencoloredit? Sincethisis a memoryplay,we
mustassumethatTom's memoryfurnishesthe shape and color.
providedonlyforthe reader-not
thisis information
Nevertheless,
audience.
forthetheatre
The impliednarrator
on actionand themefromhis
also comments
AfterthequarrelbetweenAmandaand
maskin thestagedirections.
by Amanda's
Tom, he tellsus thatit was "probablyprecipitated
of Tom's creativelabor(I, iii,p. 40). Even thenarrator
interruption
seemsnotto be entirely
sure,buthe can commenton probablecause.
He becomesmorephilosophicin I, iv,whenhe describesthemanner
to thechurch
in whichTom shakeshis noisemaker
in counterpoint
to thesustained
bell"as iftoexpressthetinyspasmofmanin contrast
oftheAlmighty"(p. 44).
powerand dignity
For exambecomespoetin someofhisnarration.
The philosopher
ple,he tellsus in I, vi, that"It is aboutfiveon a Fridayeveningof
latespring"whichcomes"scattering
poemsin thesky"(II, vi,p. 69).
Thereis no waythat,throughsetor actions,theaudiencecouldknow
poems.At thebeginningof thissame scene,the
thisspringscatters
prettiis givenof Laura: "A fragile,unearthly
followingdescription
glass
nesshas come out in Laura: she is like a piece of translucent
radiance,notactual,notlasting"
touchedbylight,givenmomentary

88

American Literature

(p. 69). Once again the reader,not the theatreaudience,has the

advantageof thepoeticmetaphor.
The samebeautyof poeticexpression
occurslaterwhenLaura sits
at thetablewithhergentlemancaller.As thecurtainsbillow,we are
toldthat"thereis a sorrowfulmurmurfromthe deep blue dusk"
(II, vi, p. 83). In II, vii, the stagedirectionsacquire a patternof
imageryfromthe action.Because Tom has chosennot to pay the
lightbill,thehouseis dark,and all of thissectionis playedto the
lightof candleswhichJimhas carriedin and setbesideLaura. The
actuallightof the play is transformed
into poeticmetaphorwhen
JimleanstowardLaura "witha warmthand charmwhichlightsher
inwardlywithaltarcandles"(II, vii,97). Afterhe revealshisengagement,"theholycandleson thealtarofLaura'sfacehavebeensnuffed
out" (II, vii,p. 97). This patternofimagery,
createdbythenarrator/
of thelyricpoem. The
poetof theplay,invokesthe characteristics
figurative
languagemayinspirethe actorsto portraythe sensitivity
ofLaura,butonlythereadercan perceivetheenclosedlyricstructure
direction.
ofthewritten
In hisfirstsuccessful
play,then,Williamscreatesbothundisguised
and disguisednarrators,
both of whom may be Tom Wingfield/
TennesseeWilliams.The personaofthestagedirection
suppliesaddiand
and
action
contributes
tionalinformation,
theme,
commentson
poetrythroughpatternsof imagery.While the narrativetechnique
The Glass Meis particularly
appropriateto the autobiographical
on
a
Hot
in
Cat
Tin
similar
Roof.
nagerie,it serves
functions
The narrator
of thislaterplaytakeshis readerintohis confidence
withtheuse of thepronoun"we." This intimacyis exhibitednear
thebeginningof Act II afterBig Daddy asksReverendTooker,"Y'
thinksomebody'saboutt'kickoffaroundhere?"The narratorthen
speaksdirectlyfromthe stage directionsto the readerin Act II:
"How he wouldanswerthequestionwe'll neverknow,as he'sspared
theembarassment
by the voice of Gooper'swife,Mae, risinghigh
and clearas sheappearswith'Doc' Baugh,thefamilydoctor,through
thehalldoor."5
Althoughthis disguisednarratorsometimesallies himselfwith
thereaderthroughthepronoun"we," at othertimes,he seemsto be
5 Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (New York, I955),
referencesto this work will be fromthis source.

p. 49. All further

Narratorsin the Drama of Tennessee Williams

89

omniscient,
havingunlimitedinformation
about the past livesand
familiesof variouscharacters.
Soon afterBig Mama's firstappearance,thereaderis toldthat"her'family'was maybea littlesuperior
to Big Daddy'sbutnotmuch" (I, p. 33). In Act II we are told that
"Big Daddy is famousfor his jokes at Big Mama's expense,and
nobodylaughslouder than Big Mama herself,thoughsometimes
they're
pretty
crueland Big Mama has to pickup or fusswithsomethingto coverthe hurtthat the loud laugh doesn'tquite cover"
(p. 50). AfterBig Mama has playedher own sortof joke on the
preacher,
thenarrator
elaborates,
"Big Mama is notorious
throughout
theDeltaforthissortofineleganthorseplay,
Margaretlookson with
indulgenthumor,sippingDubonnet'on the rocks'and watching
Brick,butMae and Gooperexchangesignsofhumorless
anxietyover
theseantics,thesortof behaviorwhichMae thinksmayaccountfor
theirfailureto quite get in withthesmartest
youngmarriedsetin
Memphis,despiteall. One of theNegroes,Lacy or Sookey,peeksin,
cackling.Theyarewaitingfora signto bringin thecake and champagne.But Big Daddy'snotamused.He doesn'tunderstand
why,in
spiteof theinfinitereliefhe's receivedfromthe doctor'sreport,he
stillhas thesesameold foxteethin his guts.'This spasticthingsure
is something,'
he saysto himself,but aloud he roarat Big Mama"
(II, p. 5I). Someofthisdirection
cuestheactors:Maggiecan sip her
Dubonnet,Mae can look askanceat Gooper,and the Negroescan
lookin. But thereadermustbe told thatBig Mama is notoriousfor
herhorseplay;he mustbe toldMae's thoughts
by someonewho has
accessto them;and onlywiththehelpofan omniscient
can
narrator
he knowwhat Big Daddy is thinking,
muchless sayingto himself.
The narratorknows moreabout Brickthan Brickhimselfdoes.
During the long conversation
betweenBrick and Big Daddy in
Act II, theomniscient
narratorcomments:"Bricklooksback at his
fatheragain.He has alreadydecided,withoutknowinghe has made
thisdecision,thathe is going to tell his fatherthathe is dyingof
cancer.Onlythiscould eventhescorebetweenthem:one inadmissiblethingin return
foranother"(II, p. go).
Althoughthetheatre
audiencecan guessat themaritalrelationship
of Big Mama and Big Daddy, thereaderof theplay receivesmore
specificinformation.
In Act III, when Big Mama fearsshe is about
to learnbad newsfromthedoctor,she asks,"Is there?Something?
SomethingthatI? Don't-know ?" The stagedirections
follow,"In

go

American Literature

thesefewwords,thisstartled,
verysoft,question,Big Mama reviews
thehistory
of herforty-five
yearswithBig Daddy,hergreat,almost
true-hearted
embarrassingly
and simple-minded
devotionto Big
Daddy,who musthavehad something
Brickhas,who madehimself
lovedso muchby the'simpleexpedient'of notlovingenoughto disturbhis charmingdetachment,
also once coupled,like Brick'swith
virilebeauty"(III, p. 103). The actionof theplayshowsBig Mama's
loveforBig Daddy,butthiscommenttellsmoreabouthow constant
it has alwaysbeen,and explicitly
pointsout the similarity
between
Big Daddy and Brick.
This narrator
is similarto theone in The GlassMenageriein his
abilityto extractfromthe languageof the actedplay a patternof
imagery
forthestagedirections.
Animalimageryabounds;Margaret
is Maggie the Cat, the childrenare no-neckmonsters,
dogs, and
monkeys.Butthestagedirections
containan evenmoreconspicuous
pattern.
At one pointin Act I Brickbreaksaway fromMaggie and
raisesa chair"likea liontamer
facinga big cat" (I, p. 32). This can,
of course,be acted as can Big Mama's "charginglike a rhino"in
ActII or eventheactionsofthelittlegirlwho "hopsand shriekslike
a monkeygone mad" (II, p. 75). The interesting
point,though,is
themannerbywhichthesedirections
foractingare appropriated
by
thepoet/narrator
forhis similesforMama's dress,forit has "large
irregularpatterns,
like the markingsof some massiveanimal" (II,
p. 5o), and forthedescription
of a conversation
in Act III when"the
stagesoundslike a big bird-cage"(p. ioo). The animalpatterncontinuesin thedescription
of thepreacher,whosesmileis "sincereas
a bird-call
blownon a hunter'swhistle,thelivingembodiment
ofthe
pious,conventional
lie" (II, p. 86).
Finally,duringthediscussionbetweenBrickand Big Daddy, the
narrator
movesfromactingdirections
to commentary
on thetheme
of theplayto dramacriticin his long intrusion
in Act II:
Brick'sdetachment
is at lastbrokenthrough.
His heartis accelerated;
his
forehead
sweat-beaded;
his breathbecomesmorerapidand his voice
hoarse.The thingthey're
discussing,
timidly
and painfully
on thesideof
BigDaddy,fiercely,
violently
on Brick'sside,is theinadmissible
thingthat
Skipperdiedto disavowbetween
them.The factthatifit existedit had
to be disavowed
to 'keepface'in theworldtheylivedin,maybe at the
heartofthe'mendacity'
thatBrickdrinkstokillhisdisgust
with.It may
be at therootofhiscollapse.
Or maybeitis onlya singlemanifestation
of

Narratorsin the Drama of Tennessee Willi'ams

9I

The birdI hope to catchin thenetof this

it,noteventhemostimportant.
play is not the solutionof one man's psychologicalproblem.I'm trying
to catchthetruequalityof experiencein a groupof people,thatcloudy,
of livehumanbeingsin
charged-interplay
flickering,
evanescent-fiercely
shouldbe leftin the
of a commoncrisis.Some mystery
thethundercloud
is always
revelation
of characterin a play,just as a greatdeal of mystery
leftin therevelationof characterin life,even in one's own characterto
of his dutyto observeand
This does not absolvetheplaywright
himself.
can: but it shouldsteerhim
probeas clearlyand deeplyas he legitimately
whichmake a play just a
awayfrom'pat' conclusions,faciledefinitions
play,nota snareforthetruthofhumanexperience.(p. 85)
Some of this is directionto the actor; Brick's distresscan be acted;
his breathcan come fast,and his voice can actually become hoarse.
In the next few sentences,though,the narratortells the reader what
is being discussed. He no longer seems omniscientas he speculates
that Brick's problem may be his particularmendacity.As if he has
not quite made his point yet,the narratorspeaks in the first-person
"I," who must be the playwrightsince he tellsus his intentionin the
play. Then, he explains his dramatic theory: the playwrightmust
always leave some mysteryin his characterswhile attemptingto
capturehuman experience.This long stage directionis the epitome
of tellingas opposed to showing in Tennessee Williams's dramas.
Although the narratorseems much less obvious in the otherplays,
he can be discernedat variouspoints.In StreetcarNamed Desire, the
reader derives additional informationabout Stanley and his earlier
life.Aftersupplyinga physicaldescriptionin Act I, the narratortells
us that "since earliestmanhood the centerof his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependently,but with the power and pride of a richly
featheredmale bird among hens. Branching out from this complete
and satisfyingcenterare all the auxiliarychannels of rough humor,
his love of good drink and food and games, his car, his radio, everythingthatis his, thatbears his emblem of the gaudy seed-bearer.He
sizes women up at a glance, with sexual classifications,crude images
flashinginto his mind and determiningthe way he smiles at them."6
This omniscientnarrator,who knows about the past lives of the
characters,also seems able to enter theirheads at any moment. For
example, in Camino Real, as Kilroy imagines the body of the gypsy
6 Tennessee Williams, A StreetcarNamed Desire (New York, I947),

p. 29.

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American Literature

tellsus that"a canarywarblesinsidehis

underherveil,thenarrator
fromhis
and excitement
head."7We maybe able to see hisconfusion
actionson stage,butwe couldhardlyknowaboutthecanarywithout
beingtold.
In The Rose Tattoo,thenarrator
once again takesthereaderinto
by usingthefamiliar"we." Afterhe is kickedby the
hisconfidence
salesman,Alvaro screamsto Serafinathathe mustgo inside her
byhimas shehas managedto ignore
house.She is palpablyaffected
comment:
malessincethedeathofherhusband.The stagedirections
"We mustunderstandher profoundunconsciousresponseto the
suddencontactwithdistressas acuteas her own."8
as a
Then,at theopeningof III, iii thepoeticsettingis described,
view
theexterior
explainstothereader,"We seefirst
humannarrator
of the small framebuildingagainsta nightskywhichis like the
starry
blue robeof Our Lady." The similewhichassociatesthe sky
withtheVirgincannotbe acted:it can onlybe told.
The poeticqualitiesof thenarratorare evidentagain in thePrologue to Camino Real. As he setsthe stage,the narratortellsthe
readerthatthere"are flickersof a whiteradianceas thoughdaybreakwere a whitebird caughtin a net and strugglingto rise"
(p. 431). Laterin thePrologue,he uses thesetto commenton one
of thethemesof theplay: "Upwardsis a smallbalconyand behind
it a large window exposinga wall on which is hung a phoenix
paintedon silk: thisshouldbe softlylightednow and thenin the
areso mucha partofitsmeaning"(p. 431).
play,sinceresurrections
The distinction
betweendrama and prose fictionis artistically
cloudedin theplaysof TennesseeWilliams.He mayprofessnot to
care fortheprinteddrama,but the narrativevoice,bothdisguised
and enrichesthereader's
speaksfromhisdirections,
and undisguised,
of his plays.The dramatizednarratorof The Glass Meexperience
and
nagerierevealshimselfto be the slightlydisguisedplaywright
stagemanageras well as poet and actor.While the narratorseems
notto be so obviousin Cat On a Hot Tin Roof,a moreobjectively
in stagedirections
appearsfrequently
play,thestory-teller
presented
to providemoreinformation
to takethereaderintohis confidence,
7Tennessee Williams,CaminoReal in The Theatreof TennesseeWilliams(I953; rpt.
New York,I970), II, 547. Furtherreferences
to thisplay will be fromthissource.
8 TennesseeWilliams,The Rose Tattoo in The Theatreof TennesseeWilliams(I950;
rpt.New York, I970), II, 350. All further
references
to thisplay will be fromthissource.

in theDrama of TennesseeWilli.ams
Narrators

93

to
aboutthepast lives and the currentthoughtsof his characters,
createa patternof imagery,to commenton thethemesof theplay,
Williamsdoesnot
ofplaywrighting.
and finally,
topresenthistheory
confine
hisown commentsto hisprefacesas Shaw tendedto do, but
does in prosefiction.He tellsin
tellsthestorymuchas thenarrator
theprintedplay whiletheactedplay shows.Each versionoffersits
ownrichesfortheaudienceor thereader,forWilliamsbothshows
andtells.