ACT
Practice Test 31

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HUMANITIES: Tennessee Williams: Celebrated Southern Gothic Writer

American literature encompasses many unique styles and genres, including Southern Gothic. As its name implies, the literature reflects life in the American South. It maintains some of the characteristics of

Line 5 Gothic writing, such as use of the supernatural or the ironic; however, Southern Gothic does not focus on creating tension and suspense as do other Gothic genres. Instead, its storylines examine Southern people and their postbellum social structure.

10 Writers in the genre generally spurn the pre-CivilWar stereotype of the plantation gentleman and the glamorous Southern belle. Instead, the authors develop characters that are sinister or reclusive and not particularly pleasant on the surface. Nevertheless, these

15 characters usually have redeeming qualities that allow and encourage the reader to sympathize with their situations and dilemmas. It is through these immoral and unhappy personalities that the Southern Gothic writer is able to present and explore moral issues of the

20 American South, such as slavery and bigotry, without blatant accusations. Many American authors are known for their Southern Gothic style. Playwright Tennessee Williams (1911–1983) is among the most celebrated. Williams’

25 long list of plays and novels include the Pulitzer Prize winning stage dramas A Streetcar Named Desire (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955). Williams’ characters are known to be modeled directly on members of his own family. For instance, it is speculated that

30 the pitiable character Laura in The Glass Menagerie (1944) is modeled after Williams’ mentally disabled sister Rose. In the same play, Amanda Wingfield is said to mirror Williams’ own mother. Williams even portrays himself in Suddenly, Last Summer (1958) and

35 The Glass Menagerie. His adult life, plagued with depression and alcoholism, appears to play out in his embroiled characters. If Tennessee Williams was a tormented man, it was due in no small part to his troubled family.

40 As a seven-year-old in Mississippi, Williams contracted diphtheria and remained housebound for two years. His mother, fearing for Tennessee’s mental wellbeing, pushed him toward creative arts during his period of illness. It was she who bought him a typewriter at age 13,

45 which he heartily accepted. Having already moved once, the Williams family eventually relocated to St. Louis, where Tennessee’s increasingly abusive father Cornelius squeaked out a living as a traveling shoe salesman. Tennessee’s

50 mother Edwina was a genteel sort prone to smothering. The most traumatic event in the young writer’s life, however, occurred when his sister Rose, described as a slender, refined beauty, was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

55 Various treatments were unsuccessful during Rose’s years of residence in mental asylums. In 1943, the Williams parents consented to the now-defunct prefrontal lobotomy in an effort to treat her schizophrenia. The operation was ruinous and Rose lay vegetative

60 for the rest of her life. The fallout came when Tennessee blamed his parents for authorizing the operation. In the 1960s, he wrestled with the notion that he, too, would go insane. A decade of depression took hold. He would, at least nominally, overcome it, but

65 Tennessee Williams’ family life would haunt him the rest of his days.

The main purpose of the passage can best be described as an effort to:

  • Solution

    The best answer is A. The first two paragraphs describe the qualities of Southern Gothic literature. The rest of the passage relates Tennessee Williams’ tumultuous life story, explaining in the process how the author’s family members inspired several of the his characters, which best supports answer choice A.

The author’s attitude toward the subject of the passage can best be characterized as:

  • Solution

    The best answer is G. The passage maintains an even, analytical tone, meaning the author does not attempt to persuade the reader to feel a certain way about the facts of Williams’ life; the author is interested in William’s life, but remains detached, or apart, from it. The other answer choices suggest emotions that are not indicated by the tone of the passage.

It can be reasonably inferred that the author believes Tennessee Williams’ first great success came from a play published in:

  • Solution

    The best answer is B. The year of publication of Williams’ plays mentioned in the passage are (in order of appearance) 1948, 1955, 1944, and 1958. The passage states that the play from 1948, A Streetcar Named Desire, won a Pulitzer Prize, perhaps the most prestigious literary award in the United States.

According to the sixth paragraph (lines 55–66), compared to modern standards of medicine, the prefrontal lobotomy is described as:

  • Solution

    The best answer is H. The prefrontal lobotomy is described as a “now-defunct” (“outdated”) procedure that was “ruinous” (“destructive”) to Rose, rendering her a vegetable. The other choices hint at some benefit to the procedure, but the passage asserts that no good to Rose nor to the Williams family came from the treatment.

As described in the passage, the effect Tennessee’s family had on him can best be summarized by which of the following statements?

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. The third paragraph describes how Williams used family members as models for his characters. The final paragraph details how emotionally damaged he was for the rest of his life. This best supports answer choice C. Answer choice D may be distracting, but the fact that Williams is “among the most celebrated” of Southern Gothic playwrights proves that his work did indeed appeal to his audience.

When the author states that Southern Gothic literature does not make “blatant accusations” (line 21), he most likely means that the genre avoids:

  • Solution

    The best answer is J. The phrase “blatant accusations” refers to transparent rhetoric that might come from a character taking a stand on the “moral issues” of the past. The richness of Southern Gothic literature is due in part to the absence of overt commentary on such subjects. The reader is left to infer the morality in the prose from the actions of the characters. The word “overtly” refers to something that is open and obvious.

The passage indicates that Tennessee Williams’ creative streak began because:

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. The passage states that Williams’ “mother ... pushed him toward creative arts during his period of illness.” He “heartily accepted” her gift of a typewriter. These statements best support answer choice C.

According to the author, the primary characteristic of the Southern Gothic genre is that it:

  • Solution

    The best answer is F. According to the passage, Southern Gothic literature “reflects life in the American South. It maintains some of the characteristics of Gothic writing, such as use of the supernatural or the ironic; however, Southern Gothic does not focus on creating tension and suspense as do other Gothic genres.” In addition, the passage states that “that the Southern Gothic writer is able to present and explore moral issues of the American South, such as slavery and bigotry ...” These statements best support answer choice F.

The author calls some of Tennessee Williams’ characters “embroiled” in line 37 most likely because they:

  • Solution

    The best answer is C. A person “depressed and fighting alcoholism” can be said to be “embroiled” in personal problems. As for Williams’ characters, which are characteristic of Southern Gothic style, they are brooding and often uninviting, and it is through them that “moral quandaries” (ethical dilemmas) are analyzed. 30. The correct answer is F. T

The “social structure” mentioned in line 9 most directly refers to what the author sees as:

  • Solution

    The correct answer is F. The word “postbellum” means, in general, “post-war,” but it is usually restricted to mean “post-Civil-War.” With the end of the Civil War came the end of slavery, but antebellum, or pre-war attitudes of “racism and inequality” persisted, which are what Williams’ characters struggle to reconcile. This best supports answer choice F.

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