The entire day of the Tyrone’s revolves around
cycles. The most obvious cycles appear to be the addictions, especially Mary’s.
As the senior James Tyrone says to his sons after discovering Mary’s relapse,
“We’ve lived with this before and now we must again…Only I wish she hadn’t led
me to hope this time. (O’Neill 80). It is notable that Tyrone mentions that he
was led to hope this time, implying
that there has been a time before when Mary was fighting her addiction and he
did not have hope. Therefore, this would not be Mary’s first cycle of recovery
and relapse. However, Mary is not the only character who suffers from addiction
and is trapped in a cycle. As Becca mentioned last week, Tyrone and his two
sons, James Tyrone Jr. (Jamie) and Edmund, together consume at least five
handles of whiskey in the space of time we are with them in the play. In
addition, we hear Jamie’s constant drinking being criticized by his parents
multiple times. In addition, each act but act one begins with whiskey, further proving
the men’s alcoholism. The men are trapped by alcohol and Mary by morphine. Thus,
every member of the family is stuck in one or another cycle of addiction.
Furthermore, the play itself operates in a cyclic
pattern. Even the title, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”, implies the repetition
of each day’s progression into night. The beginning of each act shows the
characters gathered together in the living room again after a period of separation.
Every act also occurs just before or after a meal, with the exception of act
four. Act one is after breakfast, act two before lunch, and act three just before
dinner. However, act four is still centered on the table, where James and
Edmund drink and play cards.
-Anna
Also, who doesn't like the Lion King? Although, Lion King is much more positive than LDJIN.
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