The relations between the characters in Desire Under the Elms and Long Day’s Journey into Night provide an extensive opportunity to analyze the characters’ personalities, because only in such relationships do they present their most personal features. The framework of a relation with other character on the stage allows to express their own views and feelings, which gives the opportunity to the readers/viewers to understand their motives. The construction of the characters is based on the context of their relationships, and the relations between the spouses, and between the parents and their children were the subject of an analysis in this dissertation. The comparison of Desire and Long Day’s Journey showed that although both plays are dealing with similar topics of family relations, there is a visible change in the author’s attitude to the topic. While Desire already has some elements of the author’s autobiography, it still remains a naturalistic play, focused on the theme of possession and desires to achieve it. Whereas Long Day’s Journey is a very psychologically profound play in which O’Neill managed not only to confront his own personal demons, but also presented a universal picture of a family with all its intricate problems, mutual dependencies and feelings of love and hate. Therefore, the comparison of the two plays proves the author’s maturity and development as an artist, as well as presents the influences which shaped him in the given time [...]
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. Chapter I: Relations between Husbands and Wives
2.1 Desire Under the Elms
2.2 Long Day’s Journey into Night
3. Chapter II: Relations between Children and Parents
3.1 Desire Under the Elms
3.2 Long Day’s Journey into Night
4. CONCLUSIONS
5. Works Cited
Objectives and Themes
This dissertation examines the construction of characters in Eugene O’Neill’s plays Desire Under the Elms and Long Day’s Journey into Night through the lens of their familial relationships. By analyzing the dynamics between spouses and between parents and children, the research demonstrates that character psychology, motivations, and true features are only fully revealed when characters are positioned within these complex, often turbulent, interpersonal contexts.
- Psychological construction of characters through interpersonal conflict.
- The influence of autobiographical elements and external literary/philosophical forces on O’Neill’s dramatic development.
- Comparative analysis of marital relationships and their impact on individual behavior.
- The role of parent-child dynamics and the weight of familial history on character identity.
- The transition from naturalistic dramatic structures to deeply psychological, modern tragic forms.
Excerpt from the Book
Desire Under the Elms
Desire Under the Elms is one of the early plays by O’Neill, written in 1924, but already very profound in meaning and dealing with difficult themes. The relationships between the characters in this play are very much influenced by the urge to possess the farm, that is, by the wealth. Their driving forces are almost animalistic, presented in a naturalistic way which is ascribed to the influence of Strindberg. The basic instincts are here the most important and have the biggest inluence on the decisions of the characters.
What is more, the play was written in the time when O’Neill lost almost all members of his closest family, therefore the characters also deal with the difficult loss (Black 1998, 11-12). Then, the interests in Nietzsche’s philosophy, especially the ideas presented in The Birth of Tragedy (1872), are reflected in the view of the world presented in Desire – the duality of Dionysian and Apollonian forces causes the difficulties in the life of Ephraim Cabot, who is torn between these two polar opposites. Therefore, the marriage relations between Ephraim and his wives are quite complicated and bring a lot of drama to their lives. The real features of personality become visible in the context of marriage, because this relationship gives possibility to analyze the characters in their interactions.
Actually, there are three marriages in Desire Under the Elms, all of Ephraim Cabot: to a simple country woman who does not even have a name, to Eben’s mother and to Abbie Putnam. All of them were unhappy and unsatisfactory for both the husband and the wife. All the marriage interactions between the spouses reveal the individuals’ characteristics. It is almost impossible to analyze the husband and the wives separately, because their affairs are too much interwoven. However, as all the problems emerge from his attitude to life and relationships, we should start with the characteristics of Ephraim Cabot, the head of the family.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter I: Relations between Husbands and Wives: This chapter analyzes how marital conflicts in both plays reveal the underlying psychological profiles and true temperaments of the spouses as they struggle with desire, possessiveness, and past grievances.
Chapter II: Relations between Children and Parents: This chapter focuses on the younger generation, exploring how parental history, father-son antagonism, and the search for maternal love shape the identities and life choices of the sons in both plays.
Keywords
Eugene O’Neill, Desire Under the Elms, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Family Relations, Marriage, Parent-Child Dynamics, Naturalism, Psychological Drama, Autobiography, Strindberg, Nietzsche, Character Construction, Identity, Possessiveness, Conflict.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this dissertation?
The work focuses on how characters in Eugene O’Neill’s plays are constructed through their interpersonal relationships, specifically within marital and parent-child bonds.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The research explores themes of family conflict, the desire for material possession (the farm), the struggle between conscious intellect and unconscious desires, and the impact of the past on the present.
What is the primary goal of the research?
The goal is to prove that characters in O'Neill's dramas can only be fully understood when analyzed in the context of their relationships with family members, as these interactions force them to reveal their true motivations.
Which scientific method is employed?
The author uses a comparative literary analysis, examining both plays through the influence of the author’s biography, Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophy, and August Strindberg’s naturalistic dramatic techniques.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body is divided into two chapters: one dedicated to marriage dynamics (Ephraim/Abbie, James/Mary) and one dedicated to parent-child dynamics (Ephraim/sons, James/Mary/sons), comparing the naturalistic approach of the earlier play to the more mature, psychological approach of the later play.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is defined by terms such as O’Neill, family relations, character construction, psychological drama, and the comparative analysis of his earlier naturalistic period versus his later mature psychological works.
How does the author characterize Ephraim Cabot’s relationship with his farm?
Ephraim is described as being "one with the farm." His identity is fused with the stone walls and the hard labor of the land, which he views as a divine mission, leading to his self-imposed loneliness and alienation from his family.
What distinguishes the family dynamics in 'Long Day's Journey into Night' from 'Desire Under the Elms'?
While the Cabots in Desire are driven largely by naturalistic urges and material possession, the Tyrones in Long Day’s Journey are haunted by deep-seated psychological disillusionment, mutual dependency, and the weight of their past failures.
- Quote paper
- MA Magdalena Przytarska (Author), 2011, Relations Between the Characters as their Construction Basis in Eugene O’Neill’s "Desire Under the Elms" and "Long Day’s Journey into Night", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/286238
