Everyone wants to be desired. This is especially true in the case of Maggie, the female protagonist of Tennessee Williams' comedy, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Maggie's annoying sister-in-law Mae is always flaunting the fact that she has five kids (and a sixth on the way) while Maggie has none. In a Southern family where Mae is viewed more favorably for these children, Maggie is ostracized for lacking her to a point where she cannot truly be herself. This is just one of the many challenges Maggie faces. Even though she faces many challenges that prevent her from being socially accepted, Maggie perseveres on her path to being desired while being herself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maggie's childlessness is the biggest obstacle in her path to social acceptance. The main cause of this obstacle is Mae and her children, who Maggie calls “neckless monsters” (Williams 17). Mae and her husband Gooper already have five children while Maggie and Brick have none. Critic Dawn B. Sova implies that Mae and Gooper may not have the purest intentions when having children, but may only be having them to ensure that they will inherit Big Daddy's estate. (Sova) Not having children doesn't begin to bother Maggie until she arrives at her father-in-law's Big Daddy's plantation for his birthday party. By this time it had been determined that Big Daddy is dying of a malignant tumor. Thanks to his hard work, Big Daddy has amassed a nice fortune that Mae and Gooper hope to inherit. However, since Brick has always been the favorite son, Big Daddy wants to bequeath his large fortune to him rather than to Gooper. Motivated by the thought of the enormous amount of wealth that could be gained, Mae tries to undermine Maggie by showing off her children. Mae's assault begins with "constant little remarks and innuendos that [Maggie and Brick] had no children, are totally childless, and therefore useless!" (Williams 19). In addition to their mother's verbal attacks, Mae's children have also reminded Maggie that she has no children, seen when one of the children shouts at Maggie, "You're just jealous because you can't have children!" (62). At such a young age, the little girl could only have thought this if she had been specially taught. It's clear that Mae is working to make Maggie look bad in every way possible. However, Mae's advances are not the only cause of Maggie's lack of social acceptance. The other main reason lies in her relationship with her husband, Brick. The strained relationship between Maggie and Brick is the cause of her lack of children, and therefore her lack of social acceptance. It is quite obvious from the beginning of the play that Maggie is the most active participant in this relationship and Brick seems to be with him. Brick never outwardly confirms or denies that he is in love with Maggie, but he is faithful to her. Conflict in the relationship arises when the needs of the two are examined: Brick doesn't need anything from Maggie but Maggie needs Brick's love. Brick realizes what is happening and tries to compensate by giving Maggie the chance to cheat on him, which he thinks would bring her happiness, but only makes her more unhappy. Although Maggie and Brick share a bond, the love Maggie has for Brick is not reciprocated. Smith-Howard and Heintzelman noted that "Brick's love for Maggie has been usurped by another: the memory of his beloved Skipper, whom Maggie has exposed" (Smith-Howard, Heintzelman) and as a result, Brick blames Maggie for Skipper's death. The strained relationship between Maggie and Brick can be explained through the saying of.