Before I start the essay on my attribute, I’d like to examine Eugene O’Neill’s recurring themes closely in Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Recall that the most recurring themes are maternal loss, sense of home, purpose for living, and the affirmation of marriage. All of these topics play a significant role in Long Day’s Journey Into Night (no pun intended HAHAHA, k I just got a huge crack outta that one).
The maternal loss that both Jamie and Edmund face is the most obvious reason that they are driven into morbidness. As a young child, Jamie faces the beginnings of his mother’s addiction to morphine. After the death of Eugene (in the play, of course, but in real life, Edmund), Mary Tyrone blames herself for leaving her beloved child at home. That is when she starts to take morphine to “cure” the rheumatism in her hands, but it is most likely for the depression that takes over. Jamie, then, learns the evil ways of alcohol and prostitution, which are the main components that contribute to his escape from reality. As the years pass by, Mary constantly changes from being “clean” to being addicted. While she is attached to morphine, she begins to detach herself from her family and slips into the past. Jamie and Edmund constantly have to face the loss of their mother– spiritually, mentally, and emotionally–for she is physically there with them at all times.
While maternal loss plays a significant role in the lives of Jamie and Edmund, a sense of home proves to be an even larger issue for Mary Tyrone. Whenever she is accused of being a “dope fiend,” she blames James Tyrone, her husband, for never buying a decent home in which she could live. Constantly on the road, following James on his tours, Mary is lost in an array of temporary settlements in cheap hotels. It is as if she cannot stable herself due to the constant moving. Her complaints are always based on the lack of a home. However, Mary is not the only one facing this difficulty. James, Edmund, and Jamie always want to escape the dreadfulness of being at home because they hate to see Mary the way that she is when she is under the influence. They, too, cannot call it a home when it is filled with simultaneous hate and love, tension, and constant suppression.
The purpose of living is greatly explored in Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Edmund, who learns of his consumption, feels as if there is no hope left for him. He constantly recites morbid poems of death and lifelessness. Mary Tyrone believes she is trapped in a world with noone to help her. She even rejects the help from doctors. When asked why she would not leave the house, she answers that she has no friends because she married an actor for a husband. Lastly, Jamie Tyrone shows no hope for his life as he spends most of his nights at bars and with prostitutes.
Affirmation of marriage is an important part of the play, for James and Mary Tyrone stay faithful to each other even through all of their troubles. Although James seems to be occupied by his acting career, Mary stays by his side no matter what– even if it means she has to spend her life in one night hotels and shoddy beach houses. James, on the other hand, sticks by Mary Tyrone, although he knows she is addicted to morphine. Many times, Mary distances her self because of the morphine addiction and her behavior is much too unbearable. However, James still admits that he loves her. Their marriage is depicted as a tough one, but one that will not fail to last, for James and Mary prove their love for each other in many ways.
Finally, it is only right to admit that Eugene O’Neill excellently incorporates these very themes into his plays. A Long Day’s Journey is best created by these themes that Eugene O’Neill often uses, for it is a day in his life after all. Evidently, Eugene’s childhood is a reflection of the recurring themes in his works of writing.
