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Date Posted: 13:31:45 03/27/08 Thu
Author: Shannon
Subject: Myth-making in Long Day's Journey

O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night reminded me of parts in Oedipus Rex, especially the characters tendency to create myths, either to free themselves from responsiblity or to blame others, much like Iocaste's retelling of the exposure of her infant or Oedipus's retelling of the oracle.

Of course, Mary's retreat into the past as she succumbs to her addiction is the most obvious example of this myth-making. Everything in her youth, before her marriage to James, is presented as perfect, almost a paradise. Her father is remembered as good, kind, and genteel--in clear contrast to her rustic husband. She paints a portait of herself as innocent and full of promise--in contrast to all she has lost and, in her mind, been deprived of by others around her.

We know from the few things the other characters say and simply from her addiction that Mary is not a fully reliable source. Yet, it is difficult to untangle when she is speaking reality or her myth.

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