Long Day’s Journey into Night: Reference to the Context Guide
Long Day’s Journey into Night is an autobiographical play that is based on the real events of the American author’s life called Eugene O’Neill. It was published in 1956. Through this play, the author skillfully shows what it means to reside in a home where people remain deeply influenced by the negative sides of their past. In today’s article, you will learn the play’s famous paraphrased lines with their references and explanations.
Famous Lines of the Play:
Several important paraphrased lines of Long Day’s Journey into Night are presented below with their references and contextual explanations.
1. “I was so healthy before Edmund was born.”
The above line is taken from the play’s Act 2 Scene 2. This line is spoken by Mary Tyrone to her husband, James Tyrone, when Tyrone confronts Mary for her drug addiction. She says that she was absolutely fine before Edmund was born. She was not used to taking morphine. But an unqualified doctor hired by Tyrone, who couldn’t handle her complex condition after the delivery, gave her extra morphine to lessen her pain. He is the cause of her drug addiction. Through this conversation and Act 1 plot details, the reader can infer that Mary is increasingly retreating into her memories in the scene with the drug use. Also, it shows her resistance to taking responsibility for her objectionable behaviour related to morphine addiction.
2. “I was born in poverty, and I’ll never forget it.”
The above line is spoken by James Tyrone during Act 4 in the play to his son, Edmund. When confronted by Edmund about his stinginess, Tyrone says that the family usually blames his stinginess for causing several issues for them such as Edmund’s consumption and Mary’s continued drug addiction. But his stinginess is caused by the childhood poverty that he faced with great courage. Tyrone says that his long-term money-saving attitude is based on his past money-making struggles that he endured to earn the bread and butter for the family during his childhood. He became an earner because his selfish father left the family members and moved abroad forever. Besides, his sister and mother also had to work very hard as labourers for the family’s survival. After hearing the sad story of Tyrone, Edmund empathised with him and appreciated him for his diligence. Tyrone also states that he didn’t intend to hurt Edmund or Mary by purchasing cheap medical services. He confesses to having made some mistakes while taking care of his family. But he cannot see them in a bad condition. For example, he’s ready to invest money in the medical centre services that Edmund can choose for his treatment within a reasonable budget. Therefore, after reading the conversation between these two men, the reader can infer that Tyrone doesn’t avoid stinginess in the play, even under acute emotional pressure from his son, Edmund. Yes, Edmund confronts his father about his intention of sending him to a governmental rehabilitation centre.
3. “You were born with a talent for acting.”
The above line is taken from Act 4 of Long Day’s Journey into Night. This line is spoken by Edmund to James Tyrone. According to the son, his father was born with a talent for acting. Tyrone is shown as a successful actor in the play, but he sacrificed his artistic fulfilment for his financial security by repeatedly performing a role that was a huge success in his career and could not perform any other big roles consequently. This is something that Edmund understands very well, being his son. In the play, both father and son are discussing what they think about their artistic abilities in Act 4. Edmund intends to become a successful writer, but he cannot sacrifice his talent for the sake of financial security. On the other hand, his father regrets his career decision related to the compromise made for financial security in his old age. From the father and son’s conversation, the reader can infer that both are artists, but they have different attitudes towards success.
4. “I’m sick, Pa. I’ve got consumption.”
The above line is taken from Act 3 of Long Day’s Journey into Night. In this act, Edmund tells his father, James Tyrone, that he is suffering from TB or tuberculosis. After hearing his words, Tyrone says that he is hopeful that Edmund will get better with treatment. But Edmund feels that his sickness may be serious in the future. Through their conversation and the play’s first two acts, the reader can conclude that the family is suffering from various emotional and physical pressures. For example, Mary is suffering from morphine addiction and feels emotionally pressured due to Edmund’s sickness and her married life issues. Then, all the men are used to drinking alcohol to forget their sadness. Plus, everybody in this house remains stuck with their past matters that lead to their current familial issues.
5. “I’ve been a rotten bad influence on you, and I’m ashamed of it.”
The above line is taken from Act 4 of Long Day’s Journey into Night. Jamie said the line to his younger brother, Edmund. During their conversation in Act 4, Jamie removes the mask that he usually wears in the house for behaving cynically or making jokes. He admits that he has deliberately influenced Edmund to behave irresponsibly because he is jealous of him. Jamie also admits that he doesn’t want to see his brother acquire success more than he can, so he did whatever he could to distract Edmund from the right path. But Jamie also confesses his love for Edmund. From their conversation, the reader can conclude that they have a complex relationship. Although Jamie is ashamed of being a bad influence on Edmund, he also confesses the jealousy that made him act like an evil elder brother to his younger brother. This inference shows the love-hate relationship Jamie has with Edmund.
6. “I became drunk with the beauty and singing rhythm of it.”
The above line is taken from Act 4 of Long Day’s Journey into Night. Edmund says this to his father, James Tyrone, while discussing his experience at the sea as a sailor. He tells his father that he loved the beauty and freedom that he felt during his time at the sea. He also says that the sea is a source of natural beauty, rhythm, and freedom. Also, his specific interest in literature and his desire to become a realist writer, as discussed during the conversation, indicate his outlook towards the rawness of life. From the conversation, the reader can conclude that Edmund feels such fascination with the sea because of the freedom he enjoyed away from his family life that is shown as highly disturbing in the play.
7. “I fell in love with James Tyrone and was happy for a time.”
The line is taken from Act 4 of Long Day’s Journey into Night. Mary speaks the line during her monologue in a morphine-induced state. She says, during her convent days, she went to watch one of the shows of James Tyrone and fell in love with him. Then, they got married, and she was happy with him for some time. She seems to be deeply absorbed in her past in Act 4 and talks about the time when she was learning in a convent to become a concert pianist or a nun as a young girl. She doesn’t even look at other family members during her monologue. The last scene of Mary shows her full relapse into morphine addiction that causes deep sadness and despair for other family members. From her conversation, the reader can infer that when a person doesn’t let their past be forgotten, which has some harsh and tormenting memories, they become their own enemy. This inference applies to all the Tyrone family members while considering the play’s plot.
Conclusion:
So that is all what I have to share with you regarding Long Day’s Journey into Night’s references to contexts with explanations. I hope you found my post useful. If this is valid, then please share my content with your connections so that they can also learn the points of this article to better understand the drama’s contextual analysis.