A Psycho—analysis of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night

A Psychoanalysis of Eugene ONeills Long Days Journey into NightGao+Shufang【Abstract】EugeneoneilsLongDaysJourneyintoNightpresentsaprobingpsychologicalstudyofafamilyincrisis.Thefamilyfindsitselfinthemidstofacollectivetrauma：ashareddesireforthepast.TheTyronesconstantlyrepressanddefensetheirdesires，whichconstitutethefamilysdysfunctionalrelationships.WiththepsychoanalytictheoryofWalterDavis，itdemonstrateshowtheTyronesfamilytrapsthemselvesintoanintricatewebofconflictsbecauseofthe“doubleprocessofdesireitselfandsimultaneouslyoffersolutionsaccordingtooneilsownunderstandingofthefamilytragedy.【Keywords】desires；repressionanddefense；dysfunctionalfamilyI.IntroductionEugeneoneillestablishedhisreputationasamilestoneinAmericanTheaterbyhiswide-scopedinnovativeexplorationinartisticcreationandhisdeepconcernforthetragicpredicamentofhumanity.oneillsautobiographicalmasterpieceLongDaysJourneyintoNightconsummateshisartisticstyleoftragedywithapsychologicalcomplexityinhisportrayalofamodernfamilyandindividualtragedy.Thisplaymainlyexposestheconflictedandpainfulrelationshipsofafamilyincrisis，tellingonedayhappenedamongthefourcalamity-strickenTyrones.Theynostalgicallyattempttorepresstheirdesiresbutparadoxicallyintensifythecollectiveexperienceoflossandgenerateafrenzyofdefensiveinteractionsbetweenfamilymembers.II.ACollectiveDesireforthePastAccordingtoWalterDavistheoryofthedramaofsubjectivity，desire，asourfirstexperientialexperienceinthefaceofaprimarylosswesuffer，isthebirthofself-awarenessandthebasisofthisrelationship：“Asthefirstformofself-consciousness，desirereveals，inawaythatknowingcouldnot，theimmediacyofconsciousnessrelationshipbothtoitselfandtotheworldDavis，1989：26.Theexperienceoflossunderliesourimmediacyofconsciousnessabouttheworld.Anddesiredefinesourdramaticresponsetoourexperienceofloss.TheTyronefamilyinoneilsLongDaysJourneyintoNighthasasharedsenseoflosssothatallofthefamilymemberspossessacollectivedesiretoarresttheirpasts.Theyprojecttheirpastintotheirpresentfamilyrelationships.TostartwithMary，shelongsforherconvertdayswhenshehadMotherElizabethsapproval；shedesirestoobtainthesalvationofherpresentdisastrousfamilyrelationshipsthroughhernostalgiafortheBlessedVirgin，heryouthhoperepresentingthestabilityandastateofgracesheonceattained.Shewontletgoofherpast，sothatshetriestoleavethepresentwiththedegradationintomorphineaddiction.Shepatheticallyyettenderlyspeaksofsomethingshehaslostforever，walkingintothefogofherpast.Itillustratesthatherrelationshiptothepresentinvolvesregret，denial，andloss.Herveryinwardnessisrootedinherpast.endprintJamesmournsan“aestheticloss.Becauseofthehauntingill-fatedchildhoodandtheresponsibilityofsupportinghispoverty-strickenfamily，Jamesbecomeobsessedwithmoneyandkeepsaccumulatingwealthatthecostofhisartisticdream.Hehasprostitutedhistalentasaclassicalactorfortheillusionofmaterialsuccess.Hisalcoholaddictionperpetuateshisregretoverhistakingapartinaplaywherinhebecametypecast；neverthelesshecouldhavebeenagreatShakespeareactor.Inhislife，theabsurdappearsinthecaparisonbetweentheactorhemighthavebeenandthematerialsuccesshedesires：“ThatGod-damnedplayIboughtforasongandmadesuchagreatsuccessinagreatmoneysuccessitruinedmewiththepromiseofaneasyfortuneWhatthehellwasitIwantedtobuy，Iwonder，thatwasworthwell，nomatter.Itsalatedayforregrets.ONeil，1955：149Jamiealsodrinkstosavorhispast.AsforJamie，althoughhenevermentionsit，thedeathofEugeneweighsonhisconsciencebecauseinhisdeepheartheknowshemightdoitunconsciouslytowinhismotherslove.However，hedoesntconstantlymournhispastorangrilyregretitashismotherandfather；insteadhemakesthepresentthepastbydenyinghimselfwithinit.AccordingtoDennisJ.Rich，Jamieslossis“psychologicalRich，1979：259.Edmund，alsoanalcoholic，speaksofrecapturingthepoeticmomentecstaticfreedom，thusidealizinghispastasasailor.Heisthesickchildofthefamilywhosesicknessdeniesthepresent.Edmundistheonewhoexperiencesthemostcrisisoftheabsurd.Herealizesthatlifeis“damnedcrazyONeil，1955：151，andatonepointheeventriestokillhimself.Butinthefinalmomentsofinsightandunderstanding，herebelsagainstdeathandtheabsurd，anddecidestogoforthatsanatoriumforcure.EdmundistheautobiographicalfigureofEugeneoneilhimself.Althoughthedisasterofthepastalsohangsonhim，heeventuallyresortstoloveandforgivenesstogivehopesandwishestothissympatheticfamily.AllthefamilymembersoftheTyronesshareacommondesiretorecreatetheirpasts.ItisimportanttonotethatLongDaysJourneyintoNightisnotonlyajourneyforwardintime，butalsoajourneybackintothepastlivesofallthecharacters，whocontinuallydipbackintotheiroldlifestyles.Whatmakesitworseisthateveryfamilymember，insteadoffreeingtheirdesires，constantlydeniesanddefensesthem，whichinturnsustainstheoldonesandcreatesnewonesthatexacerbatethefamilytragedy.endprintIII.DesireasRepressionandDefenseDavistheoryofdramaticpsychoanalyticsubjectprovidesacontexttounderstandthecomplexprocessofourdesiresandemphasizethe“doublemovementofourlivedrelationshiptoourdesires.Hedefinesthekeyactivitiesofthe“doublemovementofdesireasrepressionanddefense.Repressionisourprimaryresponsetoourdesires，whiledefensesarethemeasureswetaketosustainourrepression.Manifestingitselfthroughourdefenses，repressionisawaywelivearelationshiptoourdesiresbydenyingthem.Thisactivityinturnsustains，affirms，andcreatesdesireanew.oneillcapturesthedoublemovementofeverycharactersdesirebyrevealingtheirdefensesthroughspecific“realisticscenesofconflictedinteractionsandtheirsymbolicfixations.Theexpressionismoftheplayisthemergingofrealisticscenesandsymbolicstates.3.1ConflictedInteractionsTheprimarywaytodepictacharactersdesiresandrepressionsisthroughconflictedinteractions.Charactersarethrustintosituationsthickwiththeconflictsoftheirpastdefensiveinteractions，andtheirdefensesinturngivebirthtomorecomplexconflictsanddenials.Themovementofthecharacterscollectivedesirestoarrestthepastunderliestheirpatternsofcommunication.TheTyronesareespeciallyadeptatblamingeachotherabouttheeventsthatrevealtheirdefensiverelationshiptotheirdesires.Blamingdisplacesdesirewhilecollectivelykeepingitaliveindisguisedforms.Thus，itrevealstheirdefensiveconnectionsandpreventsintimatecommunications.Keepingthedanceoftheguiltalivewithinthefamily，theTyronesincessantblamingembodiestheirdefensiverelationshiptothepast.Paradoxically，blamingshieldsintimateconnectionwhilecreatinganincestuouspatternofcommunication.Themechanismofdefensebecomestheir“typicalcommonwaysofmisconstruingandmisperceivingSimon，1988：212.Ambiguouscommunicationgeneratesdestructivemisunderstandings.Stammeringisthesymptomoftheirbrokencommunicationarisingfromthefamilyscollectivedenialandrepressionthroughouttheplay.Itisthewayeveryoneinthefamilyspeaks，whethertheyliterallystammerinadrunkenstuporlikeJamieorbegintoconfesssomethingaboutthemselvesandabruptlystoplikeMary.StammeringismanifestedinMaryscontinualdefensivedenialofherrelapse，andherstammeringindicatedthepossibilityofhonestandgenuinecommunication，completelyandhostilelydeniestheentireinteraction.endprint3.2SymbolicFixationsThesecondwaytheTyronesinflicttheirparticulardefensiverelationshiptotheirdesiresontooneanotheristhroughaseriesofsymbolicfixationswhichkeepthemtiedtotheirpasts.Theirfixationsmanifestthemselvesprimarilyintwoformswithinthefamily：idealizationandresentment.Idealizationandresentmentrepresenttwodramaticstancesthecharactershaveandrevealtheirfightfromtheirpresentconflictanddesires.AstheTyronesattempttoconquertheirdesiredobjects，theyremaintrappedwithintheirsymbolicfixationsandinflictthemoneachother.Theirproblemsarisewhentheybegintoexperiencetheanxietyandguiltovertheiraggressiveimpulsestowardtheobject.Insteadof“workingthroughtheirmourningoverthelossoftheobjecttheycanneverappropriate，theTyronestransferfromthedesiredobjecttoothersymbolicfixations.Thetransformedaggressiontowardtheobjectmanifestsitselfinself-punishmentwhich，inturn，breedsmoreaggressionindisguisedforms，especiallythroughtheirresentmentsandidealization.Theirsymbolicfixationsbecomeaparalyzingforceratherthanareparativeoneandrepresenttheirrefusaltoworkthelossestheysuffer.TheTyronesillustratethatsymbolformations，whileprojectsthetruedesireswithintheindividual，complicatingtheindividualsreparativeprocesses.oneillexploresthesymbolicfixationsthatformthebasisofeachcharactersinwardnesswithinadramaticstructurethatdramatizesthedoublemovementsofthecharactersfixations.Thevariousmembersfixationsreflectthefamilysdenialoftheirdesiresinpresentinterfamilialrelationships.Allinall，thesymbolicfixationsofeverycharacterarethepsychicpayoffoftheirrepresseddesires.Thegreaterthedegreetowhichthecharacterrepresses，themoreonefixatesonsymbolsofthepast.TheTyronesinflicttheirfixationsoneachotherthroughtheirdefensiveinteractions，unawareoftheircomplicityinthefamilydysfunction.Throughaseriesofsymbolicfixationsthateachfamilymemberprojectsontothefamily，everyoneremainsfaithfultohisorherowndefensesandsustainthedysfunctionalpatterns.IV.ALongDaysJourneyintoLoveDespitethedarkvisioninthedrama，itisimportanttoseethatitdoesendofferingsomeshredsofhopeforthefutureifthecharacterscanchangetheirdefensiverelationshiptothedesiresandhaveaface-to-faceconfession.endprintIftheplayendsonanoteofresolution，thatresolutioncomesfromthefullconfessionofdesiresinanattempttobetterthefuture.Ofcourse，someproblemsarestillleftopen，particularlyMarysmorphineaddiction，whichweseeatitsworstinthisact.Jamie，however，warnshisbrothertowatchouthisbadinfluenceforhisjealousyandthesquanderingofhisownlife，andbeforethat，TyroneacknowledgeshisownstinginessandagreestosendEdmundtoahigh-classsanatoriuminthehopeofcuringhim，andEdmundalsounderstandandforgivehisbrotherandfather.Thus，twoofthemajorfamilyconflictsareatleastpartiallyresolvedbytheendoftheplay.Justasthemomentbeforedownisthedarkest，Longdaysjourneyintonightisactuallyajourneyintolight，intofuture，intolove.Inafamilytornbymassdestructionandconflicts，oneildoesntsurrendertopessimism.Hehasfaithinmansabilitynottokillthedesireswithin，buttotalkoutonesownlossanddesiresandtounderstandandforgiveotherslossanddesireswithdeepestlove.V.ConclusionTheTyronefamilyalwaysexacerbatesandcomplicatestheirdesires.Throughitsfulcrumofdenial，repressionunderlinestheconflictrelationshiptheselfhastodesire.Thus，itcreatesdefensetokeepconflicteddesiresoutofawareness.TheTyronescollectivelyrepresstheirdesiresthroughdefensiveactionsandinteractionswhichinturnactuallysustaintheirdysfunctionalrelationships.Justasrepressionalwayscreatesdefenseswhileitdistortsdesireandtherebyactuallygivesdesiregreatersway.ThedeepesttruththeTyronesrevealisthatdysfunctionalrelationships，exacerbatedandcreatedwithinthefamily，mayberootedinthe“doubleprocessofdesireitself：theforcethatstrugglesagainstitselfinitsmanicattempttoappropriateitscreatorloss.Becauseoftheirrepresseddesiresforthepast，theytransfertheirdesiresintogrotesquefixations.Eugenealsoeventuallyallowsaface-to-faceconfessiontofreethedepresseddesiresoftheTyronefamilyandresortstomutualforgivenessandunderstandingguidingthelongdaysjourneyintolove.References：【1】Davis，WalterA.InwardnessandExistence：Subjectivityin/andHegel，Heidegger，Marx，andFreud.Madison：UniversityofWisconsin，1989.【2】ONeil，Eugene.ALongDaysJourneyintoNight.NewHeaven：YaleUniversityPress，1955.【3】Rich，DennisJ.“ExileWithoutRemedy/theLateplaysofEugeneONeil.EugeneONeil/AWorldView.Ed.VirginiaFloyd.NewYork：FrederickUngarPublishingCo，1979.【4】Simon，Bennett.TragicDramaandtheFamily：PsychoanalyticStudiesfromAeschylustoBeckett.NewHeaven：YaleUniversityPress，1988.作者簡介：高淑芳1990-，女，毕业于暨南大学外国语学院研究生院，攻读英语语言文学专业硕士学位，研究方向为英美文学。endprint