From Cat on a Hot Tin Roof wiki
Big Daddy
Harvey Big Daddy Pollitt is the wealthy and domineering patriarch of the Pollitt family whose impending death drives the central conflict of the narrative.
Big Daddy is a self-made millionaire and the owner of a massive cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta. Having risen from humble beginnings to become one of the wealthiest landowners in the region, he commands significant authority over his family, including his sons Brick and Gooper.
Character Significance
His character serves as the catalyst for the events of the play, as his family gathers at the estate to celebrate his sixty-fifth birthday while awaiting news regarding his health. Unaware that he is actually dying of cancer, Big Daddy remains preoccupied with the inheritance of his vast fortune and the perceived failures of his children.
His interactions with Brick are particularly pivotal, as he attempts to force his son to confront the truth about his alcoholism and his strained relationship with his wife, Maggie. Through these confrontations, Big Daddy exposes the mendacity and repressed emotions that permeate the entire Pollitt household.
