o'neill's technique of expressionism - DSpace@INFLIBNET Home

211of Yank. In The Emperor Jon es , he describes the dilemma of a man who istortured by unending fears , and feels completely helpless in overcomingthem. In The Great God Brown , characters are studied in masks whoultimately give them up and reveal their inner hidden emotions andimpuls es.The Moon of the Caribbees and Six other plays of the Seacontainsplays written between 1917 and 1919. The melodramatic element is stillpresent but a thorough reading of these plays clearly shows that thedramatist has acquired a philosophic grasp upo n his ma terial. He is able tocreate a ‘like human comedy of the sea ’ in w hich the characters experiencepat hos and realise that something ‘has broken in’ inside them.On the other hand, in a play like Beyond the Horizon , the dramatistshows how all the ch aracters ignore their true inner natu re and just followsthe outer, conscious self. It is the st ory of two brothers. One , Robert , is adreamer. He wishes to go to sea. He has a burning desire to encounter thewor ld beyond the horizon. The other is Andrew. He is a practical farmer. Heplaces his faith in the daily routine of farm life which provides enoughmeaning to him. Both of them are in love with the same girl. However, thegirl chooses the dreamer. After this, Robert gives up his uncle ’s boat. Hedecid es to stay on the farm . On the other hand his brother, And rew growsbitter at having lost her. He goes to the sea.As luck would have it, the marriage between Robert and Ruth provesa big curse. Eventually Robert dies of tuberculosis , and his body, like h isspirit , is emaciated. He asks his brother , who is mora lly damaged butphysically fit , to take his place. He drags himself out onto the road , and dieswhile looking at the horizon that he had never been able to transcend. Thus,it is clear that Beyond th e Horizon represents the writer ’s own warringinstinctness. One b rother is drawn to the world of reality. His fascinationwith the practical world grows. However, it has been made clear that he isunimaginative but at the same time it has been pointed out that he iscreative. However, his creativity serves as a trigger to his will power whichdominates his circumstances. He is able to imprint his identity on a worldwith which he is at harmony. The other is essentially a dreamer. He is also