Long Day's Journey Into Night by Eugene O'Neill

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Long Day’s Journey Into Night ,a family drama written by Eugene O’Neill, demonstrates the tension and resentment present in family members who suffer from substance abuse. The characters in the drama are all addicts as a result of dramatic past events. Jamie Tyrone’s monologue strongly represents struggles the characters face because of substance abuse. Throughout the monologue Jamie Tyrone verbally attacks Edmund Tyrone, and blames his brother for many of their families’ problems. In this essay, I shall argue that O’Neill’s play demonstrates the impact of addiction on familial life. The family members substance dependency creates resentment between the characters, and as they become intoxicated the tension between them magnifies. Jamie’s monologue also strongly demonstrates the misery, and negative self-images the characters have for themselves. O’Neill portrays the bitterness family members can develop towards one another because of substance dependency.

The first thing noted in Jamie’s monologue is that he is extremely intoxicated. As the conversation between him and Edmund proceeds the tension increases. Jamie finally confesses his true feelings towards Edmund. All of the Tyrone family members suffer from substance abuse. In the first Act the characters seem to avoid confrontations with each other. Early in the play, Mary avoids Tyrone’s comment about her being high strung and simply brushes it off with a forcing smile; she says, “I have? Nonsense, dear. It’s your imagination”(Eugene 16). Tyrone is concerned about Mary’s addiction but she avoids the truth, and changes the conversation immediately. Similarly, Jamie blames Edmund for leaving Mary alone in her room in Act two, and the argument is ended quickly by Edmund. Howeve...

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...hare common sympathies and care about each other. The mixed emotions between them create love-hate relationships. O’Neill portrays the complex relationships that evolve form a family that suffers from addiction problems.

Eugene O’Neill portrays the impacts that addiction has on familial life throughout the play. The thematic claims about these impacts are prominent in Jamie’s monologue. As the family members become intoxicated it creates great tension between them. The inability to move on from past events makes the characters abuse chemical substances to escape their past events. However, it becomes clear to the characters that they cannot escape the reality they face. The resentments the characters display for one another is exponentially abnormal, and can destroy a family. Jamie’s monologue exhibits all of these problems that addiction creates within a family.

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