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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
The mood of Long Day's Journey into Night is, without doubt, highly tragic and tense. The audience, by experiencing a full day in the life of the Tyrones, is swept into each of their vices and conflicts. The resulting feeling is one of trenchant melancholy mixed with, perhaps, some morbid curiosity at the sorry state of the family. The play is full of physical and emotional suffering: Mary's anxiety and addiction, Edmund's tuberculosis, Jamie's alcoholism, and James's poverty and disillusionment. With these dour and pathetic series of unfortunate events, the reader is left in sorrow and pity.
The audience is made to think that drugs and alcoholism are destructive, indeed. But the audience is also made to think, thanks to Mary's discussion of her past with Cathleen, that there was no other way for Mary to ease her pain. Mary wanted to be a pianist and was pleased by her piety and by her community within the convent. In marrying James and leaving, she never felt that fulfillment again. The audience must live within that tension. The play puts at odds Mary's deep, decades-long grief for a life she loved and lost, where she was so loved and coddled, and Mary's destructive ways to dull her physical and emotional pain all these years later.
The audience is also meant to experience quiet disappointment and disdain for the men of the family. The first move of James, Jamie, and Edmund, when presented with problems, is to ignore and forget. James only cares about Jamie insofar as the father can find ways that his son is similar to him, and he criticizes his son for the ways they differ. Meanwhile, he is entirely apathetic to Edmund and sees his illness, for most of the play, as an unnecessary expense. Edmund understands that Mary is likely to use drugs again as early as Act One, but he does not take action to try and stop her. The whole play can be read as a failure of the Tyrone men to act, especially to prevent Mary from using morphine again. Each of them is blunted by their own lack of courage and instead relies on alcohol to ignore their family's issues. This creates an even greater sense of pity: much of the suffering in the play is avoidable, if only anyone had the wherewithal to do something about it.
