English Department Thesis Profound

MSU-GSC CSSH ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Chapter I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
This chapter consists of five parts namely: 1) Introduction, which presents
the purpose and rationale of the study; 2) Statement of the Problem, which states
the general and specific problems of the study; 3) Significance of the Study,
which discusses the benefits that may be derived from the results of the study
and enumerates the persons who would benefit from them; 4) Scope and
Delimitation, which specifies the coverage and limitations of the study; and 5)
Definition of Terms, which provides the conceptual and operational definitions of
important terms used in the study.
Introduction
In literature, conflict is the result of competing desires or the presence of
obstacles that need to be overcome. Conflict is necessary to propel a narrative
forward; the absence of conflict amounts to the absence of story (McCann,
2016).
This may be internal battles that characters wage within themselves; these
are internal issues that affect their actions, motivations and interactions with
other characters. The conflict can be a recurring theme throughout the story or at
a particular point in time. In Julius Caesar, Brutus constantly struggles with his
feeling towards his friend Caesar and his country (McCann, 2016).
When a character must overcome some natural obstacle or condition, a
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conflict may occur. It may be external or internal. A conflict in literature is defined
as any struggle between opposing forces. These struggles shape the personality
of the characters. Usually, the main character struggles against some other force.
This type of conflict is what drives each and every story. Without it, the story
would have no point or purpose. There needs to be some struggle in order for the
reader to get involved and care about what might happen to the characters
(Janovsky, 2003).
One of the playwrights that saw the theatre as a valid forum for the
presentation of serious ideas such as different form of struggles is Eugene
O‘Neill. O'Neill was the first American dramatist to regard the stage as a literary
medium and the only American playwright ever to receive the Nobel Prize for
Literature. Through his efforts, the American theatre grew up during the 1920s,
developing into a cultural medium that could take its place with the best in
American fiction, painting, and music. Until his Beyond the Horizon was
produced, in 1920, Broadway theatrical fare, apart from musicals and an
occasional European import of quality, had consisted largely of contrived
(Anthony, 2015).
Moreover, Anthony (2015) stated that O'Neill's plays were written from an
intensely personal point of view, deriving directly from the scarring effects of his
family's tragic relationships- his mother and father, who loved and tormented
each other; his older brother, who loved and corrupted him and died of
alcoholism in middle age; and O'Neill himself, caught and torn between love for
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and rage at all three.
Because of this, the fine line between love and hate is one that O'Neill's
characters draw and erase, and draw again: rage explodes, is denied, repressed,
avoided and then explodes once more. Addiction is everywhere, accelerating and
deepening the suffering it is supposed to be assuaging. Guilt, fury, despair, and
the symmetrical need for pity, forgiveness, contrition: these are O'Neill's great
themes. When one learns about the extraordinary drama of O'Neill's early years,
it is not hard to understand why (Churchwell, 2012).
Therefore, attention should be drawn to the significance of psychological,
physical and social struggles in shaping the character of women in literary texts.
Thus, the researcher came up with this study.
Statement of the Problem
This study analyzed the characters in Eugene O‘Neill‘s plays. Specifically,
it answered the following questions:
1) Who are the major female characters and what are their struggles?
2) How do these struggles shape the major female characters?
Scope and Delimitation
This study analyzed the three plays of Eugene O‘Neill namely All Gods
Chillun Got Wings, The Straw and Anna Christie. The analysis of the study was
limited only on the lives of the female characters in Eugene O‘Neill‘s plays.
Specifically, it identified the major female characters and their struggles.
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Moreover, it analyzed how these struggles shape the character of the major
female characters.
To fully understand the major female characters in these plays, various
approaches to literary criticism were utilized. Formalistic approach was utilized in
describing and analyzing the major female characters. Psychological approach
was utilized to analyze how these struggles have affected them and how these
struggles shape their character.
Significance of the Study
The study ―Struggles in the Plays of Eugene O'Neill" may be significant to
the following:
To the society, this study hopes to impart knowledge about psychological,
physical and social problems that are present not only in literary texts but also
within the society.
To the school, this study is an addition to the collection of studies that
may be helpful to the other researchers. This study can also be an aid for better
understanding of literature, struggles and women.
To the teachers, the result of this study may be an additional teaching
material that may be one of their bases in teaching literary criticism and literary
texts especially the plays.
To the readers, this study will be a great material for them to appreciate
and discover the play not only as a good literary piece but also as a good source
of discipline and a guide to living. Moreover, this study will be an instrument for
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them to know Eugene O'Neill thoroughly and discover his unique convention in
writing.
To the future researchers, this study as reflected in the literary works will
further his ability in critical analysis specifically in analyzing the underlying
meaning of literary texts. This can also be a tool for the researcher to understand
the complexities of life as reflected in literary texts and eventually provide virtues
and lessons. Furthermore, this will help them understand and appreciate classic
plays specifically American plays.
Definition of Terms
For better understanding of this study, the following terms are defined
conceptually and operationally:
Character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who
are interpreted by the reader as being endowed with moral, dispositional, and
emotional qualities that are expressed in what they say and by what they do
(Abrams, 1993).
Operationally, it referred to the major female characters in the three plays
of Eugene O‘Neill who have psychological, physical and social struggles.
Formalistic Approach views literature primarily as a specialized mode of
language, and proposes a fundamental opposition between the literary (or
poetical) use of language and the ordinary ―practical‖ use of language. The
meaning of a literary text was determined through analyzing the formed elements
of the text itself (Abrams, 1999).
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Operationally, it referred to the approach that was utilized to analyze the
struggles of the major female characters in the plays of Eugene O‘Neill.
Psychological Approach is derived from Freud‘s revolutionary notion of
the ―unconscious‖. According to Freud, the unconscious harbors forbidden
wishes and desires that are conflict with an individual‘s or societies moral
standards. Freud then explains that the repressed and censored fantasies and
desires of the individuals become displaced or distorted in dreams and other
forms of fantasy (Diyanni, 1995).
Operationally, it referred to the approach that was utilized in analyzing the
struggles of the major female characters in O‘Neill‘s three plays.
Struggle is defined as a long effort to do, achieve, or deal with something
that is difficult or that causes problems. It is a physical or mental fight (Prinz and
Nichols, 2010).
Operationally, it referred to the psychological, physical and social struggles
of the major female characters in the plays of Eugene O'Neill.
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Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter deals with the related literatures relevant to the present
investigation. It has four parts, namely: 1) Struggles, which discusses
psychological, emotional and social struggles in literature; 2) Psychological
Approach, which states the psychological theories of Sigmund Freud; 3)
Formalistic Approach, which states the process of characterization in literary
works; and 4) Related Studies, which shows and discusses some relevant
studies in psychological, physical and social struggles, author‘s biography and
the approaches used.
Struggles
Many people struggle in different ways and these struggles rooted from
different conflicts present in the society. According to (McCann, 2016), conflict in
literature is the result of competing desires or the presence of obstacles that
need to be overcome. Conflict is necessary to propel a narrative forward; the
absence of conflict amounts to the absence of story.
There are three main types of conflict identified in literature: man versus
man, man versus society, and man versus self. First, man versus man: A
situation in which two characters have opposing desires or interests. The typical
scenario is a conflict between the protagonist and antagonist. This is an external
conflict. Most thrillers and mysteries have this type of conflict, such as Dan
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Brown‘s The Da Vinci Code and Agatha Christie‘s And Then There Were None
(McCann, 2016).
Second is man versus self: This conflict develops from a protagonist‘s
inner struggles, and may depend on a character trying to decide between good
and evil or overcome self-doubts. This conflict has both internal and external
aspects, as obstacles outside the protagonist force the protagonist to deal with
inner issues. William Shakespeare‘s Hamlet is an example (McCann, 2016).
And man versus society: In this type of conflict, a character must take on
society itself, and not a single person. The character stands at odds with societal
norms and realizes the necessity to work against these norms. This is an external
conflict. Conflict examples are John Steinbeck‘s The Pearl, Ralph
Ellison‘s Invisible Man, and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (McCann,
2016).
On the other hand, these conflicts are presented in different literary works.
In William Shakespeare‘s play Othello represents a case of man versus man.
There are other conflicts, such as the racism in the society, but the key struggles
are between Othello and his confidant Iago. Iago is upset with Othello for two
main reasons—Othello has promoted another man instead of Iago, and Iago
believes that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia. Iago therefore sets up
scenarios in which Othello confronts insurmountable obstacles. Ultimately, since
Iago wants to destroy Othello and his happiness, he and Othello are at odds in
their desires. Othello, however, remains unaware that they are in conflict until it
too late, falsely believes that he is in conflict instead with his wife Desdemona
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and her supposed lover (McCann, 2016).
Another is Arthur Miller‘s play Death of a Salesman is a tragedy in that all
of the main characters are deluding themselves about reality. Willy is the
eponymous salesman, and patriarch of the Loman family. He and his wife are
under the delusion that he is a well-liked and successful salesman and that his
company is glad to have him. Unfortunately, when Willy tries to get a job
promotion he is instead fired. While there are external conflicts in how Willy is
treated, the main conflict is between Willy and the delusions he has. This comes
out even more starkly when he begins to hallucinate and talk to himself. As is
foreshadowed in the title, Willy cannot overcome his conflict with himself and
commits suicide, believing that this is the only way he can lessen the burden on
his family (McCann, 2016).
Furthermore, Margaret Atwood‘s novel The Handmaid’s Tale is a
futuristic dystopia in which the protagonist must confront the incredibly unjust
world in which she is living. This society, which is set in the former United States
of America, is a theocratic dictatorship in which women are subjugated. The
protagonist, Offred, and other ―handmaids‖ are actually concubines given to
couples in the ruling class who are infertile. Offred finds out about a resistance
network and does what she can to overthrow the ruling class (McCann, 2016).
Psychological Struggle
Internal conflict in literature, sometimes called ―person vs. self-conflict,‖ is
the conflict that occurs inside a particular character‘s mind. Usually internal
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conflict involves a character being faced with a difficult choice. Often, the choices
of the main character of work greatly influence the resolution of the plot. Internal
conflict can be revealed through dialogue, narration and a character‘s action
(Hickman, 2015).
The major struggle has one of two forms- internal or external conflict.
Internal conflict occurs when the protagonist struggles to deal with his own fears,
shortcomings, or battles within his mind. For example, ―The Metamorphosis‖ by
Franz Kafka, is about Gregor‘s fear of being unloved and unappreciated by his
family. As he slowly changes into an insect, he questions his own sanity and life
purpose (Tucker, 2015).
According to Morgan (2015) while environment, society or other
characters frequently serve as the antagonists of different conflicts, the
protagonist can often be his own worst enemy. Person versus self-conflicts
involve a character who is internally at war with different aspects of his
personality, past, and mind, and often must make a challenging moral or
personal choice. In Veronica Roth‘s Divergent series, the character Beatrice Prior
must repeatedly choose between honoring loved ones and taking risks to keep
her community from collapsing, and in Shakespeare‘s Hamlet, the title character
wrestles with indecisiveness over how and when to expose his uncle for the
murder of his father.
Madness
Madness or insanity is, by definition, a severe and perhaps dangerous
state of mind, leading the possessor of the madness to break rules, threaten the
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status quo, and provoke a general state of anxiety and unrest. Of course, at the
same time, the madness extricates those afflicted from society‘s fetters, liberating
them to do what are right rather than what is normal (Showalter, 1997).
In literature we can see the link between sexual abuse and psychological
distress clearly expressed. Sexual repression is often seen as the embodiment of
the Victorian Era. 19th century literature helps us to understand the experiences
of women in this period and the censorship faced by those trying to explore such
issues. Women were given one goal, marriage. Most women were unable to
support themselves economically and those who were, but chose to remain
unmarried were often ridiculed, labeled as ‗old maids and spinsters‘. Being a
wife, a mother and a lady were viewed as the pinnacle of success for a female.
Moral purity and virginity were valued highly in a prospective wife. This moral
capital was used as currency when arranging partnerships, especially in the
middle classes. The upper classes could afford to be more morally careless
whilst the working class, who had very little chance of significantly raising their
family‘s status, did not need to adhere to such stringent moral rules. Middle class
females however, had considerable pressure placed upon them. A successful
marriage could advance their family‘s social standing whilst ‗failure‘ could result
in destruction of the family‘s reputation and economic downfall (Showalter, 1997).
Victorian female authors also subscribed to traditional images of insanity.
In Jayne Eyre, Charlotte Brontë defines madness with an animal image of the
first Mrs Rochester on all fours, baying at the moon. This animalistic view of
madness reflects the concept of insanity as a deviation from human rationality. In
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the 19th century women were often considered to be suffering from psychological
problems simply by nature of their femininity. This view of intrinsic female insanity
meant ―women outnumbered men in Victorian asylums almost two to one‖
(Showalter, 1997).
In literature of that period, we see characters such as the violently insane
Bertha Mason (Mrs Rochester) in Jane Eyre, the depressed and suicidal Emma
in Gustav Flaubert‘s Madame Bovary, and the innocent turned demonic Mina and
Lucy in Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, define a stereotypical image of madness which
still endures today (Showalter, 1997).
According to (Showalter, 1997), the idea of ―moral insanity‖ extended the
definition of insanity to include any deviation from accepted social behavior. For
women this could include inappropriate behaviors such as being loud, uncouth or
sexually promiscuous. The male dominated medical establishment helping
perpetuate the Victorian era‘s belief that females were more vulnerable to
insanity.
Trauma
The word ―trauma‖ is etymologically linked to the Greek word ―wound‖. It is
derived from the verb which means to pierce (Mosher, 1965).
In the earlier stages of Freud‘s psychoanalytical theory, trauma was
basically seen as excessive influx of excitations (which is related to the economic
theory of Freud, when excitation is very much, there is the traumatic effect).
Trauma is a kind of breach, puncturing. Ego acts something like a layer, shield
that protects the psyche from external stimuli, letting only right amounts. When
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the shield breaks, too much excitation comes in so general level of the circulation
of the energy should be restored or reduced in order to restore the pleasure
principle. This is the basics of the traumatic theory or neurosis in the early Freud.
In trauma, a pathological defense is settled; in the normal state of things when
the psyche is threatened by excitation, healthy ego redirects the attention to
something else. When organism cannot deal with it, the ego develops a
pathological defense: Repression. The ego represses the excitation and this
creates neurosis. For Freud, in this early stage, 1895-1900, this is basically the
traumatic theory of neurosis. Freud considers trauma as a triggering factor in
neurosis. Besides, he considers it as essentially sexual terms; overflow of the
libidinal energy that the organism cannot bear. Emphasis on the external effects
isn‘t that strong in his theory; well, something happens for sure but the real
trauma is inside the psyche. For example, a sexual scene, seduction by adult
become traumatic only later when something that reminds the subject occurs,
and becomes invested with all fear, anxiety which the event elicited in the
subject. Eventually, that scene becomes the cause of neurosis. Freud asserts
that hysterics basically suffer from reminiscences, memory. It is the memory that
makes the event hysterical. Let us say that the child is exposed to something, the
initial event is something the child represses without reacting to it and even
experiencing anxiety, fear. Hence, one can conclude that the event which causes
the trauma, happened, but at the same time not happened (Mosher, 1965).
Freud emphasizes fantasies triggered by traumas rather than the trauma
itself. He mainly sees trauma as a supporting factor to neurosis. Additionally and
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more importantly, Freud later considers trauma with its relation to the disposition
of the subject. What lead him change his theoretical approach is that he
reconsidered trauma as a form of neurosis; when analyzing another kind of
traumatic event, ―traumas of the war‖ during the First World War. Freud begins to
think about ―traumatic neurosis‖ in ―Beyond the Pleasure Principle‖ (1920). First,
he argues that trauma is connected to ―repetition compulsion‖. He observes the
compulsion to repeat in the victims of trauma in two forms. 1) He is informed
about the repeated dreams about the traumatic events. Soldiers constantly
dream about the war front, wounding, and killing. This is something in need of
explanation for Freud because this is a counter example for Freud‘s theory of
dreams; ―dreams are wish-fulfillments‖. 2) Many victims unconsciously tend to
recreate conditions, scenes of their traumas. For example, a child abused by his
father, dreams a man like him and the abuse continues (Mosher, 1965).
Freud believes that events in our childhood can have a significant impact
on our behavior as adults. He also believed that people have little free will to
make choices in life. Instead, our behavior is determined by the unconscious
mind and childhood experiences. Freud‘s psychoanalysis is both a theory and a
therapy. It is the original psychodynamic theory and inspired psychologists such
as Jung and Erikson to develop their own psychodynamic theories. Freud‘s work
is vast and he has contributed greatly to psychology as a discipline (Mosher,
1965).
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Emotional Struggle
Emotions are the lifeblood of characters and of stories. Emotional struggle
is one of the most prevalent forms of burden of women and its damage is
unquestionably severe, undermining a woman's sense of worth, agency, and
independence. It also diminishes a woman's ability to care and provide for her
family and to participate in the work force. Emotional abuse crosses all social
classes, ethnic groups, sexual orientations and religions. The common
denominators of abusers are personal, social and psychological, not
demographic (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
The literature provides several definitions as well as several names for
emotional abuse. These include psychological maltreatment, nonphysical abuse,
psychological abuse, psychological aggression and indirect abuse. Verbal abuse
is a feature of emotional abuse and an article from Sweden states that it is a
mechanism that 'communicates worthlessness' (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
Any relationship that consists of strategies to control or overpower another
person must be considered maladaptive. From a feminist perspective emotional
abuse is a means of establishing power and control over the victim in addition to
enabling the abuser to maintain a system of psychological abuse behaviors that
reinforce this power and control (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
In a book by Deborah Sinclair (1989) entitled Understanding Wife Assault,
she states that "underlying all abuse is a power imbalance between the victim
and the offender.) Several authors agreed. (Anderson et al, 1991; Loring, 1994;
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Alexander, 1993) Patriarchal structures are reiterated in several articles and
books. (Chang, 1996)
Emotional abuse includes verbal attacks, harassment, belittling, excessive
possessiveness, isolation of partner, and deprivation of physical and economic
resources. (Alexander, 1993) Emotional blackmail or threats to leave are also
present in the literature (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
Much of the literature on emotional abuse describes it in conjunction with
physical abuse and the literature reflects a range of 59% to 88% of physically
abused women also reporting emotional abuse (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
The effects of emotional abuse are seen as adding to the cycle of violence
in which a physically abused woman finds herself and has long term debilitating
effects on a woman's sense of self and integrity (Prinz and Nichols, (2010).
Social Struggle
Women have always been paid less than men because of the commonly
held assumption that men can obviously perform tasks better and more efficiently
because they are bigger, stronger, and smarter. At the beginning of the twentieth
century, the only jobs women were capable of getting were service positions
(nurses, maids, nannies, teachers), or menial, unskilled factory jobs. Female
factory workers in the first decade of the twentieth century were paid less than
twelve dollars a week on average for their work running the machines. Most
women were paid about six or seven dollars a week, and they were all paid about
half of a man‘s average salary. The more intricate and skill based industries, such
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as jewelry, watches, clocks, and rubber, were dominated by male workers and
had very few female workers at all (Rhiannon, 2013).
Women kept poorer than men, and within limited means of power and
control is a collective effort that has been established in almost all societies for
thousands of years. This has been an almost completely successful strategy to
maintain patriarchal dominance over the female of the species. This is why men
were against females getting an education, why women were kept, secluded in
the home, instead of being allowed to convene with other women, or be a part of
the political or public life, why women have been barred from most positions of
authority. Women, who manage to have a better education and a better
understanding of the world often seek freedom, independence, and they tend to
question the status quo and break from tradition. Intelligent men know this, and
many of them fear it. So the effort has historically been to keep women isolated,
poor, and stupid, which keeps them dependent and subservient (Rhiannon,
2013).
Psychological Approach
According to Abrams (1999), Psychological criticism deals with a work of
literature primarily as an expression, in fictional form, of the state of mind and the
structure of personality of the individual author. Freud had developed the
dynamic form of psychology that he called psychoanalysis as a means of
analysis and therapy for neuroses, but soon expanded it to account for many
developments and practices in the history of civilization, including warfare,
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mythology, and religion, as well as literature and the other arts.
The aim of psychological study folds in three natures. Foremost, the
objective of understanding behavior, that is by defining factors that combine the
development and expression of behavior. Secondly, the psychologist strives to
develop procedure for the accurate prediction of behavior. Thirdly, psychology
aims at developing techniques that will permit the control of behavior that is, way
of ―shaping‖ or course of psychological development through manipulating
those basic factors to the growth and the expression of behavior (Abrams, 1999).
The psychological approach leads most directly to a
substantial amplification of the meaning of a literary work. When we discuss
psychology and its place in a literary work, we are primarily studying the author‘s
imagination. As all literary works are based on some kind of experience, and as
all authors are human, we are necessarily caught up in the wide spectrum of
emotional problems (caused by experience). Not all recourse of psychology in
the analysis of literary work is undertaken to arrive at the understanding other
literary work, to a certain extent; we must be willing to use psychology to
discuss probability (Freud, 1961).
To analyze a text in the lens of psychological criticism, one must look for:
(1) Instances of repression, isolation, sublimation, displacement, denial,
projection, intellectualization, and/or reaction formation in the actions of
characters; (2) Internal conflicts present in characters that cause them difficulty
fitting into society or being happy; (3) Expressions of the unconscious in
characters – dreams, voices, creative acts (or any actions), slips of the tongue,
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jokes, etc; (4) Descriptions of the unconscious in texts; (5) Patterns or repeated
behavior in the text; and (6) How a character‘s identity is developed (Kennedy
and Gioia, 2011).
In Freud‘s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the unconscious mind is a
reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside one‘s
conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable
or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud,
the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even
though one is unaware of this underlying influence (Michaud, 2007).
Defenses are the processes by which the contents of the unconscious are
kept in the unconscious. In other words, they are the processes by which people
keep the repressed suppressed in order to avoid knowing what they feel they
can‘t handle knowing. Defenses include selective perception (hearing and seeing
only what one feels he can handle), selective memory (modifying one‘s memories
so that he doesn‘t feel overwhelmed by them or forgetting painful events
entirely), denial (believing that the problem doesn‘t exist or the unpleasant
incident never happened), avoidance (staying away from people or situations that
are liable to make us anxious by stirring up some unconscious, repressed
experience or emotion),displacement (―taking it out‖ on someone or something
less threatening than the person who caused one‘s fear, hurt, frustration, or
anger), and projection (ascribing fear, problem, or guilty desire to someone else
and then condemning him or her for it, in order to deny that people have it
themselves) (Tyson, 2006).
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Formalistic Approach
This approach regards literature as ―a unique form of human knowledge
that needs to be examined on its own terms.‖ All the elements necessary for
understanding the work are contained within the work itself. Of particular interest
to the formalist critic are the elements of form style, structure, tone, imagery, etc.
that are found within the text. A primary goal for formalist critics is to determine
how such elements work together with the texts‘ content to shape its effects upon
readers (Kennedy and Gioia, 1995).
Moreover, according to DiYanni (1995) formalist view literature as a
distinctive art, one that uses the resources of language to shape experience,
communicate meaning, and express emotion. Formalists emphasize the form of
a literary work to determine its meaning, focusing on literary elements such as
plot, character, setting, diction, imagery, structure, and point of view.
Approaching literary works as independent systems with interdependent
parts, formalists typically subordinate biographical information or historical data in
their interpretations. Underlying formalist critical perspectives is the belief that
literary works are unified artistic wholes that can be understood by analyzing their
parts. A primary goal for formalist critics to determine how such elements work
together with the text's content to shape its effects upon readers (Kennedy and
Gioia, 1995).
There are other two tenets of formalist critics deserve mention:(1)that a
literary work exists independent to any particular reader that is, that a literary
work exists outside of any reader's recreation of it in the act of reading; (2) that
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the greatest literary works are "universal, "their wholeness and aesthetic
harmony transcending the specific particularities they describe (DiYanni, 1995).
The primary method of formalism is a close reading of the literary text,
with an emphasis, for example, on a work's use of metaphor or symbol, its
deployment of irony, its patterns of image or action. Poetry lends itself especially
well to the kinds of close reading favored by formalist critics because its
language tends to be more compressed and metaphorical than the language of
prose--- at least as a general rule. Nonetheless, formal analysis of novels and
plays can also focus on close reading of key passages (the opening and closing
chapters of a novel, for example, or the first and last scenes of a play, or a
climactic moment in the action of drama, poetry, or fiction) (DiYanni, 1995).
Characterization
Characterization in literature is the process authors use to develop
characters and create images of the characters for the audience. There are two
different approaches to characterization, including direct
characterization and indirect characterization. With the direct approach, the
author tells us what he or she wants us to know about the character. With indirect
characterization, the author shows us things about the character to help us have
an understanding of the character's personality and effect on other characters
(Childs and Fowler, 1973).
According to Childs and Fowler (1973), characters can be characterized
through their physical description, attitude or behavior, inner thoughts,
reactions and speech. ‗Characters‘ are by definition in determined contexts (i.e.
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they are parts of a literary sequence, involved in a plot), and can hence arouse
liberal issues about the individualism of selves: as happened in the 1960s where
an intrinsic association between humanist realism and literature was suggested,
and the loss in fiction of what Iris Murdoch called ‗the difficulty and complexity of
the moral life and the opacity of persons‘ explored. Indeed ‗liberal‘ character was
a central aspect of artistic attention: hence, perhaps, Henry James‘s attempt.
Many fictional actions were in these sense portraits, aspects of the tendency of
literature to personalize experience, in which the following out of the growth of a
character was a primary cause of the work, the basis of its form (Childs and
Fowler, 1973).
‗Character‘ has perhaps been the most mimetic term in the critical
vocabulary, and hence one of the most difficult to contain within the fictional
environment; yet, it is an essential condition of fictional existence that a character
is so contained. In this sense the representation of persons in literature is a
simultaneous process of their humanization and their dehumanization (Childs
and Fowler, 1973).
Related Studies
This part contains different studies that are relevant to this study. These
studies also provide adequate details needed in the said study.
Orais (2015), her study The Struggles of Women in the Novels of Toni
Morrison analyzed the major characters in Toni Morrison's three novels. Orais'
examined the characters' social, physical and psychological struggles. In relation,
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she analyzed how the struggles encountered by the major characters shape their
character. Orais cited some lines in the novels that show the struggles of the
characters that led her to the conclusion that black women are victims of racism
and oppression which infiltrates to their characteristics and state of well-being.
Thus, these women are mostly subjected to psychological damages which
affected the posture of their characters.
Orais' study is relevant to the present study because it explored the social,
physical and psychological struggles of the major characters which will be the
focus of the present study. Moreover, Orais' study utilized formalistic approach
which will also be utilized for the present study.
Dela Cruz (2014), her study Women in the plays of James Matthew Barrie
identified the principal women characters, the roles and traits of these women in
the plays, the circumstances that affect the women characters, the treatment of
the other characters to women, and the reflection of the women characters in the
life of the author. She utilized Formalistic and Psychological Approach to found
out how women‘s role varies; some are wife, a mother, or a working woman. The
plays also depict that women possess positive and negative character traits
which is an indication that everyone has weaknesses and strengths. Moreover,
the circumstances faced and overcame by the women characters made them the
woman they have become. It further shows that life‘s events had molded the
women to what they have become. Thus, the study also mirrors the experiences,
happiness, and losses that the author faced personally in his life.
Dela Cruz' study is relevant to the present study because it discusses the
23
role and traits of women as well as the circumstances that has affected their
character which is also one of the core of the present study. Furthermore,
Formalistic and Psychological Approach which was utilized in the study will also
be utilized in the present study.
Agtasia (2011), her study The Struggle of the Main Character To Get A
Better Life as Reflected in Iwan Setyawan's 9 Summers 10 Autumns From The
City of Apples To The Big Apple: A Psychological Approach analyzed the major
characters present in the novel. Agtasia utilized psychological approach to
understand and analyzed the characters' struggles to get a better life. Moreover,
she concluded that different circumstances and struggles in life are forces that
are one cannot totally escape. However, according to Agtasia, when one is
strong willed and optimistic, these struggles cannot hinder one from aiming a
good life.
Agtasia's study is relevant to the present study since it analyzed the major
characters' struggles which will be the core of the present study. Thus,
psychological approach will be utilized in the present study.
Cahyono (2011), his study An Analysis on Olga’s Need of Love in Anton
Chekhov’s The Darling utilized Psychological and Maslow‘s Theory of Hierarchy
of Need in finding out that Olga has fear of loneliness and she is keeping her
identity. Because of this, Olga becomes stereotype with no opinions on her own
and she becomes egoist and cipher.
Cahyono's study is relevant to the present study since it utilized
Psychological Approach which will also be utilized in the present study.
24
Mercado (2011), her study Women in the short Stories of Rabindranath
Tagore analyzed the women characters in the short stories of Rabrindranath
Tagore in terms of their roles, functions, traits, and circumstances as well as the
stories‘ implication of gender bias against women characters. Using
Psychological and Sociological Approach, it has plainly shown how biased the
Indian society was in women. Rabindranath Tagore, being a true Bengali lover,
has portrayed how he perceived women in every circumstance. He has also
successfully shown how the culture and tradition of India treat women. He has
shown how culture and tradition binds women to be submissive to the men, and
portrayed how life would be if women rule over men.
Mercado's study is relevant to the present study since it will also utilized
Psychological Approach in understanding the major characters' psyche in relation
to the author.
Torrefiel (2010), her study Women in the Short Stories of Farzana Moon
analyzed the circumstances that shaped the characters of the women in the
stories. She also presented the life of women in Pakistan and their situation in
the patriarchal society wherein women were treated as subordinates. Moreover,
in her study she emphasizes the prejudices that are present in the society.
Sociological Approach was utilized to analyze the social situations and the
expressions of the main characters as they interact in each story. Furthermore,
Psychological Approach was also used to explore the psychology of the
characters.
Torrefiel's study is relevant to the present study since it utilized Formalistic
25
and Psychological Approach that will also be use in the present study.
Genesoni and Tallandini (2009) Men's psychological transition to
fatherhood: an analysis of the literature examined how the literature has
portrayed fatherhood over the past twenty years. The aim of the study was to
investigate men's psychological transition to fatherhood from pregnancy of the
partner through the infant's first year of life. The concepts of self-image
transformation, triadic relationship development, and social environment
influence were used to examine the complexity of the fatherhood transition
process. Moreover, the study‘s focus was placed on men's intrapsychic relational
and social dimensions. Genesoni and Tallandini's analysis of the yielded results
revealed three specific fatherhood stages: prenatal, labor and birth, and postnatal
periods. Moreover, partner pregnancy was found to be the most demanding
period in terms of psychological reorganization of the self. Labor and birth were
the most intensely emotional moments, and the postnatal period was most
influenced by environmental factors. The latter was also experienced as being
the most interpersonally and interpersonally challenging in terms of coping with
the new reality of being a father. Thus, Genesoni and Tallandini concluded that
men's transition to fatherhood is guided by the social context in which they live
and work and by personal characteristics in interplay with the quality of the
partner relationship. Men struggle to reconcile their personal and work-related
needs with those of their new families.
Genesoni and Tallandini‘s study is relevant to the present study since it
examines complexity of the fatherhood transition process which will be a guide in
26
understanding Eugene O‘Neill as a father and a partner to his wives.
Espino (2008), her study Women in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
analyzed the women‘s role and functions in the society, as well as the
circumstances which affect the behavior and attitude of the women. Espino's
findings show that war, religion, economic conditions, status of women in the
society and relationships within the family and other people affect the attitude
and behavior. Espino utilized Psychological Approach to analyze the five major
women characters in ―War and Peace‖ in terms of their actions, speech,
behaviors and attitude. She also utilized Sociological Approach in identifying the
relationship of women with the society where they live including the family, the
community, the government, and different people surrounding them.
Espino's study is relevant to the present study since it utilized
Psychological Approach in discussing that circumstances affect the attitude and
behaviors of the women. In addition, such approach was utilized on finding out
the psychology of the women through their actions, speech, behaviors and
attitude.
Thompson (2004), his study A Touch of The Poet: A Psychobiography of
Eugene O’Neill’s Recovery from Alcoholism critically examined O'Neill's life
specifically O'Neill's struggles that have led him to alcoholism and drug addiction.
He thoroughly examined mainstream treatment programs for alcoholism and
addiction that is helpful for those people, like O'Neill, who became addicted to
drugs and alcoholism. In relation to this, Thompson proposed the need to
incorporate an existential psychology template into treatment. Thompson‘s
27
analysis concluded that O'Neill's apostasy and lack of meaning living that created
an existential vacuum that he filled with booze. In O'Neill's search to find an
alternative to God, he grasped various ideas that promised salvation like social
consciousness, a Sisyphean acceptance of doom, unification of the Dionysian
and Apollonian elves and eternal recurrence. None of this offered him the relief
that alcohol provided. O‘Neill stopped drinking when he embraced individuation.
Though it did not help him accept his situation but it gave him peace of mind and
contentment. In relation to this, Thompson indicated a high ―goodness fit‖
between O‘Neill‘s struggle for recovery and an existential framework when O‘Neill
came to believe that only through caring for others could he transcend suffering
and affirm that life is worth fighting for.
Thompson‘s study is relevant to the present study since it provides
information about the playwright that will help the researcher for the present
study. Furthermore, the study utilized the use of Psychological Approach which
will also be utilized for the present study.
28
Chapter III
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three parts namely: 1) Research Design, which
presents the type of research design and the approaches that will be used in the
study; 2) Data Gathering Techniques, which presents the procedures in gathering
the data for the study; and 3) Data Analysis which presents the cognitive steps
applied by the researcher in analyzing the novels using the literary approaches.
Research Design
This study is qualitative in nature that used content analysis. Content
analysis determines the meaning, purpose, or the effect of any type of
communication as literature, newspaper, or broadcast of study and evaluating
details, and implications of the content, recurrent themes, and many more
(Krippendorff, 2003).
The study utilized formalistic approach and psychological approach to
analyze the three (3) plays of Eugene O‘Neill that focused on the psychological,
physical and social struggles of the major female characters. Thus, how these
struggles affected their character.
Data Gathering Techniques
The researcher used purposive sampling in selecting the (3) three plays of
Eugene O'Neill. After reading the summaries of the fifty plays of Eugene O‘Neill,
29
the researcher selected All God’s Chillun Got Wings, The Straw and Anna
Christie. The plays were selected accordingly because they show psychological,
emotional and social struggles of female characters. After the selection of the
plays, the researcher gathered the materials from books and other reading
materials which included the plays, biographies, journals, textbooks, and
magazines. The researcher also used materials in Portable Document Format.
The researcher utilized the library facilities, reading materials and other
resources that are helpful and relevant, especially biographies of the author and
various studies in Struggles in Literature, psychological, emotional and social
Struggles of Women as well as approaches on Literary Criticism.
Data Analysis
After the setting of the research design and gathering of materials, the
study proceeded into interpretation and analysis: The researcher then read and
reread the plays of Eugene O‘Neill.
After reading and understanding the plays, the researcher did a reading
about psychological, physical and social struggles in literature and Eugene
O‘Neill‘s biography. The researcher also did a reading on Feminine Psychology.
After the preliminary procedures, the researcher read and re-read the three (3)
plays that were used in the study to fully understand the female characters and
their struggles.
Then, the researcher analyzed the materials using Formalistic Approach
and Psychological Approach.
30
In answering the first sub-problem, Formalistic Approach was used in
order to identify the major female characters and their psychological, physical
and social struggles.
And in answering the second sub-problem, Psychological Approach was
used to analyze how female characters ‗struggles shape their character.
31
Chapter IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter contains the presentation and analysis of the three (3) plays
of Eugene O'Neill namely, All God's Chillun Got Wings, The Straw and Anna
Christie. The analysis delves into the lives of the play's major female characters.
It specifically identifies the major female characters‘ struggles and how these
struggles shape their character.
I. The Female Major Characters and their Struggles
The major female characters in the plays are Ella, Nina and Anna. The
protagonist in the play All God’s Chillun Got Wings is Ella, Eileen, on the other
hand, is the protagonist in The Straw and Anna in the play Anna Christie.
Consequently, these women characters in Eugene O'Neill's plays experience
psychological, physical and social struggles.
Ella in All God's Chillun Got Wings
Ella Downey is the main character in the play All God's Chillun Got Wings.
Ella is a pretty girl; her complexion is a combination of rose and white. She lives
in New York where she becomes acquainted of white and black people.
Moreover, Ella enters into an interracial marriage with her childhood friend Jim
Harris. Because of extensive fear of people who might discriminate her marriage,
she struggles psychologically and eventually becomes insane.
32
Ella's struggle started when she had a relationship with Mickey, a
prizefighter. First, Ella experiences emotional struggle. Being young and naive,
Ella enters a relationship with Mickey who is known to jump from one relationship
to another without considering his reputation. Mickey does not totally care for her,
he focuses more his time into his fights even when they already had a child he
seems not to care even less. And as a young lady, Ella needs affection which
Mickey cannot give because he often travels. Ella's emotional struggle intensifies
when their child died because of diphtheria. This has lead Ella to become
emotionally stressed.
Ella's sufferings caused her psychological damage. She loses motivation
to live. Her Negro friend Jim was the only one who was with her all throughout
her hard times. He made her believe that life is beautiful for her to waste it. Jim
motivated her and even became her confidant during her hard times.
Eventually Jim confesses his love and proposes marriage to Ella. Though
emotionally weak, Ella accepts the proposal immediately because Jim has been
so good to her and she has learned to love him. Ella's sufferings do not end here.
Interracial marriage is a big issue in America and discriminating people are
inevitable.
After their marriage, Ella suffers psychologically and becomes insane
because of extensive fear. According to Spettigue and Henderson (2004),
madness or insanity is, by definition, a severe and perhaps dangerous state of
mind, leading the possessor of the madness to break rules, threaten the status
quo, and provoke a general state of anxiety and unrest.
33
In Ella's case, she fears of people who might laugh at her marrying a black
man. From the start, Ella knows the consequences of her decision. But she loves
Jim and no one has ever made her feel the way Jim loves and cares for her. She
has taken the risk and it has made her live in fear. Gradually, she started to shut
herself from the society. First was when they moved to Paris after the wedding.
The main reason for their migration is to avoid their neighbors who might
discriminate them because of their contrast in skin color. At first, she goes out
and meets other people. However, she was not able to refrain herself from
worrying of racists and slowly she shuts herself out from the society. Then Ella
often becomes sick to the point that they had to go back to the United States of
America. Another was when they are in New York; Ella does not even want to go
out because she is always afraid that people around her might laugh upon
knowing that her husband is a black man.
Ella's husband, Jim Harris went to law school and is studying for the Bar
exam. Ella, however, does not want him to pass it. Jim's ambition to become a
lawyer is one of Ella's fears. She does not want Jim to pass the Bar exam
because she cannot take the fact that a black man can become more superior
than of a white woman.
On the other hand, madness extricates those afflicted from society‘s
fetters, liberating them to do what are right rather than what is normal (Spettigue
and Henderson, 2004). In Ella's case, she has totally drifted from her sanity and
believes that she must do what is right for her rather than what is normal to do.
For her, the right thing to do is prevent Jim from passing the Bar exam believing
34
that Jim might change if he will become a lawyer. As a result, Ella thwarts Jim's
efforts to pass the Bar exam. She does this by distracting Jim while studying. She
calls him names like dirty nigger or black man.
At this point Ella becomes mad and sometimes shouts racial slurs to Jim.
Sometimes, Ella acts into splitting personalities like a sweet little child, paranoid,
clinging woman shrieking racial slurs at Jim as proven in the lines:
Ella--(stands looking at him, fighting with herself. A startling

transformation comes over her face. It grows mean, vicious, full of jealous
hatred. She cannot contain herself but breaks out harshly with a cruel,
venomous grin) You dirty nigger!
Moreover, because of Ella's condition she becomes a racist and
sometimes insults Hattie, Jim's sister. In her madness, Ella would shriek racial
slurs to Hattie. Blinded by his love for Ella, Jim defended Ella explaining that Ella
cannot be held accountable for what she says.
Furthermore, Ella lost her sense of reasoning; instead she was totally
controlled by her fear. She cannot understand Jim's ambition to grow as a man
and become a lawyer. She cannot see that it is Jim's dream for himself and make
Ella proud of him. Instead, she thinks pessimistically believing that it is Jim's way
to make her feel inferior of him.
Ella's condition gradually worsens and she was not able to control herself.
She even thinks that the Congo mask, which Hattie gave them as a gift, is the
devil that will destroy them so she must kill it before it can destroy them.
Moreover, Ella is often seen talking to the mask confiding her thoughts as proven
in the lines
35
But why d'you want to do this to us? What have I ever done wrong
to you? What have you got against me? I married you, didn't I? Why don't
you let Jim alone? Why don't you let him be happy as he is--with me?
Why don't you let me be happy? He's white, isn't he--the whitest man that
ever lived? Where do you come in to interfere? Black! Black! Black as
dirt!
True enough, Ella's wish for Jim not to pass the Bar exam did come true.
She is celebrating Jim's misery, thus, consoling him that it is the best thing that
should happen as proven in the lines:
ELLA—(…) You're still my old Jim--and I'm so glad! (He looks at

her dazedly, a fierce rage slowly gathering on his face. She dances away
from him. His eyes follow her. His hands clench. She stands in front of the
mask--triumphantly) There! What did I tell you? I told you I'd give you the
laugh! (She begins to laugh with wild unrestraint, grabs the mask from its
place, sets it in the middle of the table and plunging the knife down
through it pins it to the table.) There! Who's got the laugh now?
By this time she has lost her sanity and, little, shallow, good-for-nothing
that she is, she brings the play to a close by shrieking at him the word ―Nigger.‖
That, to her mind, sums up her feeling toward him, despite the fact that she loves
him and is grateful.
Ella kills the mask instead, plunging her knife into it, and becomes entirely
her child personality, urging Jim to come play marbles with her. Knowing that they
will both die soon, Jim agrees to play with her until the end.
Eileen in The Straw
Eileen Carmody is the main protagonist in the play The Straw. She is the
eldest daughter of Bill Carmody. Eileen is a young lady who was sent to
sanatorium because of tuberculosis. In the sanatorium, she found a friend named
Stephen whom she falls in love with. However, Stephen does not love her the
36
way she did for him.
Eileen is just eighteen and a beautiful lady as proven in the lines:
(The door in the rear is opened and Eileen enters. She is just over
eighteen. Her wavy mass of dark hair is parted in the middle and combed
low on her forehead, covering her ears, to a knot at the back of her head.
The oval of her face is spoiled by a long, rather heavy Irish jaw
contrasting with the delicacy of her other features. Her eyes are large and
blue, confident in their compelling candour and sweetness; her lips, full
and red, half-open over strong, even teeth, droop at the corners into an
expression of wistful sadness; her clear complexion is unnaturally striking
in its contrasting colours, rose and white; her figure is slight and
undeveloped. She wears a plain black dress with a bit of white at the neck
and wrists (...)
She lives with her father and four siblings. After graduating from a business
course, Eileen was hired as a stenographer in their town. However when her
mother died, no one can take care of her siblings so she decided to quit the job
and took the responsibility of taking care of them.
Eileen suffers both physically and psychologically in the play. Physically,
she is ill and is diagnosed of tuberculosis. The disease is contagious and in
Eileen's case it is severe. The doctor advised her that she should be brought to a
sanitarium immediately. Eileen at first does not want to go away because she
loves her brother and sisters to the point that she considers them her own
children. But the doctor told her that the disease is contagious and there is a big
possibility that her siblings can have it too. Though it is against her will, Eileen
went to the sanitarium.
At first, Eileen thought that life in the sanitarium would be easy but she
proved herself wrong. Psychologically, Eileen suffers because she falls in love
with her friend Stephen who also has tuberculosis. However, Eileen cannot
37
express it because she is afraid that Stephen might reject her and eventually
keep away from her. She also knows that Stephen cannot offer anything to her
beyond friendship.
Eileen served the people around her most of her life. She did not
experience how to be loved and to be valued. Her fiancé loves her though but
Stephen is different. She has made her feel as though she is the most valuable
person. Stephen makes her laugh even when she is sad. He motivates her even
at her most hopeless moments. These simple deeds of Stephen made Eileen fall
for him. Unlike her father who slaves her to death at home and her fiancé who
has been indifferent to her upon knowing her condition.
On the other hand, Eileen was greatly affected upon knowing that Stephen
gained his health and will go away from the sanitarium. Eileen was trying her
best to hide her real feelings but she cannot help it. She knows that she had to
do something before he can go away. So she decided to meet him the night
before he will go. Eileen told him to meet her outside the sanitarium when
everybody is already asleep. Eileen was not able to control her feelings when
she saw him very excited. She took the chance to confess her feelings to him
hoping that Stephen might feel something for her too but she was disappointed.
Eileen's life in the sanitarium becomes miserable after Stephen left.
Physically she becomes weaker and weaker as days passed. She becomes pale
and she weighs lesser and lesser as proven in the lines:
38
She seems to have grown much thinner. Her face is pale and
drawn, with deep hollows under her cheek-bones. Her eyes are dull and
lusterless.
Psychologically, she has no motivations to fight and go through the
process. She knew that she has no one but herself. Her siblings might already
forget her since they have someone who takes care of them. Her father, who
cares nothing of her and her fiancé who does not visit nor write her a letter does
not expect her presence anymore. She has nothing to live for and thinks that she
is only waiting for her death as proven in the lines:
EILEEN (brokenly). Sshh! Let me finish. You don't know how

alone I am now. Father—he'll marry that housekeeper—and the
children—they've forgotten me. None of them need me anymore. They've
found out how to get on without me—and I'm a drag—dead to them—no
place for me home any more—and they'll be afraid to have me back—
afraid of catching—I know she won't want me back. And Fred—he's
gone—he never mattered, anyway. Forgive me, dear—worrying you—
only I want you to know how much you've meant to me—so you won't
forget—ever—after you've gone.
However, after four months just when Eileen's health have declined too
much Stephen came back to visit her. Mrs. Turner told Stephen the status of
Eileen's health and asks him to pretend that she loves Eileen. Then out of pity,
Stephen encourages Eileen to fight again and live her life again in its real sense
by confessing that he loves her. The aftermath of Stephen's confession made her
happy and hopeful again.
Anna in Anna Christie
Anna Christopherson also known as Anna Christie is the main protagonist
in the play Anna Christie. She is the only daughter of Christ Christopherson who
39
is the captain of the barge "Simeon Winthrop". In her adolescence, Anna
becomes a prostitute and calls herself Anna Christie. Anna is a victim of
traumatic experiences which has led her to live an unrighteous life.
Freud‘s definition of trauma refers to a wound inflicted not upon the body
but upon the mind. Moreover, Erikson (1995) expanded the definition of trauma
to make it a more useful concept. Focusing on the traumatic effects, he insists
that trauma can result from both constellation of life experiences and discrete
happening from a persisting condition and an acute event. He stresses that
trauma can transform one experience into an enduring state of mind.
Anna does not have an easy childhood. She suffers psychologically. Her
past traumatic experiences disrupt her perception of herself and affect her
relationship with her father on her adolescence. She was molested by one of her
cousins in the farm where she stayed after her mother died. She then ran away
and worked as a nurse. But it only shattered her. Remembering that she is taking
care of other person's child yet she in her childhood does not have anyone to
look after her. Being motherless and having a distant father result in Anna‘s
immoral doings. To earn a living, she then resorted to being a prostitute. At this
point, her bad perception towards men intensifies because she has seen how
cruel men are.
Moreover, her traumatic experiences change her perception towards men.
This perception rooted from the trauma she experienced at a very young age.
She was molested by her cousin in the farm and asked to work for her food.
Eventually, she left and worked as a nurse in Minnesota but she grew tired and
40
becomes a prostitute. Furthermore, Anna struggles socially when she met a
stoker named Mat. Mat is the only man who treated her with respect and she falls
for him. Yet when Mat proposes marriage she thinks she cannot accept him
knowing that he might hate her if he would learn her real job. At this point, Anna
hates herself thinking how indecent she is and she blames her father as proven
in the lines:
ANNA—(...) CHRIS—furiously.] And who's to blame for it, me or

you? If you'd even acted like a man—if you'd even been a regular father
and had me with you—maybe things would be different!
Anna knows that Mat will not accept her because of her past experiences.
Anna then realizes the need to conform to the society's established standards to
gain equal treatment and respect from others. She was totally hurt when Mat
turns away from her upon knowing her real job.
But Anna changes at the latter part of the play. She becomes soft-hearted
and realized that after all that has happened to her, no one is to be blame. Thus,
she said that they were just mixed up in the wrong situations as proven in the
lines:
ANNA—[Touched but a bit embarrassed.] Don't bawl about it.

There ain't nothing to forgive, anyway. It ain't your fault, and it ain't mine,
and it ain't his neither. We're all poor nuts, and things happen, and we
yust get mixed in wrong, that's all.
Anna's total change is evident when she promises Mat that she will not
return to her old life and that she will only love one man in her life and that is
Mat.
The women in the plays are characterized accordingly.Ella is a white girl
41
who marries her Negro childhood friend, Jim. After she marries Jim, she
develops fear of people who might see her together with a black man so she
shuts out herself from the society except Jim.
Moreover, Ella's fear worsens to insanity. Moreover, Eileen is physically I'll
and experiences psychological struggle. She hopelessly falls for a man who does
not love her in return and later becomes physically and emotionally weak. Anna,
on the other hand, is a prostitute who falls in love with a man who hates
prostitutes. The major female characters in the plays suffer psychologically,
physically and socially. These struggles caused them sufferings. One becomes
insane, the other becomes pessimistic towards life and the other suffers socially
from traumatic experiences.
II. The Characters’ Struggles in Shaping Their Personality
The major female characters in the plays experience various struggles.
These struggles greatly affect and shape the women‘s characteristics as they are
presented in the plays.
These struggles are psychological, physical and social. Psychologically,
the characters struggles of extensive fear that resulted to insanity; physically, the
characters struggle of a severe disease that causes psychological damage; and
socially, the characters struggles that affect family relationships, and relations
with other people.
Insanity
Ella is one of the characters who suffer psychologically. She becomes
42
insane because of extensive fear. Her fear to become inferior of Jim made her
suffer psychologically. Throughout the play, she worries too much of the things
that might happen if Jim becomes a lawyer. Thus, her struggle of fear molded her
to become a racist. This was explicitly shown through her actions. She thwarts
Jim's efforts to pass the Bar exam and shrieks racial insults such as you dirty
nigger!
Before, Ella used to be a friendly person to every person of different race.
Regardless, of one's skin color she treats everyone equally. However, because of
the pain Mickey has inflicted upon her, she concluded that all whites are black
and only Jim, a black man has treated her purely as white. This is evident in the
lines: ELLA--The only white man in the world! Kind and white. You're all black--black to
the heart.
Evidently, this made her suffered psychologically. Thus, this has molded
her to become a racist. When she loses her sanity, she insults Jim and calls him
Nigger. Even Jim's sister, Hattie is no exception. Ella also mocks and calls her
dirty nigger. But Jim always defends Ella and reasons out that she cannot be
held accountable for her actions. True enough, Ella becomes indifferent to Jim
and Hattie. She becomes distant and seldom seen talking to the Congo mask.
Furthermore, after graduating high school Ella used to think highly of
herself. With her pretty face, she became one of Mickey's girls. However, due to
her fear, Ella thinks low of her and becomes insecure. She hates Hattie, Jim's
sister, because compared to her she is nothing. Unlike her, Hattie went to college
and took up postgraduate study. Ella even mocks her by saying:
43
ELLA--(indifferently) I didn't know you'd been to school so long. (a

pause) Where are you teaching? In a colored school, I suppose. (There is
an indifferent superiority in her words that is maddening to Hattie.)
Evidently, Ella's self-esteem becomes low. Low self-esteem in the sense
that she becomes aloof and cannot bear to be with anyone except Jim. She does
not want to be with other person because she knows for sure that they will only
discriminate her for marrying a black man. On the other hand, with Jim she can
feel that she is special, loved and superior. This made her believe that no one
especially a black person shall be superior of her.
This hatred poisons the love of Ella and Jim. In her madness, Ella calls
Hattie a dirty nigger. Jim tells his sister that Ella cannot be held accountable for
what she says, but Hattie replies that the feeling must be deep down in her or it
wouldn’t just come out.
Essentially, Ella in her sane mind, used to be a kind and sweet wife to Jim.
She used to return Jim's kindness by becoming a submissive wife. She also
speaks kindly and sweetly to Jim as if the world only revolves for the two of them.
But Ella was stricken by fear that made her insane. In her madness, she mocks
and insults Jim.
In the course of events, Ella's love for Jim was overshadowed by her belief
that a white is always superior to black. This belief destroyed her and made her
live in the shadows of her fear. Thus, she isolates herself from others because
she cannot bear the discriminating stares of others.
44
Emotional Struggles
Eileen is one the characters who suffers physically with a severe
tuberculosis. At the age of eighteen, she is diagnosed to have the disease
because of extensive work at home. Having the disease, she was sent to a
sanitarium where slowly she deteriorates not just physically but emotionally.
Before, Eileen used to be a pretty girl as proven in the lines:
Her wavy mass of dark hair is parted in the middle and combed
low on her forehead, covering her ears, to a knot at the back of her head.
The oval of her face is spoiled by a long, rather heavy Irish jaw
contrasting with the delicacy of her other features. Her eyes are large and
blue, confident in their compelling candour and sweetness; her lips, full
and red, half-open over strong, even teeth, droop at the corners into an
expression of wistful sadness; her clear complexion is unnaturally striking
in its contrasting colours, rose and white; her figure is slight and
undeveloped.
But due to her illness, her health gradually deteriorates. She lost weight
and became pale as days go by. Her physical appearance looks unsightly. In
addition, Eileen's illness became a hindrance for her. She cannot do intensive
work such as house chores and nursing children. The doctor advises her to rest
totally and to avoid doing tiring things.
Due to Eileen's illness, not only her physical appearance changed but also
her character. Eileen's physical sufferings have greatly contributed to the
development of her character. Eileen used to a happy and optimistic person. She
is happy taking care of her siblings and having her fiancé with her makes her life
complete. But when she learned that she is severely ill, she lost her positive
outlook towards life. She became weary and lonely at the same time pessimistic.
45
Having the disease, Eileen knows for herself that the chance to be cured is as
narrow as a road. Such disease requires a lot from a patient in order to be cured.
Although Eileen knows that her chance is very shallow, she chose to
believe that she can make it. Her motivations are her family and the man she
secretly loves in the sanitarium, Stephen. Then she used to be determined and
hopeful. She follows every instruction of the nurses and the doctors.
But Stephen left and her health gradually declined. This caused her
emotional stress. She loses motivation to get well especially when she learns
that Stephen cannot return her love for him.
All throughout the play, Eileen's sufferings molded her to become
pessimistic. She loses hope to go through living knowing that no one is waiting
for her. Her siblings, who might have already forgotten her, her fiancé who does
not care nor even visit her and Stephen who already left her- they all add up to
Eileen's sufferings. Thus, her life in the sanitarium without Stephen is like a road
to death. She has nothing to look forward to except death.
True enough that Eileen becomes lonely and pessimistic when Stephen
left; she regained her motivation to live again because of Stephen. Out of pity,
Stephen pretends to love Eileen with the sole intention to help and encourage
her to live again considering that he has a great impact in shaping Eileen's
character in the play. He was the one who causes her great sorrow at the same
time he could also be the one who can give her the happiness she deserves. At
the latter part of the play, Eileen's pessimistic view of life changes. Stephen
proposes marriage to her which she accepted whore heartedly. In addition, he
46
asked her to move in a nearby village where they can live together and spend
the rest of their days. Through Stephen's encouragement, Eileen has become
happy and hopeful again knowing that she will spend the rest of her days with
Stephen.
Traumatic Experiences
Freud‘s definition of trauma refers to a wound inflicted not upon the body
but upon the mind. Moreover, Erikson (1995) expanded the definition of trauma
to make it a more useful concept. Focusing on the traumatic effects, he insists
that trauma can result from both constellation of life experiences and discrete
happening from a persisting condition and an acute event. He stresses that
trauma can transform one experience into an enduring state of mind.
Anna is one of the characters who suffered from traumatic experiences.
Before, she used to be naive. Having no mother and father to guide her, the
young and innocent Anna worked in her cousin's farm to earn a living. However,
her innocence was ripped off by one of her cousins. It inculcated in her mind a
bad perception towards men. Thus, it inflicted her bad perception of life.
In the course of events in the play, Anna used to be independent and
aggressive. She does whatever she likes having no one to control her. This
attitude rooted from inadequate parental guidance. At an early age, she lost her
mother and her father whom she never met and is always on voyage. Anna
learned to live alone not depending herself on anyone.
In addition, Anna did not have an easy childhood. At a very young age,
47
she worked at a farm owned by her cousins. Her life in the farm was hard. She
worked like a slave and the most painful part of it, she lost her innocence. One of
her cousins ripped off her innocence. She also worked as a nurse. These
sufferings molded her to become strong living alone.
On the other hand, Anna suffers socially when she falls in love with Mat, a
stoker. Anna used to be a prostitute. Living in immorality, engaging to alcoholic
drinks and smoking, Anna becomes a woman living with no direction. However,
Mat awakened her sense of moral judgment when he calls her a slut. Mat does a
great impact in Anna's life; he is the only man whom Anna loves that is why Anna
was moved by his drastic judgment towards her. For once in her life, she
questions her way of living and it made her realize the need to conform to moral
standards by the society.
The insensitive and immoral Anna becomes sensible of her unrighteous
behavior. She then blames her father for the miseries she has gone through as
proven in the lines:
ANNA—(...) CHRIS—furiously.] And who's to blame for it, me or

you? If you'd even acted like a man—if you'd even been a regular father
and had me with you—maybe things would be different!
In addition, family relationship is one of the factors that contributes in
shaping one's character. Insufficient connections with the family can lead to one's
physical and psychological struggles.
This is certainly true in Anna in the play Anna Christie. In the course of the
events in the play Anna becomes aggressive and amoral. Anna is a victim of
inadequate parental guidance. She lost her mother at an early age and she was
48
abandoned by her father. She has no one beside her that will guide her the right
way of living.
Anna's inadequate attention and love from her parents molds her to
become an individual who is not counting on to somebody for assistance and
acquaintance. Anna's aftermath of inadequate parental guidance is her capability
to lure in immoral actions such as drinking, smoking and becoming a prostitute. It
is evidently clear that Anna's social struggles rooted from inadequate parental
guidance. She even blames her father for the miseries she has endured.
Essentially, parental guidance is a crucial factor that contributed in Anna's
character. She changes because of her love to Mat. She becomes motivated to
start a new life and she promises that he will not go back to her old way of living.
Furthermore, Anna used to be independent before but when she realized her
misconducts, she learns that she needed someone who will guide and motivate
her to do what is right and just. Anna then reconciles with her father and felt that
she has to be with him and Mat. At this point in Anna's life, she submits her life to
the men who have changed her whole being. Thus, her bad perception towards
men also changed.
Accordingly, the characters' struggles shaped their characters throughout
the play. Ella becomes insane because of her extensive fear. In her madness,
she becomes a racist and hateful to the people around her. Eileen, on the other
hand, becomes lonesome and pessimistic having no one beside her. However,
her character changes and she becomes happy and hopeful again because of
Stephen, the man she loves. Furthermore, due to lack of parental guidance and
49
traumatic experiences, Anna becomes aggressive and immoral. But because of
love, she was awakened and has realized her immorality. Her character changes
at the latter part of the play and promises not to return to her old life.
50
Chapter V
SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter consists of three parts namely: (1) Summary, which
summarizes the purpose of the study, research methodology and findings of the
study; (2) Conclusions, which presents the conclusions made after completing
the study; and (3) Recommendations, which offers recommendations in view of
the results drawn.
Summary
This study analyzed the major female characters in the short stories of
Eugene O'Neill. Specifically, it answered the following questions: (1) Who are the
major female characters and what are their struggles? (2) How do these
struggles shape their character?
Eugene O'Neill's three plays namely: All Gods Chillun Got Wings, The
Straw and Anna Christie were used in the study.
The study used content analysis type of research design and employed
Formalistic Approach and Psychological Approach in analyzing the plays and in
answering the problems.
The study had gone procedures of analysis: First, the researcher gathered
the needed materials from books and other reading materials both published in
paperback and in portable data format, which included the novels, biographies,
journals, textbooks and magazines. The study also utilized the library facilities.
51
Then, the researcher organized and thoroughly examined the gathered materials:
the primary data (The three plays of Eugene O'Neill) and the secondary data (the
related literature and studies which are considered relevant to the study). Finally,
the researcher read and re-read the three plays that were used in the study and
proceed to the analysis and presentation of data.
The Formalistic Approach and Psychological Approach were used to
answer the sub-problem number one, which is to characterize the major female
characters and identify their struggles.
Psychological Approach was further utilized to answer sub-problem
number two, which is to analyze how the psychological, physical and social
struggles affect the characters of the major female characters in the plays.
Furthermore, psychological Approach was used to analyze how these struggles
shape their character.
Findings
Based on Eugene O'Neill's three plays namely: All Gods Chillun Got
Wings, The Straw and Anna Christie; the following is the summary of findings:
The major female character in All Gods Chillun Got Wings is Ella, in The
Straw is Eileen and in Anna Christie is Anna. Ella is the main protagonist in the
play All Gods Chillun Got Wings. She suffered psychologically by marrying a
black man named Jim. Her fear totally ruined her mind and she becomes insane.
On the other hand, Eileen is the main protagonist in the play The Straw who
suffers both physically and psychologically. She falls in love with a man who does
52
not love her in return. Furthermore, Anna is the protagonist in the play Anna
Christie. She is an independent and strong woman. Because of inadequate
parental guidance, she suffered socially and psychologically.
The women in the plays encountered psychological, emotional and social
struggles that greatly affected their personality. Ella entered interracial marriage
and eventually suffered fear of people who might condemn her for marrying a
black man. Ella slowly shut herself from the society except Jim. She became
afraid that Jim might become superior of her if he passes the Bar exam. And
when Jim indeed did not pass the Bar exam, she totally lost her mind and
became insane. Moreover, Eileen suffered physically because of tuberculosis.
Since she is severely ill, she was sent to a sanitarium where she falls in love with
Stephen. The latter does not love her the way she did. Having a family and fiancé
who does not care, Eileen suffered psychological damage that lead to her fast
health deterioration. Furthermore, Anna suffered both socially and
psychologically. She experienced trauma towards men. First, her father who
abandoned her when she was still young, second, her cousins who treated her
as a slave and took away her innocence and the men who have hurt her in some
way when she became a prostitute.
Conclusions
Eugene O'Neill, in his three plays, offers illuminating insights of women
who suffered psychological, emotional and social struggles because of different
factors such as fear, love and trauma. Essentially, through literature, some of the
53
struggles of women are depicted and expounded to fictional experiences.
Thus, the researcher concluded that the major female characters in the
plays are victims of various struggles in different circumstances which affected
their whole being.
Recommendations
After the final analysis of this study, the researcher recommends the
following:
1. A study about struggles in other plays of Eugene O‘Neill
2. A study about struggles in the works of other authors
3. A study about men‘s struggles in the works of other authors
54
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APPENDICES
59
Appendix A
Summary of All God’s Chillun Got Wings
Setting
The play is set in a corner in lower New York, at the edge of a colored
district and Paris.
Characters
Ella- she is the protagonist in the play All God’s Chillun Got Wings. She is
a white girl who marries a black man. After their marriage, she becomes fearful of
other people and gradually shuts herself from the society. Ella‘s fear resulted to
madness. In her madness, she becomes a racist and wishes her husband not to
pass the Bar exam.
Jim- he is the husband of Ella. He is a black and ambitious man who

wanted to become a lawyer. However, due to pressure because of his wife‘s
condition, he always fail to pass the Bar exam.
Mickey- he is a white man and a prize fighter. He is known for his

reputation as a notorious man in their place. He had a relationship with Ella and
later had a child. However, the child died because of diphtheria. Mickey was the
one who inflicted pain on Ella that led her to be miserable.
Summary
The play begins on the childhood of Jim Harris and Ella Downey as they
become friends as, given that they both live in an area where a Black
neighborhood and a white neighborhood border one another. On the day of their
high school graduation, however, Jim discovers that Ella has changed; she now
60
seems to hate all Black people, and rejects Jim. Jim is crushed by this, and for
the first time in his life admits to being a "nigger."
A few years later, Ella falls on hard times and is more accepting of Jim
who has always been kind to her, or "white" to her, as she puts it. On the other
hand, Jim, who has been studying to pass the Bar Exam and become a lawyer
(but failing consistently), proposes marriage to Ella. Being alone and miserable,
Ella accepts his proposal.
On their wedding day, Jim and Ella must walk down a street lined on one
side by angry whites, and on the other by angry Blacks. They make it down the
street and head for the docks, where a ship waits to take them to Paris, where
society is more accepting of Blacks and of interracial marriage.
Jim and Ella return some time later to an awkward welcome from Mrs.
Harris and Hattie. Ella has been unwell--she has developed a paranoid mania
and cannot bear to be around anyone but Jim. Taking care of her has taken a
noticeable toll on Jim, who is beginning also to shut out society in favor of Ella.
Ella has a violent reaction to the sight of a Congo mask in their new apartment, a
gift to Jim from his sister Hattie.
Ella's mania develops further into a splitting of personalities. Some of the
time she behaves like a sweet little child, sometimes like a paranoid, clinging
woman, and occasionally like a madwoman, shrieking racial slurs at Jim and
running away laughing derisively. Her abuse hurts Jim so much he cannot even
cry, but he endeavors nevertheless to pass the Bar so that she will be proud of
him.
Ella begins to frighten Jim by carrying a knife around the house and
heckling him constantly when he is trying to study. She has also taken to yelling
at the Congo mask when she is alone. Jim is exhausted and worn from looking
after her, and her own health is failing as well.
Jim returns from taking the Bar exam again, and Ella greets him
apprehensively. When he reveals that he has again failed (and will likely give up)
she becomes exultant, revealing that she has tried her hardest to make it
impossible for him to study. Her reason for this, as she gives it, is that she was
61
afraid that if he passed the "devil" (that is, the Congo mask) would be inside him,
and she would have to kill him. She kills the mask instead, plunging her knife into
it, and becomes entirely her child personality, urging Jim to come play marbles
with her. Knowing that they will both die soon, Jim agrees to play with her until
the end.
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Appendix B
Summary of The Straw
Setting
The play is set in Connecticut on 1912. It is specifically set in Hill Farm

Sanatorium.
Characters
Eileen- she is an eighteen year old girl who was diagnosed of

tuberculosis. Because of her disease, she must be sent to a sanatorium for
people with tuberculosis. In her stay in the sanatorium, she finds a friend named
Stephen. However, she falls for him hopelessly since the latter does not love her
in return.
Stephen- he is a reporter on a morning newspaper in a town. He is also a

patient in Hill Farm Sanatorium. He accompanies Eileen in the sanatorium and
encourages her to fight the disease. When Eileen confessed to him, he was not
able to utter a word because he does not want to disappoint her knowing that he
does not love her.
Summary
The play begins in the house of the Carmody where Doctor Gaynor
diagnoses that Eileen has tuberculosis. Mr Carmody, Eileen‘s father cannot
believe it and refuses to bring Eileen to a sanatorium. But Doctor Gaynor is
persistent and he convinces him that if he will not send Eileen to a sanatorium
immediately, he will report him to the government officials. Then Nicholls, Eileen‘s
fiancé arrives to see her. Upon learning Eileen‘s condition, he becomes afraid
and so he convinces Mr. Carmody to send Eileen immediately. Being afraid to
63
catch the disease, Mr Carmody decides to send Eileen to a sanatorium.

In the sanatorium, Eileen meets Stephen. He is a reporter in a newspaper
in a small town. The two got along and eventually becomes good friends. Since
Stephen is a reporter, they came up with an idea. They decided to buy a
typewriter where Stephen can write stories and Eileen will be the critic. Stephen
becomes motivated and his stories come up with good reviews. A publisher
bought his stories and he continued to write more.
On the other hand, Eileen‘s health declines unlike Stephen who is getting
well as days pass. One morning, it is time again to weigh the patients. Stephen is
very excited because the doctor told him that if he gains weight, then the doctor
will release him. Upon knowing this, Eileen becomes afraid and lonely. She loves
Stephen and she cannot bear to be away from him.
After weighing, one of the nurses talk to Eileen and told her that she need
to rest more because her health declines. Knowing this, Eileen becomes weary
and hopeless especially when she learns that Stephen gained weight and he will
soon leave the sanatorium.
Moreover, the night before Stephen will leave, Eileen gave him a letter
telling him to meet her outside the sanatorium after checking that everyone are
asleep. When Eileen, saw Stephen approaching, she controls herself not to
breakdown. They exchanged goodbyes and when it is time to leave, Eileen was
not able to control herself and she confessed her feelings to Stephen. But
Stephen felt sorry because he cannot return her love.
Eileen‘s life in the sanatorium without Stephen made her life more
miserable. Her health totally declines and she becomes thinner and thinner. No
one ever visited her even her family or her fiancé. She loses hope and becomes
lonesome. However, her father together with his new wife visited her to inform
that he married again. But Eileen does not talk to them properly and feeling
insulted, they leave immediately.
After a while, Stephen arrives to visit Eileen. After seeing her miserable
condition, Stephen feels sorry. Upon knowing that Stephen visited Eileen, Mrs
Turner talked to him and told him Eileen‘s situation when she left. She tells him
64
that Eileen will soon die if she will not motivate herself. Then she begs him to
pretend to love Eileen for her sake. Out of pity, Stephen tells Eileen that he loves
her and he wanted to marry her. Eileen felt happy upon knowing this. The play
ended with Eileen feeling happy and Stephen realizing that he truly loves Eileen.
65
Appendix C
Summary of Anna Christie
Setting
The play is set in the port of Minnesota.
Characters
Anna- she is the only daughter of Christ Christopherson. During childhood,

Anna experiences difficulties: her mother died, her father is always on voyage
and she has to stay and work in a farm owned by her cousins. At an early age
Anna lost her innocence because of her cousin. These difficulties have molded
her to engage in immoral acts that lead her to become a prostitute. However,
Anna‘s character changes as the play unravels and she becomes aware of her
unrighteous acts.
Mat- he is a stoker whom Anna has saved. He falls for Anna because he
thought she is different from other women. Thinking that she works as a
governess and is a pure and dignified woman, he proposes marriage to her. But
he discovers that she is a prostitute and in his rage he calls her a slut. Mat is an
essential character in the life of Anna because she awakened Anna‘s sense of
mora judgment.
Christ Christopherson- he is the father and the captain of the barge

"Simeon Winthrop". He is an irresponsible father because he abandons Anna at
an early age. But when he learns that Anna will come over his barge, he was
astounded and excited for he never saw his child for how many years. As he saw
Anna his fatherly instinct awakens. That he has to protect his daughter no matter
what.
66
Summary
The play begins in the port where Christ receives a letter from her
daughter Anna, whom he never saw for how many years, saying that he will
come over. Having read it, Christ was astounded and excited to see his daughter.
In preparation, Christ told his woman to pack her things up because he does not
want her daughter to think badly of her.
As Anna arrives, she meet a woman in the bar of the port. Unknown to
her, she is the woman of her father. They converse until Christ arrives. Anna‘s
youthful face is covered by cynical make-up and her over all look is far from what
Christ thought. Christ thinks maybe she was influence by city people since she
lives in a city. Anna told her father that she will not stay for good with him, she
visits him because she needed a place where she can stay and rest. Unknown to
Christ, the real reason why Anna was there is that the ―house‖ (house where
prostitutes live) was raid. Then, she was hospitalized after because of the stress
it caused her. And for the meantime, she needed a place where she can rest.
On the other hand, Christ is very glad to see his daughter and he suggests
she will stay with him for good but Anna said it will only be for a while. Christ
cannot argue with her daughter and so he led her to the barge where they will
stay. In the sea, Anna finds peace as if she belongs there.
One night, when Anna is at the deck he saw a man who seems to need
help. Anna helps the man named Mat and while they were talking, Christ comes
in who becomes angry seeing his daughter talking with a man he does not know.
Anna explains that he helped the man and that he and his companion needs a
place where they can rest. Anna offers her cabin but Christ refuses, however,
Anna insisted.
Everything seems to be so fast between Anna and Mat. Mat directly says
to Anna that he likes her and expresses his intention to marry her. On the other
hand, Christ rejects the idea because he does not want Anna to marry a seafarer.
He does not want Anna to suffer the same thing her mother did. But Anna says
she does love Mat but does not want to marry him. She knows that if ever Mat
67
will know the truth that her real job is a prostitute not a governess, he will despise
and reject her.
Meanwhile, Christ and Mat argues; Mat wants to marry Anna but Christ
disagrees. Hearing their conversation, Anna becomes disgusted and says that no
one owns her, neither Christ nor Mat. In her disgust, Anna reveals her real
identity as a prostitute. True enough, when Mat learns Anna‘s real identity, he
becomes angry and despises her. Anna was not surprise by their reaction,
somehow she already expected it. But it hurts her knowing that she really loves
Mat.
After the revelation, Mat leave and drowns himself with alcohol so as
Christ. Anna stayed in her cabin thinking over and over what she must do. She
decided to leave but when she already has the ticket and was about to board the
train, she lost control of her feelings. Instead, she went back to her cabin waiting
and hoping that Mat will realize that his love is greater than her immorality. True
enough, Mat goes to the cabin and insults her. Mat says he really loves Anna but
he cannot bear the fact that she is a prostitute. Then Mat tells Anna that if she
promises not to return to her old life and to love only him, he will forget everything
and accept her back. Driven by love, Anna promises to love only one man in her
life and that is Mat. She also promises to change and not to return to her old life.
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Appendix D
Biography of Eugene O’Neill
Born Eugene O‘Neill October 16th, 1888 in New York City, he was the son
of James O‘Neill, a popular actor and Ella Quinlan. Growing up Eugene‘s life was
surrounded by theater as he watched his father perform onstage. However, he
quickly grew distaste for the melodramatic plays that his father performed in such
as The Count of Monte Cristo and his first plays would push the very boundaries
of theatricality. From the very start Eugene O‘Neill‘s plays rebel against the
theatrical norms of American theater and seek to push plays back to a form of
high art (Klatt, 2014).
Young Eugene spent his early years backstage with his mother and older
brother Jamie, as they accompanied James around North America. A middle son,
Edmund, had died as a baby from measles, which he contracted from six-year-
old Jamie; the child was accused of deliberately infecting his brother and
remained guilt-stricken for the rest of his sad, foreshortened life. After giving birth
to Eugene, Mary Ellen (known as Ella) O'Neill was prescribed morphine for pain
and what we would now call post-natal depression; she rapidly became addicted
(Churchwell, 2012).
When he was seven, O'Neill was sent to a Catholic boarding school where
he found his only solace in books. Eugene was fourteen when his father and
brother decided to tell him the truth about his mother's addiction. They seem to
have implied that if it weren't for him, none of this misfortune would have befallen
the family; Eugene O'Neill's inconsiderate decision to be born had destroyed his
mother (Churchwell, 2012).
Moreover, after being suspended from Princeton University for his
frequent drinking, O'Neill sent several years as a sailor, during which time he
suffered from depression and severe alcoholism. O'Neill lived for six years as a
wanderer, working occasionally as a sailor and spending a great deal of time as
an unemployed drifter in Buenos Aires, Liverpool, and New York City. O'Neill
would later jokingly refer to this time of his life as his "real education‖. O'Neill
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briefly found employment during this period as a writer for the New London
Telegraph, dabbling in playwriting from time to time. It wasn't, however, until his
experience at Gaylord Farms Sanatorium (where he was recovering from
tuberculosis) that he experienced an epiphany and devoted his life to writing
plays. O'Neill enrolled in the famous playwriting course taught by George Pierce
Baker at Harvard University, spending 1914-15 writing prolifically, though he
would later disown all his writings from this period. In 1916, O'Neill had his first
big break, when he joined the Provincetown Players, a raggedy band of young
writers, artists, and actors who had assembled in the tiny coastal village of
Provincetown. Although many other writers wrote plays for the company to
perform, O'Neill soon became their biggest attraction (Churchwell, 2012).
Eugene O‘Neill‘s writing spawned from a rebellion against the norms set
down by his family and the society around him causing him to be considered the
first American modern playwright. He sought to distance himself from the failures
of his family life and his own psychological issues (Klatt, 2014).
O'Neill started with short slice-of-life drama dealing with the miseries, delusions
and obsessions of men adrift in the world. In the summer of 1916 he became the
undisputed master of one act play form in America (Almass, 2008).
During this period, O'Neill concentrated primarily on writing small, one-act plays
that drew heavily from his experiences at sea. Bound East for Cardiff would
become the most famous of these, and it would ultimately be O'Neill's first work
to be performed in New York City, to rave reviews (Churchwell, 2012).
According to Churchwell (2012), O‘Neill‘s plays consistently voice his
lifelong contempt for American materialism, imperialism, racism and Puritanism.
His empathy for the oppressed and outcast is evident in the seafaring dramas
that first made his reputation in 1916-17. He believed audiences wanted more
than trivial, phony entertainment, and he was proved right in the years between
the two world wars, when his innovations in theatrical form and content gave him
a string of unexpected hits.
One of O'Neill's literary works is "ILe" which according to Almass (2008), is
a especial representation of his early naturalistic-symbolic style with its mordant
70
treatment of a New England sea captain's obsessive pride to hunt whales for
their oil or ile as it is indicated in the play, which derives his lonely wife mad. This
little play exemplifies O'Neill's taste for tragic irony-- his peculiar concern with
dangerous "obsession that resembles the hubris of classic tragedy and his
fascination with sea as a mystery and seduction, and as a symbol of malignity.
Besides, number of independent prices such as The Rope (1918) and Where the
Cross is Made (1918) established the young author's reputation by the end of
World War I.
O'Neill's writing was always driven by an autobiographical impulse; by the
time he wrote Long Day's Journey into Night and A Moon for the Misbegotten, he
was drawing only the lightest veil between the drama and the dramatist, mining
the story of his family's tortured relationships for their universal meanings. The
fine line between love and hate is one that O'Neill's characters draw and erase,
and draw again: rage explodes, is denied, repressed, avoided and then explodes
once more. Addiction is everywhere, accelerating and deepening the suffering it
is supposed to be assuaging. Guilt, fury, despair, and the symmetrical need for
pity, forgiveness, contrition: these are O'Neill's great themes. When one learns
about the extraordinary drama of O'Neill's early years, it is not hard to understand
why (Churchwell, 2012).
Moreover, O'Neill reaffirms the traditional value of trade. He reclaims the
spiritual value of trade for a nation concerned chiefly of material things and for a
generation concerned chiefly with entertainment. But in his rebellion against
American materialism and his scorns for superficialities of literature and theater
of his time he went on to attack all materialism in such a way as to minimize the
pragmatic values of man's struggles. And by his concern with emotion and
conflict he excludes the element of action. Thus, O'Neill excludes the elements of
action, upon which tragedy depends for its most dramatic effects. O'Neill's scorns
for American dream of material things lead him by contrast to dramatize the
"unrealistic pipe dreams which are wholly divorce from reason and action
(Almass, 2008).
O'Neill continued to write until 1944 when he was stricken with a
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debilitating neurodegenerative disease known as "cortical cerebella atrophy"

which prevented further work. Despite his illness, O'Neill lived his life to the
fullest. As a young man of 35, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am far from being
a pessimist ... On the contrary, in spite of my scars; I am tickled to death at life! I
wouldn't 'go out' and miss the rest of the play for anything!" (Klatt, 2014).
O'Neill completed Long Day's Journey Into Night in the early 1940s, but he
refused to have this autobiographical play produced until long after his death.
Around this same time, he had a falling out with daughter Oona; he chose to end
his relationship with Oona after she married actor Charlie Chaplin (Anthony,
2015).
In 1948, O'Neill, never a supportive parent, cut ties with his youngest son, Shane,
after Shane was arrested for drug possession. Two years later, his eldest son,
Eugene, committed suicide (Anthony, 2015).
Eugene Gladstone O'Neill died of bronchial pneumonia on November 27,
1953, at the age of 65, in Boston, Massachusetts, leaving behind a tremendous
literary legacy of more than 50 plays. In 1957, Long Day's Journey Into Night was
performed on Broadway to rave reviews; O'Neill received a posthumous Tony
Award and Pulitzer Prize for the drama. His work continues to move and
fascinate audiences today (Anthony, 2015).
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MSU-GSC CSSH ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

This chapter consists of five parts namely: 1) Introduction, which presents

Definition of Terms, which provides the conceptual and operational definitions of

important terms used in the study.

In literature, conflict is the result of competing desires or the presence of

obstacles that need to be overcome. Conflict is necessary to propel a narrative

forward; the absence of conflict amounts to the absence of story (McCann,

When a character must overcome some natural obstacle or condition, a

conflict may occur. It may be external or internal. A conflict in literature is defined

presentation of serious ideas such as different form of struggles is Eugene

produced, in 1920, Broadway theatrical fare, apart from musicals and an

occasional European import of quality, had consisted largely of contrived

and rage at all three.

deepening the suffering it is supposed to be assuaging. Guilt, fury, despair, and

it is not hard to understand why (Churchwell, 2012).

Therefore, attention should be drawn to the significance of psychological,

Thus, the researcher came up with this study.

Statement of the Problem

This study analyzed the characters in Eugene O‘Neill‘s plays. Specifically,

it answered the following questions:

2) How do these struggles shape the major female characters?

Scope and Delimitation

Specifically, it identified the major female characters and their struggles.

To fully understand the major female characters in these plays, various

approaches to literary criticism were utilized. Formalistic approach was utilized in

describing and analyzing the major female characters. Psychological approach

struggles shape their character.

Significance of the Study

The study ―Struggles in the Plays of Eugene O'Neill" may be significant to

To the society, this study hopes to impart knowledge about psychological,

within the society.

To the school, this study is an addition to the collection of studies that

understanding of literature, struggles and women.

To the teachers, the result of this study may be an additional teaching

texts especially the plays.

further his ability in critical analysis specifically in analyzing the underlying

plays specifically American plays.

conceptually and operationally:

Character is the person presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who

Operationally, it referred to the major female characters in the three plays

of Eugene O‘Neill who have psychological, physical and social struggles.

Formalistic Approach views literature primarily as a specialized mode of

language, and proposes a fundamental opposition between the literary (or

of the text itself (Abrams, 1999).

Operationally, it referred to the approach that was utilized to analyze the

struggles of the major female characters in the plays of Eugene O‘Neill.

Psychological Approach is derived from Freud‘s revolutionary notion of

the ―unconscious‖. According to Freud, the unconscious harbors forbidden

desires of the individuals become displaced or distorted in dreams and other

forms of fantasy (Diyanni, 1995).

Operationally, it referred to the approach that was utilized in analyzing the

struggles of the major female characters in O‘Neill‘s three plays.

Struggle is defined as a long effort to do, achieve, or deal with something

Operationally, it referred to the psychological, physical and social struggles

of the major female characters in the plays of Eugene O'Neill.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

investigation. It has four parts, namely: 1) Struggles, which discusses

psychological, emotional and social struggles in literature; 2) Psychological