American Religion in Long Days Journey into Night

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American Religion in Long Days Journey into Night

The modernist sentiments throughout Long Days Journey into Night, by Eugene O'Neill, are apparent in many different ways. Among the methods he used was the portrayal of America's withdrawal from traditional religion and modes of behavior. He used his immigrant Irish family, the Tyrones, as a pedestal for this idea by highlighting their departure from traditional Irish beliefs and their struggle to form new, uniquely American, ones. O'Neill did this by repeatedly evoking a drastic difference between his character's conduct and their Irish Catholic counterparts. He replaced the main tenets of the Catholic faith, communion and confession, with entirely new ones. While the Tyrone family was busy forging new American spirituality, the author was bringing about the birth of truly American drama.

The Tyrone family made the choice to renounce their old ties and form new ones, with differing amounts of success. This meant a severing from the Catholic faith community, leaving a social void that they tried to fill with drugs and money. James Tyrone, the father, sold himself out early on when he opted to act for money rather that for the sake of art. His sons Jamie and Edmond also turned away from the Church by shrouding their lives in alcohol and whores. Lastly, their mother Mary Tyrone had effectively excommunicated herself by marrying a disreputable actor and turning to morphine to solve her problems. I am not sure if in the end their gods matched up to their ...

... middle of paper ...

...w chosen religion, no longer an Irishman but an American.

The day was a journey from of external versus internal spirituality but also of internal versus external influence on American theater. By using themes of immigration and social integration, O'Neill broke away from European theater influence and created an entirely new class of theater: American. And while he borrowed ideas from the Greek and Shakespearean theater, he combined them with a new setting and audience to form an entirely new art form. Just as the Tyrones could never fully leave behind Ireland, O'Neill could not entirely leave behind Europe. Instead, the author and his characters took their existing belief/theater structure and adapted it to a new country, while making it their own.

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