a long days journey into night -- do you blame them?

[motherhubbard]

I just finished “A Long Days Journey into Night” by Eugene O’Neal. What a wonderful play. I’m left wondering if it is fair to blame people for their faults. Is it fair to blame people when they are just being human and screw everything up? It’s easy to blame Tyrone for being cheap or drinking too much, or Mary for loosing her faith and not just making the home herself, or the boys for not working to overcome their upbringing . But, they were all just being human and sometimes it’s hard to stand and fight. What do you think?

[chaplin]

I also love Long Day's Journey Into Night, along with The Iceman Cometh which I would reccommend if you haven't read it yet.

I don't know if really blame is really at issue in the play. I think O'Neill portrays how each family member pulls the other apart, usually being the most destructive when they're trying to pull the family together.

I don't think O'Neill is ever passing moral judgement on any of the characters; he's showing the unique, bitter-sweet thing that a family is. How we're thrown in together and part of each other, literally and figuratively, and the uncontrollable consequences that such an unbreakable bond brings.

[motherhubbard]

I also love Long Day's Journey Into Night, along with The Iceman Cometh which I would reccommend if you haven't read it yet.

I don't know if really blame is really at issue in the play. I think O'Neill portrays how each family member pulls the other apart, usually being the most destructive when they're trying to pull the family together.

I don't think O'Neill is ever passing moral judgement on any of the characters; he's showing the unique, bitter-sweet thing that a family is. How we're thrown in together and part of each other, literally and figuratively, and the uncontrollable consequences that such an unbreakable bond brings.



I also loved The Iceman Cometh, people are really just like that sometimes. It made me examine myself.

I don't think that O'Neal blamed his family, but I find myself blaming his father. It was clear that they loved each other, but at the same time they were killing each other and themselves.

[Virgil]

I loved the play too Mom-H. ;) It has been a while since I read it. I would love to re-read that and discuss it. Perhaps it can be a book forum read some day.

[motherhubbard]

That would be great. Have you read The Iceman Cometh? Long Days Journey is often referred to as the best American play, but I think that Iceman is every bit as good.

[Virgil]

That would be great. Have you read The Iceman Cometh? Long Days Journey is often referred to as the best American play, but I think that Iceman is every bit as good.

I agree that Long Day's Journey Into Night is the best American play, at least of the ones I've read. No I have not read The Iceman Cometh. I would love to spend three months just reading O'Neil.

[byquist]

Well, you are really letting them off the hook. Perhaps what they share with all of us is the disjoint between the "ideal" and the proven or lived. For instance, the Dad (as I recall) wanted to be a Shakespearean actor but instead play the Count of Monty Christo for a decade, all for money. Jamie has that wonderful monologue about the sea and travelling, but he's a sot (I think; correct me if I'm wrong).

Saying that badness is just "because they're human" is a cop-out. "Officer I had to kill my mother-in-law because she was driving me mad," may be about just being human, but you'll still go to prison for it.

[motherhubbard]

I agree that they all had faults and all could have done better. However, the easiest thing in the world to do is screw up your life, you can do it even when you are trying to do the right thing. The dad had come from such extreme poverty that he did give up his love of acting to make a fortune playing the same part for the majority of his career. Then even when he had enough money he was still poverty minded. That's not criminal, that's human. and it had a devastating effect on his family. All the men were sots. The boys were both just lost, but think about their life growing up. They were either on the road, or separated from at least one parent most of the time. Then from the time Edmond was born the mother was a drug addict, through she was not to blame for that. Jamie was a ten year old boy and Edmond was a baby and this addiction must have been very hard on them. Sometimes in a person's life one thing leads to another and you have a bad mess. We all need support and the people in this family failed each other and themselves.