Night of the Iguana free essay sample

Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams is a melodramatic tale of an ex-reverend’s struggle between his faith and sexual desires. Shannon, the ex-reverend, finds him-self fighting between the two conflicting sides of his personality. Shannon’s inner conflict consisted of his desire for young women, as a result of a childhood trauma, and his lust for a lifestyle of purity influenced by god. Shannon’s two conflicting sides are represented by the puritanical and judgmental Ms. Fellowes and the openly lustful Maxine. Hannah, accepting and serene, represents Shannon’s salvation to his internal conflict. With these three women, Williams represents the different aspects of Shannon’s personality which leads to the ultimate resolution of his inner conflict. Ms. Fellows, a woman depicted as a butch lesbian, shows great loathing for Shannon. Ms. Fellowes’s is the play’s physical representation of Shannon’s struggles with his faith. The distain stems from the desire for a young girl, Charlotte, with whom Ms. We will write a custom essay sample on Night of the Iguana or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Fellowes is responsible for. Charlotte’s romantic approaches toward Shannon, along with his seduction only fuel the hatred that was already brewing inside Ms. Fellowes. The jealousy toward the man who stole Charlotte heart and the resentment toward her fragile relationship with Charlotte severely increases Ms. Fellowes’s detestation for the ex-reverend. She constantly criticized and mocked his unique situation and past actions by calling him â€Å"Reverend Defrocked† and rubbing his mistakes in his face, â€Å"Because you what couldn’t keep your hands off innocent under-aged girls in your-†. The malicious taunting and critiquing continues throughout the play. Maxine is the physical representation of Shannon’s sexual desires. Maxine is a free spirit who expresses her sexuality openly and understands sex to be a simple act. Despite her beliefs of sex, she does not confuse sex and love. She even goes as far as directly stating her views on the topic of sex. Maxine’s straightforwardness and open behavior to sex is displayed when she says â€Å"Even I know the difference between sex and love. † An obvious example of Maxine’s love for Shannon is when she says, â€Å"I’ll get you back up honey. † The line, while suggestive towards a deeper emotional meaning, can be interpreted in two ways. However, in both meanings, it is implied that Maxine will stay by Shannon’s side. Her desire for Shannon’s heart and affections were constantly rejected due to Shannon’s childhood trauma, which made Maxine an unlikely candidate for Shannon’s affections. Maxine’s dedication to express her fondness toward Shannon is shown whenever his mental lapses occur. She takes care of Shannon and nurses him back to stability. Hannah is the median between Maxine and Ms. Fellows. She is a kind and welcoming woman, who accepts Shannon for who he really is. Displayed as a saint in the play, Hanna is literally Shannon’s savior. She appears when his life once again cracked up on him, and guides him to salvation. Afterwards, she leaves him, as if serving her purpose and leaving to find another. Hanna saves Shannon by telling him the story of her past love experiences. After listening to his trauma causing childhood story, Hannah tells Shannon that his experience as a child was not disgusting, and implying the he was not disgusting. Stated in the quote, â€Å"Nothing human disgusts me, unless it’s unkind,† Hannah comforts Shannon, allowing him to be released from the chains of his past and giving him the ability to walk towards a brighter future. Hannah, as a result, moves on and fades out of Shannon’s life, as if her only purpose was to save Shannon with a spiritual role. Through Ms. Fellowes, Maxine, and Hannah, Williams expresses the three aspects of Shannon. Williams takes the statement, â€Å"Behind every great man there is a woman. † and extends it far beyond its accepted meaning, connecting Shannon to the three women who changed his life.