Assignment, Paper 8: The American Literature

 This blog is written as a part of the sem-2 assignment, submitted to the Department of English, MKBU.

 Name: Avani Jani

Roll: 3

Semester: 2

Enrollment number: 4069206420220014

Paper 8: The American Literature

Topic: The presence of O’Neill in Long Day’s Journey into Night

Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English, MKBU.

1. Do you feel the presence of O’Neill in Long Day’s Journey into Night? Illustrate.

"There is no present or future—only the past, happening over and over again—now."

– Eugene O’neill. (O'Neill)

Introduction: 

"Long Day's Journey into Night" is a play written by Eugene O'Neill, one of America's most celebrated playwrights. The play was first published in 1956, after O'Neill's death, and it is widely considered to be his masterpiece. "Long Day's Journey into Night" is a deeply personal and autobiographical work that explores the relationships and struggles of the dysfunctional Tyrone family. The play takes place over the course of a single day in August 1912, at the family's summer home in Connecticut. Throughout the play, the family members confront their past and present demons, as they grapple with addiction, illness, and betrayal. O'Neill's use of vivid and realistic dialogue, as well as his powerful and emotional themes, make "Long Day's Journey into Night" a timeless and haunting portrayal of the human condition.

The play is widely regarded as autobiographical, and its characters and themes are believed to be drawn heavily from O'Neill's own life experiences and family history. As a result, many argue that O'Neill's presence can be felt throughout the play, as he uses his characters to explore his own personal struggles and demons. Exploring the presence of O'Neill in "Long Day's Journey into Night" can provide insight into the play's themes, characters, and enduring legacy.

Presence of Eugene O’neill in ‘Long Day’s Journey into night’ : 

There are many events which go parallel With the life of the author Eugene O’neill’s along with the play ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’. First we will have brief look at the major events and than after discuss in detail about the presence of O’neill in the play ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’

Eugene O'Neill's Personal Life	"Long Day's Journey into Night"
O'Neill was born to a troubled family with a history of alcoholism and addiction	The play depicts a dysfunctional family with a history of addiction and strained relationships
O'Neill's father was an actor who traveled extensively, leading to a strained relationship between father and son	The character of James Tyrone is a former actor who traveled extensively, leading to a strained relationship with his son
O'Neill's mother became addicted to morphine after a difficult childbirth, which had a profound effect on the family	The character of Mary Tyrone is addicted to morphine, which has a devastating effect on her family
O'Neill struggled with alcoholism and addiction throughout his life	The characters in the play struggle with addiction, including Mary's morphine addiction and Edmund's addiction to alcohol and morphine
O'Neill's brother, Jamie, was also an alcoholic and struggled with addiction	The character of Jamie Tyrone is an alcoholic who also struggles with addiction
O'Neill was diagnosed with a serious illness (pneumonia) and spent time in a sanatorium	The character of Edmund Tyrone is suffering from tuberculosis and spends time in a sanatorium
O'Neill's presence is felt throughout the play, as he draws on his own experiences and emotions to create a powerful and deeply personal work of art	The play provides insight into the ways in which playwrights draw on their own experiences and emotions to create compelling and powerful works of art

‘O’Neill, despite his many limitations, is the most American of our handful of dramatists who matter most. A national quality that is literary, yet has no clear relation to our domestic literary traditions, is nearly always present in O’Neill’s strongest works of “two kinds of nonverbal, tangential poetry in Long Day’s Journey into Night” as the characters’ longing “for a mystical union of sorts,” and the influence of the setting, I am compelled to reflect that insofar as O’Neill’s art is nonverbal it must also be nonexistent. ’ (Bloom)

1] Birth and Early Life: 

Eugene O'Neill was born in a hotel. Same way and Edmund born in the Play 'long day's journey into night'. Eugene pant he is early childhood in hotel rooms, on trains and backstage. This is how he gets an insecurities of his earliest which one can clearly observe in the long day's journey into night. Through the background narration and behavior of the characters.

On a long day's journey into the night, the Tryon family was living in their summer cottage house. They were here for vacations but, this house was not perfect, it needed some renovations. and This is so similar to the life of Eugene O'Neill.

2] Death of a child: 

Eugene Tyrone, was the second child of James and Mary. Eugene Tyrone dies as a baby. The death of Eugene Tyrone shows the death of Eugene O'Neill in some or the other way. And even O'Neill had a brother, who died as a baby before he was born. and That child's name was Edmund. in  'Long day's journey into night', O'Neill had switched his name with his dead brother.

3] Parents :

In the real life of Eugene O'Neill, his father James O'Neill was a successful actor. His mother Ella accompanied her husband back and forth across the country, setting down only briefly for the birth of her first son, James and Eugene.

Eugene O'Neill blamed his father for the difficult, rough- and- tumble life the family led, a life which resulted in his mother's drug addiction. One can well observe this in 'Long day's journey into Night' . As every single character always blamed James Tyrone. No one ever missed a single chance to blame James Tyron. Throughout the play, every character is frustrated and searching for moments to blame each other.

4] Addiction: 

One of the most notable similarities is the portrayal of addiction and alcoholism. All the characters of this play are struggling with the addiction of drugs and alcohol to cope with their emotional pain and difficulties in their lives. Mary Tyrone is a morphine addict and this led to the tragic end of the family. 

One May find the same events parallel with the Eugene O'Neill's life as he is mother and he himself were addicted

The theme of addiction in "Long Day's Journey into Night" is similar to Eugene O'Neill's personal life in several ways:

1. O'Neill's Own Struggle with Addiction: O'Neill struggled with alcoholism for much of his life, and this experience likely informed his portrayal of the character of James Tyrone in the play. James is a former actor who is now struggling with addiction to alcohol, and his character is clearly based on O'Neill's own experiences with addiction.

2. Impact on Family Relationships: Addiction can have a profound impact on family relationships, and this is reflected in the play's portrayal of the Tyrone family. James' addiction has strained his relationships with his wife and sons, and their struggles to cope with his behavior are a central theme of the play. O'Neill's own addiction likely had a similar impact on his own family relationships, and this experience is reflected in the play's exploration of family dysfunction and emotional distance.

3. The Role of Guilt and Regret: Addiction can be a source of guilt and regret for both the addict and their loved ones, and this is reflected in the play's portrayal of the characters' feelings of guilt and regret over their past actions. O'Neill likely carried his own feelings of guilt and regret over his addiction and its impact on his family, and this experience is reflected in the play's exploration of these themes.

4. Exploration of Addiction as a Disease: "Long Day's Journey into Night" explores addiction as a disease, rather than simply a moral failing. This was a relatively new perspective at the time the play was written, and O'Neill's portrayal of addiction as a complex and difficult-to-treat condition was groundbreaking. O'Neill likely drew on his own experiences with addiction to inform his portrayal of this theme in the play.

5] Tuberculosis: 

In the long day's journey into night, Edmund gets affected by tuberculosis after becoming an alcohol addict. and in real life also, Eugene O'Neil becomes so much addicted to the alcohol and later on finds that he is affected by T.B.

Conclusion: 

Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece play, "Long Day's Journey into Night," is widely recognized for its deeply autobiographical nature. Many scholars and critics have noted that the play's characters and themes are drawn heavily from O'Neill's own experiences and family history. As such, it is often argued that O'Neill's presence is palpable throughout the play.

The play explores the relationships and struggles of the Tyrone family, who bear a striking resemblance to O'Neill's own family members. The father figure, James Tyrone, in particular, is believed to represent O'Neill's own father, who was an actor and struggled with alcoholism. The play's themes of addiction, illness, and family dysfunction are also issues that O'Neill grappled with throughout his life, lending further weight to the idea that his presence is felt in the play.

O'Neill's use of vivid and realistic dialogue, as well as his powerful and emotional themes, further contribute to the idea that his presence is felt in "Long Day's Journey into Night." The play is a haunting portrayal of the human condition, and its deeply personal nature continues to captivate audiences and scholars alike.

Words: 1529

Work cited:

Bloom, Harold. Dramatists and Dramas. Edited by Harold Bloom, Chelsea House, 2005.

O'Neill, Eugene. A Moon for the Misbegotten: A Play in Four Acts. Vintage International, 2000.