Familial Identity: An Oppressor and Victim in Long Day’s Journey into Night

Abstract

O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Nightis the portrayal of the fallen family of Tyrone which is struggling for its survival at the midst of family disputes but gains nothing and continually drowns in depression. All the family members in the play are frustrated, fragmented and alienated from the rest. Everyone in the play seems unhappy and puts the blames on others. It depicts the victimization of the family due to lack of co- operation, co-ordination and mutual responsibility. The Tyrone family, which once was close, has deteriorated over the years with numerous problems like Mary’s addiction to morphine, Tyrone’s, Jamie’s and Edmund’s alcoholism, Tyrone’s stinginess and stubborn nature, the boy’s recklessness and indifferent attitude towards work and money, and many other factors. No one bears responsibility for these problems, instead they accuse one-another and fight among themselves. They create many conflicts and counter conflicts that ultimately lead them towards chaotic realization of becoming victim brought by the self imposed principles. The more they want to escape from the bitter present the more they drown in the trap of struggling familial identity.