ISFP 9w8 Characters
What happens when deep personal pain meets passive resistance? Brick Pollitt (Paul Newman) from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a textbook example of the ISFP 9w8 personality type, a man who buries his emotions under alcohol, silence, and stubborn avoidance. This in-depth MBTI and Enneagram character analysis explores how Brick’s type and Enneagram Nine traits of disengagement shape his troubled relationships, identity, and inner conflict. Whether you’re a fan of Tennessee Williams, a student of personality theory, or a writer seeking to build rich, emotionally wounded characters, this breakdown will guide you through Brick’s complex psyche.
Introverted Feeling
Fi-doms do not “play nice” when they don’t feel like it, and they often see no point in pretending anything they don’t feel, which is a major obstacle within Brick’s marriage to Maggie. He won’t talk about anything he doesn’t want to discuss, which leaves her in silence for months as she tries to get back into his good graces. He refuses to play along with the social pleasantries at his father’s birthday party. No, he doesn’t want to go down and be polite or see people. He would much rather drive off home in the rain (and he makes an attempt, only to get stopped by a broken crutch). No, he doesn’t want to see his father, speak to his mother, deal with his brother, or sign the card on the gift Maggie bought in his name. It’s only when he is finally able to talk to his father on a realistic, raw level, about how he never felt loved as a kid, that he softens toward Big Daddy and even considers forgiving his wife and making her pregnant just to please everyone. But that is a battle hard-fought by everyone around him, because of his refusal to compromise or communicate.
Extraverted Sensing
Brick’s answer to his depressive emotions is to become an alcoholic and a wastrel. He assumes he can handle whatever life throws at him, by simply being present to it, including insisting on driving off in a terrible storm (his father has to stop him). High Se just sort of figures that they will be fine, that their bodies and presence of mind will help them handle it. Brick used to be athletic, always involved in sports, baseball, and other outside activities. He had a healthy sex life with his wife, and an enjoyment of looking at her. But now he doesn’t care and his Se over-indulges in temporary distractions (booze) rather than motivate himself to work past his marital problems and the loss of his (gay) friend.
Introverted Intuition
Brick keeps a lot bottled up inside, but on occasion he will say something insightful but cutting to hurt those around him, or to expose some problem within their character. He does not much think about the future beyond that, though.
Extraverted Thinking
Brick is just… mean when we first meet him. He is blunt, shuts down his wife, refuses to go to his father’s birthday dinner, doesn’t want to congratulate him on his good news, and he even lets the truth (that Big Daddy is terminal) slip out in the midst of a heated argument. Oops. (He does try to make it better by talking to him, and letting Big Daddy know his true feelings about his childhood.) Brick eventually comes around to the realization that his marriage is worth saving and chooses to make more of an effort.
The Enneagram 9
We don’t get to see the old Brick, but it seems like he sort of fell into his life. In the original play, he’s gay—and if you see that, then his story arc in the film makes a lot more sense. To conceal his homosexuality in a time and culture that would hate it, Brick got married and committed to pleasing his wife (in and out of bed), but spent all of his time with his best friend/boyfriend with whom he fell in love. After losing him, he “absents” himself from his marriage to Maggie, but doesn’t divorce her. He just ices her out by refusing to talk to her, being passive-aggressive, not addressing his feelings or caring about hers, and ignoring her in favor of constant drinking. He has no ambitions and does not care what happens to him or even if he gets his inheritance, since he never wanted it in the first place. Part of this is his depression, but the rest of it is a general sense of apathy, the sin of the 9 who lets life just “happen” to them.
The 8 Wing
He defaults into his wing a lot, in over-asserting his boundaries, yelling at his wife, saying mean things to her, and refusing to compromise on anything. He won’t sign the note, he won’t go down to dinner, he won’t pretend things are fine, because they aren’t. 9w8s are not often mad, but when they do get mad, they blow up and become immovable. He doesn’t want to “break” his wife, he just wants her to leave him and his bottle the hell alone and not ask for anything from him.
Wallowing in Emotional Wreckage
Brick Pollitt is the ultimate portrait of an ISFP 9w8 in quiet crisis—withdrawn, disillusioned, and desperate to preserve his inner peace at all costs. His story is one of emotional retreat, unresolved grief, and the slow burn of resentment that finally erupts when pushed too far. From his refusal to fake affection to his outbursts of stubborn anger, Brick shows us what happens when a deeply sensitive personality type numbs itself into silence. His arc may not offer easy redemption, but it reflects a raw and honest struggle with identity, loss, and the quiet ache of being misunderstood. Whether you’re studying MBTI, exploring the Enneagram, or just love deep character psychology, Brick is a reminder that not all battles are fought out loud.
