The protagonists in Cat struggle against the stringent and nonporous definitions of gender employed by society. As each character works to successfully fulfill the role and expectations attributed to his/her gender, the boundaries between masculinity and femininity are blurred.
Questions About Gender
- What does it mean to be a woman, and what does it mean to be a man, in the world of Cat?
- Does society play a role in how we understand gender in Cat?
- How does gender translate into other aspects of the play, like the set and setting?
- Who is most successful in the play at being a woman? A man?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The characters in Cat fight against society's stringent definitions of gender, and as a result they end up transgressing gender boundaries.
Each character in Cat possesses both masculine and feminine characteristics.