11.y. rlfltt6 E tno 1925 alit 193.4

ch.D!.! a
11.y. rlfltt6 E tno 1925 alit 193.4
In Septenbet 1924, Eugene o,N.itt rho eas rhough having
linanclal, eofiee, uae @klng plam fo! rhe winre! lhat
sele not catculated and vhich w.r. tikely ro incleare hj,E
expeDditule. the incore flom ?re relded sas not Bufflclenr
fo! hin to pay hi6 tdea,
Houaehold e*penEes sr.
accutuIaEing andl iE ras the tilEt tire lhae he had ro a6k
fo! advance agaiDet royaltie€ on the folthcming pEduction
of Desir€ tder t}le Efrr. Hi6 expen€eg rele not going to
decleaae in near future, aa Agne6 was pregnaDt again,
expecEing her baby in Aplll, ReE!IesE as ever, o Nelll
decideit ro close his houBe ln Ridgefield dd d€cided to
speDd the rinter in a rerted houBe in Bemda.
Dr, Aleaode! uille!, Tub.!cu16i6 6peciatiat co uhd
o'Net1l 3ei11 went for occagioul checkups had .ecomende.t
Bemdr. Arctshe! leason lor chooaing Bemuda waE thaE
o'Neill a6 he ctai@d had mde a discovery about hi@elf.
He wlote !o Kemeth Macgo{an "I've Ede a discovery ebou!

myeelf in analyzins the work done, 1n the paBr Eix winrelg,
which has led me to a dectElon abour shat r must do in Ehe
future." rhe "iliscovery'{as Ehat rhe catiber of his rcrk
gcnelalty declined rith the aeasonar drop in renperarure,
lookilg back in lire he lealiz.d that his weak€sr pl,ay€
uele EtcEe! entile1y o! ln largc palrs duling rinre!. Fo!
example clr.is, einrer 1913-19, co.ld, winrer 1919-2ot The
Filsc fta, vintser1920-21, wetded fall
and rinre!1923-24,
con6ideling o'Nei11,s flame of mlnd thi8 doeB seem poseibte
Ehat cold courd have advers.ly alfected his creative
6kil16. becauEe he 9en€!a11y va6
nind uhen he ra6 ude! hot Eun,
in much better frane of
beach and ras 6eimin9,
ssiming xaa €ry irpoltani to hin, alrc6t
e€€ential a5 uriting ro hi€ rcnEal aod
o,Neill,6 Eailed fof Bemda on
fek day6 in a holel th.y found a
lhirty acrea of eooded hitlBide
dom to a lons plivale beach uhere
€wim in che wam €ea6. on \tanuary 1192s o,Neill made
anothe! rnportdt decigion oI his life dd decided to qui!
dlinking. His w!€vig€al diary fo!
1925 lecolds his
deple66ions, hi6 .hake6, hi6 inaomia aDd his qaeral scate
of ill
beins. Ire kept track of hi6 withdraeat synlptoM
becauEe of a renered ledolve to end hi€ dlinking. after

Jamie's death O'Neill ua6 convinced lhat he had to atop
drinking o! he mtrld not be .blc to continue uiting and
rculd plobably die as htE bloth€r had died, A f.w d.ys
after, he quli Brcking alao and Etepped up the exelciee
seeEion b. had begun ea!lie!, Flom lhe point Eugene Btopped
drinking, Agn.s wlB did not $ant to Etop felt abandoned o!
rejected. she cor@lained ro sh..fle! that rhen lhey had
mEied, Eugene had been a bohemia! ed rbre intere6tingi
but that he had bec@ "dutt, by 1925r. He began drinking
again in April. Late! in 1926 be palticipated in a 6uryey
by D!, G.V. Hamitton on @litat 8exua1 behavlor ard
p3ycholo9ical ariirudes,
II. underyent aix reeks of
psychoanalyrlc rlearrenr rfth h1ft, After rhat he atopped
atrinl

play, vrhd o,!aeil1 began Etrlng lhe play again in 192s he
sas stitt in inrard rculning fo! hi6 family. The sane l@d
trEt had gowemed rhe uconsciou.ly auEobioglaphicat DeeiF
ttrder tle alrs wag 6tltl upon him:and a&E like O,Nei11,6
other plays of rhe ti@ is ovelrty and explicirly abour
death and @uming. Ir Eeen d rhar he waE unabte Eo come
out of his past 11f., che lite, which in a way had
devastated hin e@tiona1ly buE 6till he coutd nor forger ir
and wheneve! he gor a chance he le-lIved it. in rime thlough
his plays for therapeutlc leasois,
In tltis play O,Neill slot€ abouC hls palent6 and brcrher
in lelationdhip to bi@elf even rc!. levealirgty than he
had in t€6i.e. The play oas so conplicated rhat slerire
its progreae ras €1o, bur rolking sr€adiry O,Nei11 finished
the play on uarch 25. Towalds th€ end he becare so
ercEional rhar he finished rhe play in rea!6, The llay is
one of his rcBt subjectlve uolkg and Louie sheaffer
eugge6t6 thar i hdeed, when you 8ealch for Eugene o,Neitl
in hi6 vlitinss a chlef place co look is ?be eteax caat
Blow, pd'ri.ulally Lhe chalacE6! of Dron AnEhony,"
In Trle Crear eod Efom, rhe four chalacterg rhat srand
for the foE o Neill,6 all die before the play ends. The
play depictE O,Nei11 in th. chalacte! ot Dion Anrhony, dho
'vigi.i Frold inb.rb6t Eustro N.ilt.rrr ry b rErd@ J|ry2t pa.

a istrdge! valkins alon€...da!k,
passiomtely supeEenEirive, h.lplcsEly
childtike, religi@a fairh in tlfe".
€Pilitual, IDetic,
unProtected in ite
arti6t, clearor, €er apalt flon hi€ fetlo, @n, umble ro
Gke contact ,irh fanlly o! triends, Iocked in a tonely
stlugg1e to find coal an.l ttre m.aning of life,s nvstery anit
evenrually kDuckling undei rhe callougne€6 of an unheearing
and @terialietic
He i5 €hom as an
sociecy, Dior,6 paielrB understand
letther their eon no! each othe!, nor can Dion find the
meanE to reach them. one of Ehe rc5t siorificanttv
aurobioqraphical speecheE rlitte!
by O,Neilt is rhe o.e ii
which Dion muos hig father: "nh.r atienE deie re ro each
other! l{her he lay dead, hi. face looked so familiar rhar I
rcndeied .here I had ct
rhar Gn befole. only ar rhe
geconil of ry conception, Afre! rhar ee greu bosrite uith
Dron's frrend vrilljam Blown (uhom he calrs broL\e!)
lepreeent€ ehat ]\ndy Mayo wa6 in Beyold tle Harizon and
\tamie TFone in Ir@9 Daytt Jouney rdto lviglt€! alragonisE
both loved anal hated, a EtTibor of a potenrially fine soul
glom scuted, enwious and deatlu.tlve, a E)..bor nor only
of Janie bLL ol rnaE o,Neill hi@eIf mrgh! have becore.
'Ii m i. fi.r b .fud b Mouil* B4oc Eke rnrcL t 6.!a *iril3i 1929.

In d1e Great God aiom, mole than in any orhe! play,
o'Nei11 revealed hi€ uncongciou6 confusion about his own
ldentityr he often seeneat to slip inro rhe deluEion EbaE he
wag \tam1*tl!at Jaftie ,as a biE a ha!€her, rcre cynical
extenEion of himself. It
e.s plobably rhiE pelsonal
conluaioo that inapiied hi6 beuildering use of na.k6.
though o,rJeifl had mde u6e of lhe @sks b€fore, ir ,as rhe
filgE tine chac he had introduced rhem a3 a mrn clamaErc
device in E!om. A11 the @ln chalactela use
their faces when rhey do not wan! rheir souls Eecle!
rev.ated and thro, rhem off befole tho6e rhey rns!. Thus
Dion iE obliged to wea! hls m6k b€fore Malsaret becauBe
she camot uderstand or cope *tch Ehe anguish of hia naked
soul. nith Cybel the plo6citute Dion qoes umsked,
Margaret weals no msk befole Dion, but 9oe6 @aked before
lhe wo!1d. lra€kE are used in Arcm tso levea1 the hu@n
individuality as directly and plofoundly as possible, ThiE
u6e of ma6ks iE o'NeiIl/E iDnovarion, one, (hich, a6 he
eugge€led, follosE neceEsalily flom the devetopnent of
paychological cheorieE in the trentietb centuly, buE these
idowationa sele not a characteri.tic of the rheatre of his
tt(e. In a progran nore fo! Greenuich vi11age, Playbill
Kenneth Macgoran comnted at length on the aty?ical uee of
maakE ln a.o@, eaying \I! vae the filst
play in rhe

century !o u6e ma6ks ro any eatent'. Greac eod Braw
"he
despite itB lnnovative devlce8 i6 Cieu to the leatisEic
thect!e. Ir rcv€E in apac. and tlE rn
e66entia11y realistic way and ita Becrils
rather lhan pBycholosicar -
The Great Cad Btom wag a p1ay, ehich O,NeiIl had
vritteD a s€cond tire. stlippcd ot ir6 conDticar.d use of
86k6, itB llIght of nysticiem .nal rDetic 1an9ua9e Blom
tell. che Eac story a€ o,N.il1,a very fi4r full-lensrh
sork Bread ard auccer. Both th. playd tell the story of a
failed altldt cscified by Iif€ and inprisoned ln halliase,
who takes lefuge in EeIf induc.d deatt!. Just aa Btow is
licher tho the earry d!aM,
60 Dion Anrhony i5 mre
conplq and tntelesting ttFD his precu.so!; both, hovever
like certaln othe! o'Neill plotagoni8t'€, bea! a marked
resemblance Eo thelr aurho!, In Dlon anthony'€ poltrait,
despire the fiction and a(biguities he reveals rcle of
hireetf than eve! before,
allosilg
for cerrain rcdificaEions !€qui!.d by the
Etory, tbe lelationEbip betwcen Dion and Eloen legenlb1es
the one that exiEted between rhe o'Neitt broEh€r6. Yet such
is the conplexity of the play that Dion though 1a!9e1y an
i@ge of Eugene also contaiDg elerents of Janie's
personality and occasionally leplesents Jam1e. At Euch

Ei@s slom, senerally a ,ranie figDE becores rc@nralily a
Eugene tigure, To ittu3rrace: afrer an outbur.! by Dion
Anthony against his !iv.r, cybet Eay6, iBut you like him,
coor You,re blothers, I gueee Fo@hos. Wett, lenembe!, he,s
paying, he ll pay-in aore say o! rhe o!her., To
'hich Dion
repliesr iI knoe, p@! Bt1lyr cod folgive re the evit t,ve
cione hinr" (In life Jatuie did "evil" ro Eusere, nots
.onveraely- subjecr rhe playrlighr oaa !o explole ir rate!
years in rhe foulrh act of rrD'r a€ rh. olde! bloEhe! 6rrips
dom ro his lorrured 60u1,) Dion qho drinkB hinselt to
dearh like ,ramie tindE his sole corsotaEion in cybel, *hom
he playlu11y refers ro as "Old Sacred Cos," 'Otd Fitrh" and
"Sentimencal old pig". She is lhe one pelgon ,ho acceprs
his leal self, the Elcyred Eout beneath a r.tephiEroFheleaA
exterio!. she letuve6 lhe @sk of rhe hardened prosEirute
in his plesence anit in tum admnishe6 nln
Esk in lhe hou6€. Stle disclosea he! Elue face only ro him
all .ompaElionare Ealrh Morher, rhei!
mutual hond ia so
profoud rhaE no one can disrulb
even BloMr who i€ glee.ly and rants ev.ryrhing Dion
he buy€ cybel aa
his mistre€€ bur he can n€ver
Despit€ irs cl}lric finate and fts
God EroM i6 a re@aling biography,
or'scultty "lle
olear
o'Nei11's ob8ession

wlth his past could be expelienced no whele nore Eo lhan i!
Dton's dep€ndence upon Cyber, parriculalIy when lhis is
contra6ted witsh hia altitudc as huBband and farher.
Alchoush he profegseE gleat love for hi6 pife his feelins
fo! he! i. lukeram as coq)aled to hi6 lelario@hip rirh
Cybel. ?hiE a€pect of Dion Anthony expre66e6 a clucIat side
of Eugene o'Neitl hi@elf who vas aluays in need of a
rcther. It a1t go€E back in tire to O,Neil1,3 applehensiwe
chlldhood, when he feelins ahut out, by his addicied
rcther, uB€d to take lefuse uder sarah sandy, hig nulse
mid and in effect hi6 second turher. Late! as an adulr he
yearned fo! another sarah sandy, ro Ehelrer him floh lbe
world. r{h€n Eugene ras courting Bearljce A6he i! 1914 he
ofLen refelled to her as $r4othe!' and in one lette! slilEen
!o her he elore: ,,I feel the impulse of lhe rired child uho
luns to hi6 mEher,s arc and lay8 hi8 head upon he!
bleast, and sobs fo! no rea8on at all. Be my moEherr Ler me
place ny h€ad on nV place and veep our ny woes, soul Morhe!
of Mine', Hauted by chi6 iGge of a atrons rcrhe! Eugene
always tookeal for a rcther in Agnee and Carlotta and Ehis
he uas @!e happy wich callotta than with
Agnes, because callotta was rcle caring and panpeled him

A6 far a6 linea! or clock tire ie
a tire span of mre than eigbEeen yea!6 from Prologle ro
Epilogue- In these eighteen years
d€v€1op physicaUy,
concerned Er

thele is thiE beginning of pelmnenrly eollied apprehenstve
expre€6i.o! in her and rhe!€ i6 a cohplehenating hurr in
eyea, Billy Blom ba€ grom inro a fine looking welt
dreds.it, capable? couege b!e.t, A@ican busine66nan.
boyiEh slill and with lhe sare engaging pelEonatiry, ?he
co!!!.6r betw€€n Bltty aftt Dion is srriking, one 1s
it@dlarety 8ttuck uirh rhe change broughr abour in the
peraonaliry anal natule of borb rhe individualE in rime.
Margalet rhen appears before Bltty in acr
ehe wealB a ma6k of plefty young m!!on €ritt hardly a
,()mnr rho culrivareE a @lvely imocenr and blavely
hopeful atritude rowaldg chinEs and acknowredges no wounil
to Che eor1d. In the second acE arctbe! seven years have
pas€ed and Dion,s M6k is no{ rellibty lavaged, al1 of it.
pan quality ha6 chansed inro a diaboticat rttephiscophel€an
cnelty and ilody. In Ehe sare ecene eartie! Dion,s !ea1
face ls descllbed by o,Nei11 as rhat of an asceric, a
GrEy!, furoeed by pain ald self,rorrule, yer lisht€d fron
RrEhin by a spirftuat .a1m anat hu@n kindlinesE bur hair
PreGtulety gray. cyb€1 is shom €route! and @!e
wolupruouE, but her face is €till unalked anit freshi her
calm m!€ ploaoDd. Bloh is sritt r.h€ ideal yourhlul,
good-looking, vell-groo@d, sueceEsfut prcvincial Anelican
of folcy. xalgaler,e face is sr r 6weer and plerty but

lined, dra6 and calercm for iEs year6, 6aal lesisneat, but
a bit quenloue, Her msk iE of rhe brave face she purs on
befole rhe woll.t !o hide he! Euffering and aliEitlusionment.
When Margare! comes tso meet Dion in act tro 6c€ne rso and
encouters hin yirhour hia ugk 6he scleac and Eays "
DioDI Dion! I can,r bear lrt you,!e litre a gho6!l yourre
deadl Oh my Godt Ilelpl Helpl" In rhe climax of acr ruo
Dion admira ro Blom rhar rhy he {ofe rhe m6k.
'Ligtenl o4e d.y ihen r uas fou! years o1d, . boy sneak€d
up behind @ when I ras dlaring a piccure in the sand he
coulaln't dlae and hit me on the head eith a €rick anat
ktcked out ny pictule and taughed uhen I cried, Ir waen,r
ehat he,d done Ehat ed€ re cry, bur him! I had foved him
and ttusted him anal eudatenly rhe 9@d cod sa6 disploved in
hrs perEon anit the evil and injuEriee of tlao was bolnl
Everyone called re crybaby, so I becane silent fo! life anat
deatgned the @sk of rhe Bad Boy pan in ehich ro live aod
reL=l against the oiher boy, s cod and prolect myself fem
hie cruelty. And thar orhe! boy secrerly felE a6hared bur
he couldD,t acknosredge it; Eo flon lhat day he
lnatinclively developed inco che good boy, rhe good frienal,
the good mn |{i111am Bbh.. Dion die€ and Bloo rakes hi3
place by realing hiE @sk. rcnth passes uhen Ehe thild
6ralta, B!o@ w.alrng a @Ek, ehich iE an

exact lik€nesE of hi. face as ic sae in rhe fasc scen+rhe
setI-assured Eucces6. It is flom rhis poiDr rhar rhe play
b€coneE ob6cure, l,{hen MalsareE cores ro hi6 office tookins
for Dion, Erom tea!6 of hi. @6k aid reveats a suffeling
face that ia rawage.t and haggard, his om face roltured and
distorted by lhe denon of Dion,E ma6k. He !e1ls Malgare!
lhal he loves her and rthr Ehe Ehould folger abour Dion.
argaret !eplie6; iAle you clazy? you! face -ia te!!ib1e.
YoL re €rckl Shal I I phore fo! a do.for? It is inteleEEing
to .ote ho! much Eloh,s face has changeat in a rcnth,d rire
srnce he tE wealing Dion hthony s EEk. The self-a6Eureit
eJccess face h-s changeo ro ro!!u!ed and dlEtorted, In acr
four scene one arciher rcnrh ha6 pa€6ed.
and p6ychological condftion has furlhe.
talks !o him8elf kealing D1on,E EEk
draftscn think of him as a dlunkard foot
to iake off Dion,s Gsk and v€a! his om he reveals his
!ea1 face, which iE nos Eick, 9ha6rly, Eolruled, holtoe
cheeked and feveli.h eyed. He sounds clazy and ualgarer
wben she alrives !o reec Dion thi,nkE rhar he is dlunk, when
B!o,n reappea! in Dlon,e msk she cettE hiF rhar he Eound6
as crazy as Brom. Blom.s renra1 condicion ir tire 6hoys
how Blom aDd Dion ale bound rogerhe!. rn rhis Ecare of
mind he rrie6 !o 6hos rhar Dion ha6 k111ed B!o{n and

20t
di6appear6.
Bloh i6 6hom 6tlipp€d naked
except fo! a rhite cloth around hia loin6- He tEs toh his
cloEhe8 ofI in asony and is on hiE knee6. se tatks ro rhe
@ek of Dion and EayE ler the ,hole rcr1d suffe! as I am
Blown iE Dion,a b!orhe!, the rwo are boud rogelhe! by
the g.re tiea of alieErioD and comftrenr shich mlk the
reratj.ondhip beteeen andre{ and Roberr ta}! and which rill
be the diEtinctive bond betweeD Edl@d and Janie Tylone.
For Biown, lhe lelationahip iE bondage. He ie condemed ro
follow Dion'6 cou4e, in a blucaI paralle1, 6uffe!1ng and
sharing none of Dion's vi6ion. At ctucial rcrenrs in life,
both Dion and 8106 enact their paadion in Che pleaence of
cyber, sho directty and uarblguoualy leplegenE lhat life
folce cenElal to the ptay,s neaning. o,Nei11 desclibes her
as legembttng an iilol of Molhe! Ealth" and in cauFing her
to vea! th€ mask of a ploslirute, Euggests that mo6r nen
,ho 6eek a Dionysian rorgerfulneEd lind it in rcnenraly
senal 6ub6tituteE. In the Epirogue, which take. place
afte! the lapse of anothe! four year6, Margalet i6 shom
wilh he! three sons at the Eare apot on the 6ame dock aE in
the Plotogue on anothe! rconligh! night in June, He! 6ons
are all 1a11, athletic 6tron9 and handaore and ale dle8sed
in the heighr of prep 6chool elegdce. Ma4taret no, ,ears

Ehe naak of a proud,
indulgenr noEhe!
appleciably oliler. Hei hai! IE no{ beautilul gray. He! sond
talk of tbei! beloveds and 6he cells then it was her€ that
Ehei! fathe! had plopo6ed !o her on a nlght just like this.
she tatkE abut th€ Jure€ Bhen ahe lsed to 9o swiming aid
,hen night3 rele not chat c6l, she tells he. boyE ro go ro
the dance and teave he! a1on. {tEh her June€ ' Go on, I
!€ally eant to be alone+ith my \tun.E' as the boys 1eave,
6be takea off he! mgk. He! la8t liDee ale very significan!
{(she glorly remov* he! tusk, 1.yln9 iE on the bench and
Etaie€ up at the @on wirh a ,iglful
lesign€d sseetness)
And yet l'n 6tiU the sare l,largareE. It,s onty our live6
that glw old, we ale ehere centulies only couts as
seconds and afte! a thouaard llveB our eyeE begin to open-
(6he l@k8 a!o@d be! with a lapt 6mile)ad the mon !est6
in the seal I want to teel the rcon at peace in the Eea! I
rant Dlon to leave the Eky fo! Fer I want him to sleep in
lhe Eides of my hea!!r (she Blowl,y take6 flon ulder he!
c1oak, fron her bosofr, .6 i! rlom he! hearc, the Esk of
DioD as it was at the laa! and hotds lt befoie he! face) My
roErl My hu6band you *itl
liE fo!€ve!. You are sleeping
hder n!|r heartl I feel you 6ti!rin9 in y@r steep, foleve!
hder d|y hea!ts. (she kiE.ea him on the tips rith a ti@leaa

Till the end of hia life Arc@ @@ined one o! Eugene
O'Neill,a pline favolitea. Be once Eaid, "Of att rhe plays
I have wlitten, I tike Gr€x cod Brom best. I love
"re
Ehat play!" his leElk-ta].en in conjuction sith lhe aEudy
ot thc play tellE aE much, poEElbly, about rhe essenliar
o'Neit1 aB anything else he ever said on record. Alom
opened in Jauary 1926 and !d for 2?3 pelfotMnc*.
In June 1926, O'Nei11 vaB auarded D,Lift.
By Yale
UnivelsiEy, This wa6 al6o rhe yea! ehen O,Neill sra!!€d to
see ac!!es6 calloEEa Monterey. He had knoh her 6ince lbe
time Ehe had ptayed the role of i{ildled in The airy ape.
His inlelest in her gre* and thet eele later Erlied in
1e29 afCe! o'Neill had alrcsr tdken a *o!ld Eour wirh he!,
abandonhg Agnes, ly 1926, aa o,Neill apploached folty,
,ith a ner @rliage on the card6 and time dulling rhe pain
of th€ tos6 of hia fafrily, o,Neill,E solk began to change.
characterigtically/ he tumed to search rcre deelly within
hiroelf, lt was the perEonal "depth" lather l@e chan the
icomplexity' of hi€ next rclk gtrage rrt€rlude that Eik6
ile inportance. O'Ne111 alvay€ had a dreafr to srite.
ptay
"keddlng Ehe the@ for a novel to th€ play rom in a uay
lhac sould 6ti11 leave the play mstse! of the hous€.' se
finally achieved hiB anbition by chiefly nakins the play as

lonq a6 he ileered lecessary. so 5t.a9e tnrertude yas
palts and nine acts coveling a rire span of
twenty five yea6 in €xplo!1ng rhe hisrory of Nina L€edg
and the four ren in he! 1i!e: Sam Avang, her husband vho is
glaEeful thai 8he had malliert himr D!. Edmund Darlet, her
lover who priales himgel! on hiE cool, Ecientiric detachrenr
lill Nina deEtroys hie lndepend€nce by pulling him inro an
orbft arouar helEe1f, cha!1e8 l,{a!sden, a family friend,
genteel nowelist and { one of Ehoge poo! devils who spend
their fivee tlying no! ro di6cov€! uhich 6ex they be1ong
to!" and cordon, he! Eon {ho ls nared afrer her itead
fianc€. tle had fir6C cde noCea fo! ir shen he sas in
Plovincetoh in 1923 and had heard flom an aviator the
Etory of a girl uhoae aviato! riance had been shor dead
juEi before the aniaiice. The gi!1 Enr ro pieces frcm rhe
6hock. she later m!!ied! not b€cau6€ she lded the @n but
because she Rante.l a chil,al, she hoped rhlough morherhood to
win back a mea6ule of qoDtentment in liferr, Having thi6
kind of a wo@n,E hi€rory in nind, O,Neitt developeit a
fe€1ings, promiEcuity,
through the-yea! saga of Euilt
latent homosexuatity, lnEanity, a.tultely, illegirimcy,
neurotic rcthelhood with an undelcullenr of inceEruous
de€ire and rot suipli8ingly e@tional exhausrion, all this
lo illu6trate the iGrabiliry of hu@n letarions, the

eroEive uotkingE of ti@. Lik€ a kaleidoscope, the play is
neve! stsit], ice picture keepe changingr and at the cenre!
of this shifting .onptex of love, hoEtiliry and fnElrarion
is Nina teed6. one of o,Nettl,s rcsr fascidring dd yec
1ea3t credibte roren. Ir appealE Ehar h€ consciouBly 'anred
to create a heroine sho vould pelgonify a clo6B-secrion of
all {oMnhoodr uhat he actuaLly cleated eas an ehbodimen!
of hts ahbivaleDt feeling6 C@a!d. rhe sex, a feme farale
rho is both vi,ctim and vicrinlzer. Strege trreltrde was
rhe fir6t rclk of o,r,reill,3 fu11 mruriEy, an.r inro it he
poured mole ot h13 .leveroping Belf rhan he had eallier been
abte tso do. The dominating figure of Nina Leed€ is very
different flom any bl@
he had cleated befole. She
contai.s mny of rhe qual*i€a of rhe stlindbergian
heroine, whlch Arna chliEri.
exceptsed, had been his
chalactelisric heloine. {hat i6 new hoseve! 1B the s}mpathy
{ith vhich Bhe ie ooe viered. The depicrion of Nina
dewelopa in a dilect line flm the poltraiCs of Bleanor
cape, Ella He41s, r.bby Putnam and cybel, bur o,Nei11
devored more Blmpathy and mole devolion Co he! dlscovering
qualities in her po86essivenegg, which striDdbelg in hiE
plays did not admit. sigrificancly, perhap6 o,Nei11,s mre
positive accitude rorards rcren developed ar a tire rhen he
raE fatling in love uirh carlotra Montserey and when his

lelariotuhip with Agnes had reached ics enal. A very
diffelent Elliage yas in plospecr for him and €@rhing of
the ,ish.d fo! ha@ny of rhar lelariooBhip is lefrecied in
the attitude of each mn in Ebe play rowards Nina. Bhe iE
for them all, a source of life and ue11-belng, Bur Nina
ho,eve!, iE nor a polrlair ot callorEa. The poinr !e€r6 on
slim and cilcu@tartial evidence, but ir can be algued rhar
Nina lJeeda 60 set abouC virh ainbiguou3 conplexiries of
synpathy and alie@tion i€ rhe f1!sr lear polrlait O,Neill
aEEempEed of hiE rcrhef. The leBer,blances nishr well be
thought ro be no rcre thaD coincidence, bur iA lhe action
of both the plays this confirclion can be foun.l, Fo! much
of the lare! scenes in 5tf&9e rrterlude rhe €igniticanr
action centels on the concem of Ehe ren uith Nina,s rell
being, sofr€one a!!ives; Nira iE off8rage. The que€lion iE
a€ked aa to he! hearth and genelal srare of mind, The leply
iE eithe! negative or pogitive, and rhe response of Che nen
i3 either conEended or diEconEenred, accordilg ro Nina,s
erctiodl anit phy6icat cotrditioD. In rhe Baft eay, rhe
happiness of rhe mte @nbelB of the ryrone family dep€nds
'Travis Bolrd h hn bdr codd ir Tim r4er rllr rhd. i! ec sl8ht wideB in rh! Dhyric.l
dEnipiion of Nin. !trd of Mary Tyre, o Nlitfr pdrn ot hi. dhtr i. t ns Dry! J@y ldo Nid|
Nin' d rh. i3. ofTwnt n d6rib.d a b.vltg r sood *i!\ ,.lib shbs hips . M[y .r finy.fou h! r
_]rEs Cetul lis$. .slwibg liiL did.E! of hi&[. !g.d hir rd hiF." Nina hG I tist tehod
,nd !d f.€ n f ios nd.r ilm p&ny, d.6oE tue pffiiBr Mty.r &e is ,lbj[ !.1. .nd lik
Niotq$bom3fu@rddindo.]!.illo@6lbrlNin,!"*troL@
tuL4 hc*. r hbr.6id.f win {rD ni@innl| *lfro6.didn1M'ry &qt n66. M

203
on Ma!y'6 health. Furthe!rcle, boEh ary and Nlna rcve
beteeen uell-being and futfill@nt and an irlirable, i11-
concealed neryouEncsg that !.ck6 Eh€n aE much aE ft doe€
the men. Thele ale dilte!.nc€E loo but rhe rlance tike
ti@leEsne€s in ehich Nitu l1veE for ruch of lhe play bea.s
at least a! erclionat leger]bl.nce !o Ma!y,s eleqiac
drifting rcve@nt in he! rclpbine induced rlance. such
eviatence i6 no rcle tha! su9E.Eriv6, fo! Intetlude
'trege
is not fully ar autobioglaphicar play.
The pldy teI16 a na!!.tive rD !rm,
6pring-Eo-fall cyctes,
anal nove€ in the
uhich O,Neill
continully loud suggeEtivc, bur slike the eafIie. plays
ttEt itevelopeat cyctic plogrca8tons, grrege rrre.lude is
leally uithout fo*ald mvenenr, Ti@ Tiu6anen nores in the
gbud plan fo! the intelio! €ceDe6/ O,Nej,lI lequires rhar
che flaitule be placeil in tbe sa@ allange@nr regardless
of tbe location of the !6h. The itevice in a hino! way i6
intended lo Buggest that norhing chang.6 trcm year ro yea!
or place to place"'. The play iE pleci5e1y ritled: ils
days, ita llfetire form an inrellude.
rhe indicatiotre o! time In the nallacive ale pfecise. rhe
play begine thlee veekE befole college opens on an
aftelnoon iD IaCe AuguEr of 1919. Act two i6 ser in rhe
fall of 1920 and Ac! chlee in rhc .'!are splin9, of 1921.

AcE four is 6even rcnth6 la!e! and Act five in April 1922.
Act eix i. 6umer 1923r AcE 6even, eteven yealE 1arer, ie
laid pleeu@bly In lhe talt of 1934. Act eighr and nine;
len yeare late! Eti11 ale e6r in 1944. The play Ehus coverE
a Eire span of twenty-five yearE, Inlele€rirgly O,Nel1t
uiitins in re26 plojectE the play.igh!€en yea?s inro rhe
future and te11g the Etory of Nlna and rhe men in her 1ife.
The ptay i. alEo a levealing €vi.tence of o,Neitt,s rendency
to look at life without leference ro 6oclety! ro lefl his
story only i! tema of pelsonalicy. Atrhough sore s@11
accour is taken of rhe l[rediar.e post-wa! rcr1d in rhe
first teo acta, rhele-afce! lhe play glalls in rhe year
1925, and leflecrg onty the boo yeals imdiatety
precedinq che gleat stock turkeE c!a6h. Nina, ,ho foru rhe
nucle@ of the pray, is Ehoh a6 a gilt of r,enry ro a
uollfu of fo*y five o! fo!ty-6ia. O,Neitt also suggests rhe
time in the play alound which she haE gone rhrough
menopauge at the ase o! folty rhen ar lhe end of Acr seven
Nina in he! a6ide aay
" I'm lhilty five,,,five tule y€alg,,,aC folty woman hae
finished living,,.life
paEeeg by he!.'6he lotg away in
peacel' alEo Sam,s a8lde in rct nine yhen Ntna is forryfive:
{ I thought once he! change ot 1Ife eaE ove! she,d be
ashamed of he! clazy jeatouEy.' Nina udelsoe6 he! chanse

sonetime betole the op.ning of AcE eighr, in which she
appear€ a vely old lady, with cohplerety while hair, her
face o1d and iwoln ou!'. In Act ntn€ o,Netll degcribes her
aE looking {nuch oldeli, l]lhtt€ Nina,6 unexpecred ageeinq iE
medically posaibte nothlng j,n rhc ptay explains rbis,
unleee iE be he! longing !o ilot tn peace,. He! physical
age overrides her chlonological age ae o,Nelll moves ar rhe
end of lhe play inlo a further furulc rhar he accounrE for
logical1y, a compleasion inlo a fe, rorenlE of rhe rest of
Ni@'E life. Tire becoreE a dtte! o! erclioEl rcverenr,
lndependenE of cateldalg and clock6 from everyrrring,
indeed, excepc rhe autum.l seaEon,
$ithi. tbe ri@ Echere of rhe nallarive, of course there
are @ny evenca. Thele i6 a 6ro!y Eo be rold; rhe ptor has
a certain inrlicacy, For thig, soretines one haE ro have
certain artificially induced ten€ioD6 and le6olurions to
climctic @rents a! pledercmined poinrg in the narrative
sEhcture. In sxrege ratetjude O,Nei1l,g refugal ro
prowide €uch sreleorr?e denou.renEE Is norable. The
narrarlve baa no rhear!ical culminarion unlese ir resides
ln Act niDe wh€n Nina alrcst involunrarily
tel1s he! son Cha! Darrett i. hi,s farher. Viewed a6 a
ctimax, howeve! ic iE a mlno! happenlng. Thele haE been no
prepalation fo! it, and Blnce i! occulE uirhout Nina,s

lltlngneaE it haldty plovides a mmenr of fulftll@Dc in
che usual theaCrical 6€nEe. Fulrhe!rcle rh€ 6on doe. noc
underataDd whaE hig @tbe! hlE 6aid. Th€ l@@nr Bl1des away
anit nothing llut could caus. ! cnci.l change ba6 occuEed.
If in the lalg.st vieu norhtng happenF chen rhe play.E
po,e! mst le€iate in .nothe! renEslal and ercEional
continucin ch. !€.rm ol f..ling .xp!e66ed by rhe asideg
and 3o1j,toqui.6. ID 6t!ivin9 lor noveligtic qualiEies
o,Ncitt bloke sich conwnrion rcr only tn rhe exrlaoldinary
rength of thc ptry but tn irs " rhought a.ides, as he
called thcm an extenBion ol the oral technique in which rhe
charactela Epok€ dilectty ro che audience, suppos.dty our
of ealEhot of Ehe orhels on €ragc. Th16 rire hoUe@!, rh.
asirles and 6oli1oqu1.6 cle u6ed rc!. botdly anit !!ee1y
thaD eve!, Th.y coDgtitur. ov.i a rhild of rhar rhe
auatience hea!.-to give volce Eo Eh. chalacrel6 secrer
thoughts, o'Neill had !e!d P!€ud .nal Ja@s Joyce,s UlyEs.s
6!ou!r.t the Eic be ,a. *liring ttrege rrtedude, and the
irpact of both the authols sa€ evident in rhe ptay.
strege rtt.r.lude gene!.t.s m. nE .t
level.; rbe 6sr obviou. of ,hich is . F!€udid-influenced
6tudy of chaEcte!. 8or thl6 o,N.tll d.velop€d a rechnique
o! dialogue that w..6ihi1a! Eo th.6t!.& ot ena.iousoeas
c.crnisu€ rhat {aa lnEloduced by @itelD flction {!ire!s

like \tfts .royce, fi€ u6eat .aide. and aoliloquies in a
trlafrer that it in@1ved trc reEr6 of alialogle one thar is
lecognizeat as legula! sFeech
to ,htch the other chalacterg
leapond and one rhar 13 lccognized as what in fitn
lechnique kould be a $voiceover'-1n ehich the characrer
eDunciatea his o! he! rboughrg lnd wbich are heard by rhe
author anit not by rhe orhe! char.cre!. It waE like freezing
the actlon vhile the agide wa8 b.ing Epoken. The asideE
lhelefore blended ercochly wirh rhe dialogue, rre effecr
achieved raa eddying rcreDts ln t1@, sMlt pels of
feeling se! our oa rh€ G1n cufr.nr in an exrraordinary
couteirDinr of tMeenl aDd 6rasis, of tide and
tirete6dneEE and ot sosal aDd 6ilence. The play ha6 rrc
tine scheres blr it iE rhe rituI.ss ercrional parrea rhich
plovide6 the 6ense ot .tepth and *hlch rh€ play in irs finat
in defjance ol Eerpo!.I loglc.
The quality of Btitt life cleaced by rhe duat rime
PatternB accounts fo! lhe !€a1 gubEC.nce of the uork. The
non temporal wofld 1IeE ou! of time in 6imple beins,a kiDd
of etehity of feeling wlrhour rcrive o! volftion. The
action of the chalaclelE on rhi6 plan€ iE not unlike lhar
of the Eailors in Tne M@r of rh. C.ribees where the
sailora had no poee! o! rill, indeed no exi6rerce rhat ras
eay boud up rirh lhe life forc€ mvins in rhe

sea, In Str&gre ht€r.lud., rhe ren hold a similar
relationahip to Nina. The men ale delined onty in relarion
to Niha, as if ahe like the c!e* of the C.terdaia wele rhe
Bource of rbeir beiDg. h rhe same way Nina has no life
beyord the ren, othe! letalionghip6
i. borh rhe
caees that i€ in rhe case of ren and Nina ale nor srrong or
vitally dlamtlzed, tD the teflporal nalrative rhe cauee of
this devotion ia s.id to be 6exuat attlaccion. Nina,s
failure ro consumare he! 10v. with he! fianc€, the dead
father who haal counseted he! agaiDsr cllying hin. rn
d€fia.ce of hi6 doninance she gives helself !o younded ren
in the ho6piral ,here ahc i5 a nu!s.. He! @!!iage ro sas,
her piegnancy, he! abolcion and he! l@e affair uith
Dalrel, hold the acrion to Epecilic seauat conceas, and
appea!6 in lhe play aa a yo6g boy, hi6
relationship ro he! iE color.d by gexual incuition: he
catches her kiEsins Dalre1t and develops a hatred of him
because he hag raken Nina,3 10vc, rn rhe finat ecenes,
Nlna'3 attenpr ro bleak rhe M!!1age of coldon and
l{aateleine is a9a1n Ee€D a6 a frarre! ot sexual jealousy, aid
after san,e dearh, he! marltage ro M.leden is specifically
Etated to be poEsible becauEe j,t i6 sexl€ss.

Cem, ln narratlv. tire, all Che
chalactelE of stlarge rrre!.lude live 1n "unleat lealiry",
@ving nechanically aril @.ningleEEly rouard rhelr end. on
tbe tireIeEs ptane, rirhour lefe!€nc€ ro rcc1ve and .crjon,
thei! exiEierce takcs on an a.pec! of .relnttyr it becores
in a Gme! an ab6tlactlon of lelatiorshlps, borh ro one
another and ro the e.scntial folce, shich d.r.mineg rhei!
lives. In th. 1a€t acr rh€ agide6 occu! mch tegs
frequently as Nina mve. t@alat€ her end, dd in the
auEumal grld€n, lelax lnto a long peacetul reilighE. Hee
Eercient being co@a to the Eurfac., rhe rrc-rire partelns
combin. and the need for EiDrainiDg rhei! dutiry l€EEen6
aE the play'6 trc lcaliiies @!ge and beco@ identicar.
Tire at the end, no tonger deline€ rhe exielnal patteln,
life slips lnto an atreooon 6leep and che destr. .rdg.
sxrage Iaterh.Ie achieved Fucce.6 Do othe! Arerican
play had eq@ll.d. Distingui8hed act!e66e6 a6 Pauline t !d
and Jualith An lersen headed Eouling cftpanics ard a Lndon
ploducrion ra6 o!gani2.d. The publi€hed play beca@ a
narionat besE6€11e!-rhe filEt rire a d!a@ had arrained
lhal hono!, o'Nei]l lecelvcd rhtld Putitz.! Plizc fo! the
vo!k. Th. t.nsrh of the ptay ra8 al8o inteleBting fo! rhe
audieDce. I{ith the curtain at 5.15 p,r., an hour,E diEe!
inrelmiggioD arte! Act flve, and a flnal cultain afte!

11,00 p,m. it appealed to the chic as a thing to do for
Eocial impoltance and conrlibured !o rhe succe€8 ot Ebe
p1ay, l.loreover the narlatlv€ ot the play, which deal! 60
f!.nkly with mtter€ of.boltion and adultery, saE rhe
play a aucceee de rcad.Ie ,ho.e !eau1t6, jncluding a
bading in soston could be rcaauftd at the bd office-
DryB EithouL End kaE ye! anoEh.! aurobioglapbical play
by o'Nei1l. o'Nei11 had u!1rren a Bcenario for "DayE" In
Bernuda in 1e2?, when he fi,r6r coneelved rhe idea. Ir re11s
of a crisis in rhat seered p€lf€ct Erriage uhen the
hugband cmits a 6in91e act adultery; ad eren befole
the eife begins to suslEct hi6 intidelity, he suffels frcm
guilt, b€cause he thi.lg the Mlliage to b€ on such *lted
plan€ that he feela fallen from Che glace. considering that
O'NeiIl conceived the Etory ldea not long after hie blief
roGnce uilh cartotta, a pe!1od uhen he thought that rhei!
ove!, ir Eeem6 clea! lhat it was born of hiE
guilE feelings tosaf& ?€n.6, ThuB the croming ilony
b€hlnd Daye I'rjt&out eld iE thaE by the time he ca@ to
,!ite it, carlotta, origiG11y the mdel ro! lhe rcnE ,ho
seduced Ehe hero, had b.cotu lhe rcdel tor his d4oted
wife, o'Neill's thi.d Glliage {aa for him a heaven. It
enbodied much of the !€lalionEhip he had lonsed and hoped

2t6
fo!, He had tlied ro deEcribe ir j,n Eo earty a ptay a6
seryjtude anal late! on in ,re.lded, The inscliprlons of his
play5, rogerher uith rh€ tertels ro his wife ttEr have been
published in lhe volune rnscriptionE, 6er fo!!h htg
idealian fully. selena Royte, eho played EtEa in rhe cuitd
ploducr.ion of Daya trithort &rd, felr thar rhe play was
o,Neill'€ poem ro carlottatv. phitip Moerre! not.d rha! both
huEband and wife acknoeledged Ehe ptay ro be nore hels than
hi8 ad CallotEa hoped rhar s@day O't{eil1 rcutd lerum to
the cathotic faith",
Days withouE End ltke re]ded, i6 essenrially bhe ecory of
a paEsionarely idealisric turriage bcr,ee! r,o very
po.dessive people. Bur yhelea. tn ,telded the mriiage i6
baeed on a love hate relBtionehip i! *hich borh hugband and
wife ale equalry rhe vicEim anal rhe vicrimized, rn rDays,
the heloine iB the vicrin and the heloers 16 selves fighr
a baltle ove! her soul; iD rhe end rhe cynical,
deattuctive, doubring Eelf {r-ving} is vanquished by the
netly in6pired John and nd,ha!rcniouE lElEon.Iicy of John
lovtng Elanding in church with his am6 upsEletched croEeE
the p1ay. The ending ot rhe ptay reEined a plob1em to che
laEE. rhroush rhe eight &afr v€!6ions, rhe @rk ,as
altereal and no EaEisfactory concluelon reached. The heroine
ElEa 11veat and died, aE did rhe he!o, lrohn loving, vho in

2t7
th€ fifrh dlafr of rhe play was 6p1ir inro !rc characrers,
Joln and hia dercnic atre! ego, rJoviAg, No otber ptay
o'Neill elote ploceeded uth such uncelrainty o! lemined
ti11 the finat ve!6ion so @ch a efte! of Crial an.l e!!or.
Many notea and pror id.as 6hou rhaE o,N€ilt yag ar the
nelcy of contradictoiy irpulse6 @e! wherhe! the play woutd
end in defiance o! affifraEion, Thar, rhe endins refrained
unsatiafacrory i. perhapa because o,Neill did nor fmcriotr
a6 a.lramatlsr in all rhe scenee leaitlng ro Ehar poinr. The
probtem ot hry ro eid rhe play, of finding ,hat meaning he
really meant, obaculed che fact that rhe endtng ali.es floh
noEhing and iE not the c1i@ of any significanr
develop@o! of chalacte! o! @r!a!ive_ Fe utcicrely
deplored lhe ending; in an earry drafr he nad chogen hi6
hero to die by cffiitting suicide rather rhan being
redeened by hie old faith. OiNeilt,s
irlesolutio! over his herc,E end dlove hin franric ar
rrre6, atnce it was hlE o{n and Jobn lovinq,6 dile@,
icen€ ,ould ,alk up and dom the beach, paiDfulty Ee6rlins
tith the problem,{ Carlotra lecalled. iHe couldn,! mke up
hig mind whethe! o! nor ro bave rhe man go back !o Chulch.
At on€ point he choughE of having hfn shoot bi@etr ar rhe
Chu!.h alta!, and he atlscu66ed Ehie idea eirh the plieEre
ald they pelsuaded hin not ro uEe ir, Ire fj.nalty endeat wtEh

he mr going back to rhe chulch. r€rer he ,as furioug wth
hiMetf for having done chis, He f.tr he had luined rhe
play and that he ?as a tlafto! ro himself a6 a Eter. 8e
alraya Elid Che lasr act ,as a phony anat he neve! forgave
ln devetopirg rhe p16y o,Neill rlansfelred ro bis helo
much of rhe altidric ad spiritual indeciEion uhlch he felr
at the time of ft6 sririDg. No play of o,Nei11 i6 Eo nuch
lackiag in acrion, 60 r.steful in con6tacrion, 60 filted
{1lh needle66 ch.Dging of Bcele and urdevetoped and
uninteleEring cha!ac!e!!. The firet act which takeE place
in Jorh lbving,s office on an afEcm@n in earfy spring
19!2 and rhe second ac! ln his apairment Eore !i@ larer
the sane afr€aoon do nothing bur 6r!a1gh! expogilion, The
dialogle berreen .rotr dd roving and hi€ parrner Elior, and
flnally Farhe! Bailat is enrirery devored to what t ohD had
b.en i! the pasr. TlE €econd act lepeaEd the procege fo!
John,6 eife Elsa and he! fliend Lucy uho has been John,s
mialresg. The *posirory proglession iE c6!!ied on iDco rhe
flrst 6cene of lhe rhild acr, which rakee place in rhe
evening of the sare day, up ro the poinr rhen Elsa Eu.tdenly
lealize6 flom Johh'E deEcriprion of rhe novet he i6
wlrting, thaE t ie her hu6banat,e rhinty ilissuieeil
autobiography and vfth Ehis, cones Che lealizar.ion thar h€

has been unfaithful to he!. hen she wa1k6 our of rhe house
end of the acr three .cene one, the filsralmost
rhe p1ay,a oDly 6tgnificant.crion 1B taken. By acc
thlee 6cene tvo, \tobn is ag.in di€cussing his spirirual
at499le in che 9ui6e of retling rhe ploc of hiE novel. rn
ahor!, very nearly Ehlee-qualtels of the ptay iE conslned
with a discugsion of the spiij,Euat conatiElon of rhe hero
and none of il is dramtized unt1l irohn, in lercree
lealizea thar he has been rhe cause of hls wife,E cluciar
illneEE, turnE ro chulch and leapE roralds hig chlisrian
faith. The play covers a rire span of abour a week an

intellecrual ody66ey flom the t1@ he had tuhed away floo
God, ilolD €uccesgively emblaces arcng oCher spiriluat
so6pers, arheiemi 6o.ia1igm, and rhe reachings of
Phitosophers like Nietzschej bur neve! finds solac. mril
ElEa, anorher rlgi

that_tbe only thing rcrEe than nor aEtainins whar you vant
is arratning t. Michaet cape of vtetded felded etEh his
wife an.t bercaned hig lot becauEe she lesieted lheir
becofring a6 one; \rohn o! rhe othe! hand i€ roftu!.d after
he has attaineil the alppos€al1y btissful 6rare of roral
union, fot Eomething ("perhaps in nV soul,' he EayE lhrough
IFving, " I hate tov€i ) drivea hin ro ptace his @!!iage in
jeopar.ty by comiEEing adulrely. If iroln rere ever
unfaithful to he!, ElEa reltE a fliend, it .{ould kitl
loreve! aU ny faith in 1ife. all torh, all b€aury, at1
love! I rculdn,r *ant ro live!, So rn€ Eo her lqd when
ehe lealizeE that \tohn haE b€en unfairhful ro h€!, she
invite. death by pnelenia but jusr in rire she folgives
he! husband, regain€ rhe oilt ro live, and 6ra!!s ro
!ecove!. Behind he! eudden change of heBlt is a nyericar
intuition. nhite she is udergoing hcr physical clisis
\tohn, aE the peak of spiritual cri6i6 1e on hi. klees
befole lhe Crosa in a nearby chulch, u.veling belreen doubr
and faich. JolD r€cove!6 hi6 fairh in chli6r ju6r abour rhe
lime EtE. lelentg and legains be! ki1l to live, ThiE i6 the
point shere o,Neitl himEelf feel€ he uaE at fau1c. The
tea6on being that lrom the lDint in iire rhen he !.nomced
his faith in religlon, be !eve! leally legained i! and Rhen
1n the play he €hosa John, eho i6 nEdelled in 6one oays on

o,Neill himEelf doe6 regain hig fafth, he waE acrually
contladictinq and viorating Eone of his Etlongesr feellngE
dd dccp€Et convictlons,
22t
DayB withorC End was a eo!k, shtch O,NeiIl was foiced to
coapleEe, rhere uas no freedon ln ir. Th€ yo!k, the lasr of
theological rcEnc4 is lifeleEs and conrllved and ir see@
tha! i! left o'N.i11 p.se!1..6 ro conrirue. yer ,elca.e
care. Not ,ith \D.ys,, but etlh anothe! one. rh sepr.mbe!
1932, ,he! he .as laborilg eith Ehe !hi!d ctlafr of .Days,
he awoke one mo!!1ng eilh a new ptay "fully in hind", He
Eat dom at hid de6k at seven ln rhe rclning and worked
steadily @ti1 late afcemoon, by which ti@ he had a
detailed scecrio of the p1ay, He even had a ritle fo! the
ptay d:, tjtderreaBl a varlant on a phlage in Rtbaiyat of

had visiced wilh cailofta hts fore! hone while he va€ in
Neu Lndon. O Neill at filsi looked in vain fo! "lrorre
Crisxo Cocaage" . I{hen he finally fo6d ft, 6nal1 and
unirpleaaive, Eurrouded by new consrrucrion, he f!t! it a
pitiful thing and a Boulce of mercliee revieiced. H€ fetr
that hi6 rcEher uas lisht khen she used ro call ir ,,a
quaint litlle
bildcage'. He lace! thdghr he shou1dn,t have
coc, tlhat the sighr had srilled in him hait no easy nare.
Regret and pain, ro be sure, and perhap6 br*a
Eense of
ctebte unpaj,d and benefiEe lolgoEren, The phyeicat !eEuln
arte! a tong p griMge around Lhe uorld is syiboric of a
@re plofound retum to hiE Eoulce in anguiEh of the nind
and 6pi!ic, tle did @r phyEicatty enrer the house but the
houae contained his paer his rturh dd he watked in
inagination atmst a6 tb€ ea6y genesiB of Ah, wi.jdemessl
o'Neill refelled to rhe play as a "comedy of Recoltecrion,',
but 1t lE a lecollectioD of a rine and a place, nor a
lecolleclion of his per6o6L family life, His om life is
crose! to the oeerience dlamEl2ed j,A las Day's Journey
i,to xjgbr, although both rhe playE are ser in lhe sane Neu
I,onaton houEe and both leveal @ny 6imi1afiries, The Birrlns
roon of Na! Miller,s house in i.h, tlri]derneggt And Ehe houee
of ,Jame. Tyrone in rtug Dayta Jouaey jrco njglc is
- nc irFErly fdaor 6a L hd uib.tu rbry AF b ec hk

eEEentially Che sare, a6 is rhe de6cription of Ehe u6een
houge beyond i!, Tirc riu6anen in his b6k o,Neitt,s scenic
I@gee', has EuggeBted thar a vergion of plan of rhis loom
recuis in len seftin96 in differenr plays+helever o,Neill
depicted a 6iddle,c]as6 livilg !om. He plop€lty nores .an
autobioglaphicrl oligin of Chie scenic patteh,.
This
clearly reveal€ thaE how ruch O,Neilt uaE obsesEed by rhe
lire he had Epent in rhis hou6e and how nuch lhe evenrs and
happeninss in the house lEd eff€cted hi6 p6yche,
In cieating the Miller giEEing rm in rhe play o,Neilt
made his fileE dilect incureion on the aurobioglaphical
BuletrucEule of h1B lire. rte d!.w rhe boyhood uoltd of rhe
year 1906 uhen h., like his ploragonisr raa s.venreen yeals
o1d anit pranning to 9o !o uriv€lgiiy in rhe fall. Denying
thaE xn, ttjldeftess wa6 aurobioglaphical he €aid rhar ir
vae ia sort of {ishing our 1oual, thar,6 the lay r vould
boyhood to have been". E*encially rne, hi6
not alter the lact that th€ play ras deepty
PaEt and in elItj,ng it, he waE tlying ro rcllve
iD time ui8hing *Ft onty this rire he could live a
diffe€nt life, To find rhe chiet rcdel !o! Ehe sevenreenyear-old
Rich.ld ille! one need not 1@k beyond Che aurho!
himBelf and in the shaatos3 behind Uncle Sid Brands rhe
darker rcie complea figule of Jamie. orhe! chalacters of

lhe play uele selecred flom rhe cirizenE of Neu london whom
he had kiom. l,i1y, rhe old fraid aunt uas chiefly ba6ed on
B€se1e sheridan a spinsler sch@l reacher and one of
o,Neill,s fawo!fte N€e Lniton cougiE. aor rhe ficrioral
parencs he senr our of his lamily cilcle, E..ie uitle! yas
rcdelleit pri@rily o! Evel'a Essex ("EEsie") Mccinrey of
Nev londonr whoae soDs Arthur, rom, fiint and rrawrence
(thougb cheir Gre6, and nor lersonatftie6 figure i, the
play) wele good friende o! Eugene, Nar Mi11er vas rcde11ed
on Fled Larime!, rhe edico! of New lonoon neuepale! and
vich lhon o,Nei11 had solked as a ,eporEer, re recarred hi6
affaifuirh
Maibetle Scoft and invoked Ehe shade of a girl
lliedd flon 19o5,Marion vtelch, to pEvide ieges of
Richald,s r@nce wiEh ruliel tccombe!.
The story of the play Iolloss a definile li@ar ri@
palEern. The play opens in Ehe Ejrtlng loom of Mitlers in a
1a!9e €@11 to6 in conneccicut ea!1y mornrng
Ltul,y 1906 and end6 the followlng alay alound ro o,ctock at
nlght,
The Srory atisptays fanilia! ErereorFes of comedy
like a cluGy fl6y dlunk, an o1d @id, a
puritanical elder in a familia! pa!rern, Richard r,litre!,
one of the tomg boy6 in the hou6e bliefly loses his girl,
Ehe cllasre and pretry Mulicl xccosbe!, Hearr bFke!, he
then faila !o 1€e hi6 vlrginity to a irart" before he

226
reuited rith hi€ beloreal. The equilibrium of rhe Milter
fanily, shich i6 t.nporarily upEet by Riclrard'E lebetlion
and Uncle Sid'€ alcoholic epiBode, is lesrored upon their
repencance. FiFlIy, rhe play Eenri@nratty affin€ rhe
respectable bourgeols fan y-headeal by Richald,s father and
moEher aE a eource of love, €uplolr and sisaloh.
consialelable 6pecut.rion ro hoe mch rhe pray hail any
re6emblance ro t6 aurho!,E lite. Bur the rrue narule of
it6 resefrblace ua6 nor udeldtood Dt.!I lhng Day'.,Jottuey
Jvtght u.6 pubtiahed and perfoftd. Thc reo ptay6 may b€
legarded aE two side8 of the E.ne coin

darkenrng rorld c1o61ng around rhe family. o,Ne11t ca1led
tlte co@dy ia dream ralking,, ia nodralgia fo! yourh r
never had". At seventeen, horever o,Nei11 had yer ro enrer
bis renegade and loving life, and thele !e!e monenlg vhen
he Da6 happy and the aun had ehone in the dark !@ms of the
hou6e, o,Neill,s life
in 1906 ae hi6 bioglaphelE have
depicted va6 not an unhappy one, Alrhough he had learned
about hia rcche!,3 aalalicrion vhen he Daa lifreen but in the
Elring of 1906 she had retuhed from a .anaEoriun in good
spirita, and waE giving ligmE rhar she mighr ovelcore her
addiction. She haal ar6o rad a successful operation for a
breast tumo! and had traweled abroad with her huEband, rhe
teo broEhe!5 oere on lheir om in Nev Lonalon, and Eugele
vith \tamie used to Eke legular round€ of bals and
blothel€. Rlchald Mi11er, is .videnrty mole innocenE rhan
Eugene ua€ in thaC yea!.
Houeve! fraaked, Ah. tJildeme8dl 16 a direcr
autorrtoglaphy, rn it3 fiction€ o,Neill haB combined what he
has 6een and adnired ourside his tife into a disguised
version of his ob realitieB, The room not fogged bur
lighteat Eo brishtne€E by Juty sun and rhe m@n, ls rhe
first c1ue. The fanily in the Eom i6 .econd. Richard,s
fathe! iE wiEe, abte and friendly, In all lespectE, he iE
responsible and humnly succe8Eful. I! the houee there is

113
aDothc! l@, h1B brother tn lau sid DavlE, @rry bu!
EhifttesE. H€ is a fairule .nar lacks in !€Ea-nsibillry.
flith the eisdom bom of itlunk€n e,aerrence ne cares to!
Richald shen he co@s hon€ Etaggering tlom his f1!Er
rhe tom 6a1ooD1 .randing aE loco pare.tig to
chc sick chi1d. Il Rtchard,g trc farhers v€le corbined iDto
one ftan rhey woutd cleate the imge of a run of ralenr and
potenllal de8rloyed by a tack of lesponsibiltcy. h euch a
mn failure rculd ererge as ! uarpins sense of suilt.
superiftFoged rhe rb chalacrels Euggest a tigure nor unlike
thac of ira@s o,NelII as he dlev hln in r,r\rr, ltta o,Neitl
depicted as Mary Tylone i! rhe -L.'ltlv shoeeal helself ro have
qualiries of cham. she i6 depicr€d in rhe earty pa,r ot
the play as so@oDe ,ho is capable of targnrer aDd fove. To
the rylone men, she ie rhar a norher €hou1d be, ae rhe day
night ihasE near, theEe rcrherly
characrerisric. faate away 6nl 6he tul@ asay frcm h€r
fanily, ,ithillas6 ro hersetf, denies he! womnliness alil
vaniEheE into a rime of her g1lthood befole he! Eexuat
reEponaibility lnat trs deEnaling devorlong uele folced on
he!. In the Hille! household crc rcren reside_ Richa!i1,6
rclhe!, who iE in all respecis whar a rcthe! shoutd be, and
he! Bi3re! in lau rrtly r4itter, a spin6te! iD Love uirh sid,
y€l refugiig Eo accepr hin a6 he is and chus lefuginq

229
te8poGibllity fo! love, Their les€mblance to Maly tE nor
exact, fo! neirh€r of the tuo i6 as CorEured, as lr!ry ras
bue thele ls eonelhing of r4ary, s qualitieE divided between
the two- rhe diwt6ion na]re6 lt poBeibte !o creat both sid
and Lily gently becauae respongibilty is lellllrcd !!fr rhem
as ir could !o! be le@ved flom Ella and James O,Neit1.
o'Nei11, elimi@ling lhe clucla11y idenrifyinq decails of
his father,a ralenrE dd his rcrher,s addicrion, cleareg
lhe fache!'E siste! and morhe!,s brothe!, Their fluBtlared
tove fo! one anothe! parallelE and sitently col@nrs on the
tove of Na! Mitle! and his wife, anit blingE quatiEies to
the whole that move6 it nealer to the r!u!h wirhou! luining
the conedy, The freeing of family @rc.!s flon guilt and
lesponslbility conEinues and it is noi Richard,. etde!
brolher vho rlfoduces flr Lo a lrte of "6 n", but -fe
brothe!,a fliend uho, ignolanc of Richald,s vilginiry
cannot be bla@al to! leadirg hin aErray. Thus Jahie,g
etanil in bears none of \tanie s reEponsibilily for
cor4pttng his younger brothe!. The family ba6 anorhe!
brotshe! too, Totuny, sho fil1s in rhe void of Euqene,e dead
brothet and James o,Neltt,s Becond 6on.
ln Ah,Uildemeagt O,Neill MkeE a senrirenrat journey in
lime, a kind of levelie. lllich ir,6 u!1Elng he began rhe

gbup of autobioglaphical pl.ys rhar clohed his career and
Ede hin i@rral a6 a d!.Gt16t.
The plays discusaed in thie ehapce! sho* hou o,Neitl had
d!a@ri6r over rhe yea!€, Uasks in crear "ne
cod B!oM, aEides, sollloquleE and nov€li€ric tensrh of
gxttuse latetiuAe, €pI1r pelsonalj,Ey of rhe hero in DalE
withoux End, and rhe hidden .urobiographical eterenb of th,
Idiideaeasr sho, hlE matultry of technlque and sty1e, He
had uon rhlee pulicze! p!i2.6 by 1934 and he was tle onty
anelican dra@ciat who8e pt.ys wele sraged in Europe and
't|gd O NoU Bqo'd vmi.S id Tnlrdy. SElt . A. BL.r Dj2 |
"olr. r so:!d ^Jd
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'A,Su 0d B:idr Crrb P.73r.
h d. sbfdn u.i6 y LD.r.y. TL.y
' Mcnds tG c dhi!.n i! u r4{tr&h.d ffird6
ud e tuu'ry r, t914, .nd *E 'bbd
d& d!n'! $. Bd6 rrn,| ofDlrr ,rrrdr rd