Themes

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Denial and Self-Delusion
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When the four members of the Tyrone family are sober, they generally refuse to acknowledge their own
failures and weaknesses. Instead, they deny their faults altogether, choosing to blame another family
member for them or to argue that they are victims of uncontrollable circumstances. Their self-delusions
lead to petty bickering and raging arguments, often punctuated with insulting language. To escape
discord and avoid facing their failures, they take refuge in liquor or, in the case of Mary, morphine. Under
the influence of drugs, they tend to probe the past and ruminate over what could have been or should
have been. Oddly, when they are primed with the artificial courage of their drug of choice, they sometimes
own up to their flaws or forgive others for theirs. But such conversational benefactions are almost always
negated by renewed verbal warfare.

Unfortunately, no one seems willing to take the necessary measures to overcome addiction, although
Jamie says he might have been inclined to seek help if his mother had set an example of sobriety. But, of
course, his sincerity here is suspect, for he is refusing to take responsibility for his behavior. In effect, he
is saying that he is still a drunk because his mother is still a morphine addict. And so the family self-
destructs. At the end of the play, each member of the family is an alien in a familiar world; the Tyrones
live together separately.
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The Haunting Presence of the Past
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Mary continually dwells on the past. She could have been a nun, she says, or a concert pianist, and she
ruminates over the circumstances leading to the death of Eugene. She also regrets leaving the good
home provided by her father to marry a traveling actor. Jamie, Edmund, and Mary frequently mock penny-
pinching James Tyrone for engaging a “quack” who prescribed morphine to alleviate Mary’s pain when
she was giving birth to Edmund. Tyrone criticizes Jamie for his ne’er-do-well past and for setting a bad
example for Edmund. Meanwhile, Edmund feels guilty about his birth, for it was the indirect cause of his
mother’s addiction. Mary sums up the situation with this memorable line: “The past is the present, isn’t it?
It’s the future, too.”
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The Destructive Power of Addictions
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All of the Tyrones depend on drugs to escape their problems. James, Jamie, and Edmund take refuge in
alcohol and Mary in morphine. But instead of alleviating their problems, the drugs exacerbate them.
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Loss of Faith
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The Tyrones lose faith in themselves and in the future. At times they act as if inexorable forces—like the
Fates or the Furies in ancient Greek drama—are at work against them. In addition, Jamie and Edmund
lose faith in God and their religion, partly because it is the religion of their father. Tyrone himself is a
lukewarm Catholic and Mary, a lapsed Catholic..

Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill

Addiction Displacing Blame Denial and Self-Destructiveness Hopelessness/ Religion
Isolation/Loneliness Reality vs Illusion Suspicion and Doubt The Past

1. Addiction:
“There's nothing like the first after-breakfast cigar, if it's a good one, and this new lot have the
right mellow flavor.” The play to some extent is centered on addiction. This is what can be held
accountable for broken family relationships. Mary’s morphine addiction is balanced by the
men’s alcoholism. Although the morphine is perhaps a more destructive drug, alcohol does its
fair share of damage to the Tyrone men. Addiction serves as an escape from reality. “But, of
course he’ll never come home so long as he has the price of a drink left.” This was said by
Mary on page 94. Jamie does this because he cannot face reality sober, and as a result hardens
himself by drinking to face it. Just as the Tyrone men, when reality becomes too much to handle
Mary escapes into another world through the use of Morphine. “I must go upstairs. I haven’t
taken enough.” Avoidance is often their strategy for dealing with problems. Besides as an
escape, addiction act as a truth serum. This is as when the characters are pg.26. This is said by
Tyrone who stops Jamie from giving his tongue liberty to say what he feels because he isn’t
drunk, which clearly show what he was about to say would only be accepted if he was drunk.
All of the Tyrones depend on drugs to escape their problems. James, Jamie, and Edmund take
refuge in alcohol and Mary in morphine. But instead of alleviating their problems, the drugs
exacerbate them.
Displacing Blame:
“You’re to blame James” The characters in Long Day's Journey are absolutely obsessed with
thinking over the past and either feeling guilty about what they've done, or blaming someone
else for all the problems they face. Early in the play we see Jamie blaming his father, James for
his mother’s morphine addiction. On page 34 he says, “… he was another cheap quack like
Hardy! You wouldn’t pay for a first rate ---“Jamie holds Tyrone stinginess for his mother’s
addiction. Mary blames the doctor for her morphine addiction. On page 75 Mary compares how
she was before Edmund’s birth and after his birth. “I was so healthy before Edmund was born.
You remember, James. There wasn’t a nerve in my body… I was sick afterwards, and that
ignorant quack of a cheap hotel doctor--- All he knew was I was in pain. It was easy for him to
stop the pain” She suggests if the doctor had tried to help her instead of make a quick buck he
wouldn’t have made her a “dope fiend” Seven years after Jamie was born Mary has a baby
named Eugene. Eugene died as a baby. Mary blamed herself firstly for his death. “I was to
blame for his death. If I hadn’t left him with my mother to join you on the road…” She accepts
the blame for the loss of Eugene but then she gives it to Jamie. Since he had “measles” he
wasn’t allowed to go in the baby’s room, but like any other child his age he disobeyed. She hold
Jamie responsible for Edmund’s death as she says, “I’ve always believed Jamie did it on
purpose. He was jealous of the baby. He hated him…” She then reverses the blame back onto
herself. “It was my fault. I should have insisted on staying with Eugene…” After this she then
gives James full blame foe Edmund being born. “Above all I shouldn’t have let you insist I have
another baby to take Eugene’s place…” She also blames him for the way she, Jamie and
Edmund have turned out, by attacking he disability to create the kind of home she wanted.
“…by then that children should have homes to be born in, if they are to be good children, and
women need homes, if they are to be good mothers.” As usual Mary blames herself, this time
for Edmund’s fragility. “I wasn’t worth to have another baby, and God would punish me if I
did. I never should have borne Edmund.” On pg. 95 she again snatches the blame for Eugene’s
death, “ I let him die through neglect.” In an effort to create sympathy for herself and judgment
for the others Mary provokes a give and take blame game.
Denial and Self-Delusion:
“Oh, I know it’s foolish to imagine dreadful things when there’s no reason for it. After all,…
When the four members of the Tyrone family are sober, they generally refuse to acknowledge
their own failures and weaknesses. Instead, they deny their faults altogether, choosing to blame
another family member for them or to argue that they are victims of uncontrollable
circumstances. Their self-delusions lead to petty bickering and raging discord and avoid facing
their failures; they take refuge in liquor or, in the case of Mary, morphine. Under the influence
of drugs, they tend to probe the past and ruminate over what could have been or should have
been.When they are primed with the artificial courage of their drug of choice, they sometimes
own up to their flaws or forgive others for theirs. But such conversational benefactions are
almost always negated by renewed verbal warfare. Unfortunately, no one seems willing to take
the necessary measures to overcome addiction, although Jamie says he might have been
inclined to seek help if his mother had set an example of sobriety. But, of course, his sincerity
here is suspect, for he is refusing to take responsibility for his behavior. In effect, he is saying
that he is still a drunk because his mother is still a morphine addict. And so the family self-
destructs. At the end of the play, each member of the family is an alien in a familiar world; the
Tyrones live together separately.
Hopelessness/Religion: “I had given up hope”
Although Tyrone professes to keep his faith, his two sons have long since abandoned the
Catholic religion. Just as Tyrone attacks them for not attending Mass regular, Jamie attacks him
as well, “… I don’t remember you’ve worn any holes in the knees of your pants going to Mass.”
The lives the Tyrone children choose to live blatantly reject any knowledge of God. Tyrone's
religion spills over into his taste in art. He considers Edmund's favorite writers like Nietzsche
who said, “God is dead” to be morbid and degenerate. A lost in faith can account for the loss of
hope. When Edmund’s doctor calls about his condition he inquires about what he said but
claims not to care, “What did he say not that I give a damn”.
Edmund, who has lost his faith, has lost all hope and has sentenced himself to death not finding
something or some higher being to put his trust in. He goes through the play awaiting his bell of
quittance. Mary's loss of faith also recurs as an issue. Although she still believes, she thinks she
has fallen so far from God that she no longer has the right to pray. “You expect the Blessed
Virgin to be fooled by a lying dope fiend reciting words!” According to Tyrone, Mary’s loss of
faith is what needs to be held accountable for her relapse on morphine. “ if your mother had
prayed, too—She hasn’t denied her faith, but she’s forgotten it, until now there’s no strength of
spirit left in her to fight against her curse.” Jamie, Edmund and James all too some extent can
blame their loss of hope on broken promises made by Mary. “There’s no help for it… I wish she
hadn’t led me to hope this time”, James in the above quote says he wished that she didn’t give
him something to hope for. She gave him hope by trying to stay off the drug but her relapse
took that faith away from him. Most of all Jamie’s hope has disintegrated since the first time she
took the drug.
Isolation/Loneliness: “I know it’s useless to talk. But sometimes I feel so lonely” Isolated from
larger society, the Tyrones’ predicament is worsened by their isolation from each other. This
happens since the characters display a fundamental inability to understand one another. Mary is
arguably the most isolated character in the play. This is as she is the only morphine addict. No
one understands her motives for things when she’s doped up and sinks further, and further
away from reality. Apart from her choice of substance addiction, Mary is also isolated as the
only female in the Tyrone family. Mary is lonely because she doesn’t have someone she could
talk to or have fun with, ” if there was only some place I could go to get away for a day, or even
an afternoon, some women friend I could talk to… gossip and forget for a while.” When Mary
was wedded she lost some of her friends. Those who didn’t “pitied” her, “cut” her off. While
everyone else in the play goes out and relax or have a drink with their friend Mary doesn’t have
this pleasure. This may be due to her own stubbornness as she refused to talk to Tyrone’s
friends when they were on the road and also she has a car which she refuses to drive, she could
have gone out and made friends.
Reality VS Illusion/Appearance: Reality and appearance are constantly mixed up in this play.
This is as reality for many characters is what they choose to see, believe or be part of. For many
 of them Appearance is reality (*just like Othello). The play begins at eight, thirty a.m it appears
that the day would be filled with new beginnings and full of hope but by lunch time we see that
reality doesn’t match appearance and the theme of the prevails. This is as just like any other
day, it was a new day to ruin with old problems.
Suspicion/ Doubt “Why nothing, except you’ve seemed a bit high strung the past few days” 
The play opens with a typical family. A mother, a father and their sons. Early we realize that
Mary is a recovering addict. Tyrone in act one realizes that Mary is beginning to gain weight,
something that is only done when you’ve stop taking drugs, “You’ve a fine armful now, Mary,
with those twenty pounds you’ve gained.” At first everyone in the play seems to be happy or
grateful that Mary has kicked the drug.As the play progresses the characters begun to question,
if what they believe is the truth or not. This is as Mary is getting better but when she begins to
act like her old self “turning her head away” while she they were talking to her they suspect that
something is wrong.  On page 33 Jamie suspects that Mary has begun again. “I pretended to be
asleep. She stopped in the hall to listen, as if she wanted to make sure I was.” He makes a clear
indication that Mary has begun moving around at night, unsure if what he thinks is true, he
allows doubt to enter his mind and the mind of the other characters as well  “It was her being
in the spare room that scared me. I couldn’t help remembering that when she stars sleeping
alone in there, it has always been a sign.” This quote confirms what he has been suspicious
about is true.  Mary who is guilty of being back on the drugs can’t help but notice that her
family has realized her actions. “Tell me the truth. Why are you so suspicious all of a sudden?”
When Jamie replies that he isn’t she responds, “ Oh, yes you are. I can feel it. Your father and
Jamie, too – particularly Jamie. Mary is very intuitive about how they perceive her. The Past: Oh,
for God’s sake, don’t drag up that ancient history!”
2. 7. Long day’s journey into night is a story of defeat, struggle, pain, love and acceptance. “Well
you know how it is, I can’t forget the past” says Jamie in Act one in relation to his mother’s drug
addiction (indirectly). Every interaction with the Tyrone family involves their past. As Mary puts
it, “the past is the present, isn’t it? It’s the future, too”. Each day they revisit old fights to open
old wounds of hurt that cannot be forgotten. Tyrone’s major flaw is his miserliness. He values
money way way to much. Tyrone reveals a though past. “my mother was left, a stranger in a
stranger land, with four small children… At ten years old! There was no more school for me…
And what you think I got for it? Fifty cents…. We never had clothes to wear, nor enough to
eat…it was in those days I learned to be a miser. A dollar was worth so much then. And once
you’ve learned a lesson it is hard to unlearn it.” Tyrone’s past is to be held accountable for
Mary’s addiction and she never lets him forget that. Mary’s main flaw is her inability to face
reality/truth. The past reveals that Mary’s father died of consumption, Mary refuses to believe
that, that would also be the fate of her youngest son. ”What makes it worse is her father died of
consumption”. She refuses to believe that Edmund is quite sick “It’s just the summer cold.” She
is unable to accept that the cycle of past, present and future continuum. Jamie’s major flaw is
his cynicism. As his parents points out, “the worst he can suspect is the only truth or him.” As a
result of Jamie’s cynicismcoupled with hurts from the past can never truly love Edmund. This is
as he blames his birth for his mother’s drug addiction and as result tried to ruin Edmund’s
future. “I’ve been rotten bad influence, And worst I is, I did it on purpose.” When things begin to
look forward or in the right direction the past rare its ugly head to destruct again. “ I’d begun to
hope, if she’d beaten the game, I could too”. Unfortunately Mary has sunk back into old habits.
 Everyone in Long day’s journey into night has some major anxiety about the lost ‘good old
days’ and about old mistakes that still show scars. Both parents express real regret over choices
that they made in their youth. All conflicts and problems from the past cannot be forgotten, and
 in fact they seem doomed to be relieved day after day.  It is important to note that Long day’s
journey into night is not only a journey back into the past lives of all characters, who
continuously dip back into their old lifestyles. The audience is left realizing that “the past is the
present… the future too” as the family makes no progress towards betterment, but rather
continuously slides into despair as they remain bound to the pas that they neither forget nor
forgives or is ready to forgive.  The play is more tragic because it gives a little hope but then
takes it back. The Tyrones can only be seen as one long cycle of a repeated past bound by
alcohol and morphine.
FEAR & THE PAST.
 Just like everyone each member of the Tyrone family has a fear. Each character fear lies in the
past, and experience that they do not want to relive. Tyrone in act four give his reason for his
miserliness. As he said “once you learn a lesson it is hard to unlearn it” his past experience is
what made his the man he is, cheap. This is something he would always have to live with
because it lies in his memory.
 Tyrone fear is the “poor house”. He was once there and tries everything he thinks he can do
to prevent that situation from returning. Hence the only thing he spends money carelessly on is
property.
 The source of Mary's fear isn't much of a mystery when she says things like "I knew I'd proved
by the way I'd left Eugene that I wasn't worthy to have another baby, and that God would
punish me if I did". Mary feels extremely guilty over the death of her second son. She thinks
that, if she'd been there, she could've stopped little Jamie from giving Eugene that lethal case of
measles.
 It's likely that Mary was afraid something awful would happen to Edmund as well. This mental
anguish, coupled with the physical pain of childbirth, was probably pure torture for Mary. The
cheap hotel doctor that James dug up to help her came in with very little understanding of the
complexities of her torment. He saw only a lady in pain. So, he prescribed one of the most
effective legal painkillers of the day – morphine.
 Morphine, like its cousins, opium and heroine, is almost instantly addictive. Mary had no idea
the sort of dangerous medicine she'd been given. She only felt euphoria and, for a sweet
moment, a release from her anguish. If only she'd known how much more pain it would cause
her in the future. Before she knew it, she was trapped in addiction's vicious cycle.
 Jamie’s fear is that his mother would go back on morphine--- but she is back on the drug. “I
hope she’d kick the drug this time”. He also fears that his brother’s idea of consumption is true,
“ what I’m afraid of is, with your Irish bog-trotter idea that consumption is fatal, you’ll figure it
would be a waste of money to spend any more than you can help.
3. 9. The past lives in the memory. This memory of the past of is what creates each character’s
fear.