A piece of literature’s theme often reveals itself through the dialogue of the characters. Most dramas and plays utilize this form of revealing conversation. The small list of characters in Long Days Journey into Night allows O’Neill to create a simple series of conflicts within the family. These conflicts relay many subjects and themes to the reader. The members of the family often lose faith in humanity, representing a person vs. himself conflict. Other conflicts in the works include person v. person. Each character is ritually stripped of dignity, self-control and concern, exposing an array of conflicting emotions: love, jealousy, shame, guilt, and hate (Fiero). O’Neill emphasizes the power of alienation demonstrating how intense human emotion can led to the downfall of human spirit.
Edmound’s isolating thoughts conflict with himself, setting him apart from the rest of the Tyrone family. His disabilities do not allow him to branch out from the family. He cannot control all of his conflicts, such as his consumption. Edmound connects to famous poets and authors like Baudelaire and Nietchze (Dugan). This conflict within himself confuses his father James Tyrone, leading him blame Mary for Edmound’s problems. Edmound also look to nature for comfort. He carries a certain existentialist angst. He cannot find meaning in his life. Edmound’s conclusions about himself satisfy only him since he has no seeable connection with anyone else in the work. Edmound uniqueness inadvertently drives the thematic alienation, results in his fear of being alone.
James Tyrone, he main antagonist, causes most of the heated conflicts in Long Day’s Journey into Night. Tyrone has no philosophy that he can frame into words in any authoritative sense (Dugan). Tyrone lives life as he deems fit for himself. Tyrone does not provide well for his family, especially when they truly need aid. He bickers with his older son Jaime the most. Tyrone lectures to Jaime on how he should live is his life. Tyrone feels that his old fashioned ideas and family traditions get lost by his two sons. The conflict between father and son represent the broader scope of a past verse future struggle. Tyrone is cheap with his emotions. When a father doesn’t commit to his son, the son in turn has nothing to live for or goals to reach. Tyrone feels alienated because he does not believe his sons will carry out his washed up ways.
In any argument stances are made which defines the true intent of the character. Each member in the Tyrone family has a different perspective on life; this leads to rifts the outcome of daily tasks. The theme of alienation resides in all of the characters in Long Days Journey into Night. Conflicts between father and son reveal the resistance that past is unwilling to change while the future seems reluctant to begin
Works cited
O'Neill, Eugene, and Harold Bloom. Long Day's Journey into Night. New York: Yale UP, 2002.
Fiero, John. "An overview of Long Day's Journey into Night." Drama for Students. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center. Gale. LEE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM.
Dugan, Lawrence. "The Tyrone anthology: authority in the last act of Long Day's Journey into Night." Comparative Drama. 37.3-4 (Fall-Winter 2003): p379. Literature Resource Center. Gale. LEE COUNTY LIBRARY
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1 comment:
You make some really interesting points in here. I particularly like the last line. Make sure you cite all of your references as you write. Remember, even if you are simply borrowing the idea and not the words, you need to credit the person you got the idea from. In general, you need more textual evidence and lines from the play as proof of what you mean. For a research paper, you want to take the idea the critic gives you and apply it to an example he does not see through to see if his or her theory works. So- a bit more textual evidence with quotes analyzed as proof and a bit closer proof reading will win you a higher score. But, it was insightful and interesting. Thank you. - Elmeer
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