Eugene Oneill

It has been said that Eugene Oneill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” is a prime example of what many literary critics call a “creative autobiography.” M.H. Abrams defines this term as, “the more-or-less fictional work of art about the development of the artist himself, which is preoccupied with memory, time, and the relations of what is passing to what is eternal, and is punctuated by illuminated moments, or "epiphanies;" turns on a crisis which involves the question of the meaning of the author's life and the purpose of his sufferings.” Through this use of a creative autobiography, Oneill creates a self portrait by allowing his readers to experience his older self returning to reflect upon the discovery and painfulness of his youth in “Long Days Journey into Night” (Mann 1).

Oneill conveys the younger version of himself through his character Edmund. Naïve, and immature, Edmund represents the Oneill who was tormented and wounded by his family’s arguments and accusations. Just as Edmund suffers from tuberculosis, O'Neill sets the play in 1912, the year he left home to recover in a tuberculosis sanatorium and embarked on his career as a writer (Mann 2). O'Neill is self-conscious, tormented, and obsessed by memories. He too feels a sense of failure, just like those that encompass the Tyrone family. In a sense Oneill can be seen in all of the Tyrone family. Like James, Mary, and Jamie, he is trying to come to terms with his past by narrating this long tale in which he confronts his memories. Thus, as we are watching the Tyrones during their literal journey from day to night, we are "seeing" the narrator as well on his painful journey from the present deep into his past ( Mann 3).

The older version of Oneill is portrayed through the author and narrator of the story. Unlike his younger version, this older self is a more mature, compassionate, and forgiving figure. In the dedication of “Long Days Journey into Night,” Oneill says he wrote the play "with deep pity and understanding and forgiveness for all the four haunted Tyrones." Looking back, Oneill starts to see his family not so much as tormentors, but more as victims of fate. He began to see the role his family played in his evolution as a writer, something his younger self could not recognize. From the misery of his father, he learned he needed to keep his uncompromising artistic standards; from his mother came the insight about human nature that influences his works; and from his brother came his introduction to modern writers (Mann 2).

Oneill’s “Long Days Journey into Night” is said to be unique among all his other works. “Something torn in agonized honesty from the memory and conscience of its author--who appears to have been compelled to set down this testament of his early home life to preserve his sanity. His chief, one might almost say his only, purpose was revelation of himself to himself.” ( Mann 1) Oneill has been praised for this play by literary critics because of its extremely honest portrayal of human nature, and for his extremely personal act of selflessness in sharing it with the world.

Works Cited:

Drama Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2003. p15-30. From Literature Resource Center.

Run

Get out, escape, run

her mind races with thoughts.

There’s more to life than this, when will she fully realize it

his plan goes beyond this A,

On paper she looks happy, but there’s more to her than letters.

She can’t live like this anymore,

sure her name is Christian, but only on Sundays,

or when you catch her on a good day,

or when she feels like embracing this life.

what do you do when everything you planned your life on falls apart?

you run to Him.