~Long Day's Journey into Night~

The emotional trials and tribulations experienced by the characters within the Long Day’s Journey into night mirror the hardships of O’neill’s own family life. O’neill’s experiences are projected through the characters as he tries to come to terms with his past, as depicted in his dedication when he states he was finally able to face his “dead at last and write this play.” The biographical elements of O’neill’s play present his ideals through the patterns of his writing. His presence as the unseen narrator is evident in the similarity of the characters manner of speech. The words used by the Tyrones to express themselves, their outbursts, and the topics they dwell on are all very similar. The common thread of the characters troubles, fears, and hopes are all expressed in a similar way, yet O’Neill is able to present them as four different characters. As the unseen narrator, O’Neill presents the Tyrones in a passionate and pathetic way in which his readers can relate to, in their quest to overcome the hardships of marriage, child rearing, and sonship (Mann).
The textual strategies utilized by O’Neill to achieve a single voice are presented through his punctuation and terse sentence structure. The diction of Mary, Jamie, Edmund, and Tyrone’s speeches in their haste of anger are extremely similar. O’Neill uses exclamation points to emphasize the emotions felt by his characters. The short sentences emphasize the hurtful jabs the Tyrone family uses in attempt to find a vulnerable spot they can constantly prod. These harsh encounters between the characters reflect the arguments and accusations of his own family (Mann). The diction of James and Mary’s speeches are also similar in manner as they reflect on their past. James states, “... I kept it in my wallet for years. I used to read it every once in a while until finally it made me feel so bad I didn't want to face it any more. Where is it now, I wonder? Somewhere in this house, I remember I put it away carefully (O’Neill),” as he thinks about his life as an actor. Mary echoes James’ reflection of his past as she thinks about her wedding gown, and states, “It was so beautiful! Where is it now, I wonder? I used to take it out from time to time when I was lonely, but it always made me cry, so finally a long while ago…I wonder where I hid it? Probably in one of the old trunks in the attic. Someday I'll have to look” (O’Neill). O’Neill is able to allow his readers to get a glimpse into his personal life, as he parallels the interaction of his family, with that of the Tyrone family.
The biographical elements of the author are not only portrayed by the character’s pattern of language, but also are depicted by the characters themselves. Although the Tyrone family may seem different at first glance, they all prove to be a similar version of one character. Like O’Neill, the characters feel isolated and self-conscious as they try to come to terms with their failure to meet their dreams and expectations for themselves (Mann). The mere fact that O’Neill presents the play in 1912, the year in which he departed his house to go to a tuberculosis sanatorium and begin his life as a writer, proves to parallel the plot of his play. O’Neill acts as a narrator viewing his life in retrospect, depicting his younger self through Edmund Tyrone. Edmund, an inexperienced and flat character, must deal with his consumption and its affect on his mother Mary, who tries to escape her family’s problems by falling back into her morphine addiction. Edmund mirrors O’Neill’s life in that both experience epiphanies which they become more sympathetic towards their families situation (Mann).
O’Neill’s beliefs are depicted within the long day’s journey into night, as he reveals his compassion toward those who must come to terms with the failure of their dreams of their past and the desire to escape life’s harsh realities. The older and wiser O’Neill views his past with an understanding, and finds that one must learn that dreams do have limitations, and we must be willing to fail in order to achieve them (Mann).

Mann, Bruce J. "O'Neill's 'Presence' in Long Day's Journey into Night." Literature Resource Center. 2003.

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