Stage business plays a critical role in the play because it reveals the characters' evasiveness in order to avoid confronting their family issues. In the beginning of the play, they seem to all get along with each other with the exception of a few arguments, but as family issues were revealed to the audience, they slowly avoided direct eye contact with each other and proceeded to change subjects. Characters would also often look out the window to escape the conversation or avoid a particular issue that was brought up from the past. Personally, I found it extremely frustrating how vague the dialogue was and how certain issues were brought up multiple times because they were not resolved the first time. However, it shows how the past leaves an indelible mark on their lives and I don't think Mary is to blame for dwelling on the past because the past inevitably becomes a part of your identity.
I also noticed that the beginning of the play had a more hopeful and optimistic tone but it gradually transitioned to a bleak and gloomy atmosphere where all hope seemed to disappear. Edmund's health is confirmed to be deteriorating due to tuberculosis and Mary seems to experience a relapse and became "detached", "aloof" and most of the time in "blank denial". I do think that Mary's manic state of nervousness is justified because she's experienced awful things in her life and her loneliness is devouring her. Before reading act two I didn't really like Mary, but I started sympathizing with Mary after learning more about her past because her past has greatly affected who she is in the present.
I completely agree that "dysfunctional" and "inarticulate" are words that quite perfectly sum up the Tyrone household. I find the description of them as "inarticulate" particularly interesting given that there seems to be so much un-said hostility, un-mentioned pain and neglected tension that remains not fully explored and articulated by members of the household. Mary doesn't fully discuss her pain and mental trouble with her family, instead only stating that none of them could possibly understand her state of mind. James and his children engage in tension-filled conversations that vacillate between concern for Mary and critical comments towards each other, never fully discussing the fact that all of this originates from a place of fear. It just seems as though the entire family is completely unequipped to deal with their emotions and problems. Instead, all of them are just lashing out at one another from a place of ambiguity and doubt. I also completely agree that the beginning of the play seemed to paint an optimistic atmosphere and tone for the play. Yet, this seemingly-happy portrait of the household quickly deteriorates as critical comments and awkward interactions emerge. I wonder why O'Neill decided not to start the play with an already gloomy and dark portrayal of the family. Perhaps this was to challenge our pre-conceived notions of what families are like? Perhaps he wanted to show us how 'fake' a family could be...how much pain and internal struggles could be concealed?
ReplyDelete