Comparison with Other Works of Literature

[rjakubovic9]

As I read Act 1, I noticed that many characters are reminiscent of other works I've read. For those of you who have read Death of a Salesman, I saw a strong connection between the Tyrone Family's treatment of Mary and the Loman Family's treatment of the father, Willy. It seems that both families put much effort into hiding negative information and conflict to support the delusions of those two individuals for fear of what may happen if they face reality. Both Willy and Mary are extremely fragile and caring for both of them is the common purpose among both families.

Does anyone else see other similarities to other works of literature?

[msheil9]

I think you're right about Death of a Salesman. I thought of that immediately as well, I think mostly because there are two sons: Jamie who is like his father, and Edmund who is like his mother

[kmarino9]

I also agree with the connection to Death of a Salesman because of the parallel between the two sons, Biff from D.O.A.S and Edmund. Like Biff's ever-changing set of jobs Edmund is "stubborn as hell inside and what he does is what he wants to do, and to hell with anyone else!" Jamie goes on to explain about the several jobs that Edmund has had over the years, one of them as a sailor. There is definitely a strong parallel between the disagreement between the male characters over respectable jobs and what is "good and self-fulling" work. In an agrument between Jamie and Tyrone about his lack of interest in a career causes Jamie to say "Can't you lay off me!" which reminds me of the final conflict between Biff and Willy where he finally cannot handle his father's constant pressure.

[btunis9]

I also feel that Mary is a lot like Willie Lohman in that she is either unwilling or unable to acknowledge the fact that there are serious problems in her family. Mary is definitely presented as a fragile character with a less than firm grip on reality. She appears to gloss over her son's illness to the point of absurdity considering how severe his symptoms appear to be. When Edmund asks her to promise not to worry if his condition worsens, she says, "I won't listen when you're so silly! there's absolutely no reason to talk as if you expected something dreadful!" (48). She is clearly not strong enough to deal with the problems facing her family, whether it be her son's illness or the strained relationship between her husband and sons, so she decides to deny the issues altogether. Willie Lohman is the same way, as he would rather lie to himself than confront unpleasant truths about his life.

[mmazzucco9]

I immediately connected this play with Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" as well. I also believe a connection can be made between "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and the play "Fences" because of the arguments between the father and his sons. The sons have not grown up to be what their father imagined they would be and as a result is depressed; only fueling my family controversy. The family is being "torn" apart due to the differences between the father and sons.
I also believe there is a similarity between this play and Tennessee William's play "The Glass Menagerie". Amanda and Tyrone are very similar in that they believe they have become "successful" individuals and their son(s) have become failures. Amanda attempts to steer her son straight away from the adventures he seeks while also protecting her daughter Laura. Tyrone has two sons who seek adventure through alcohol and women. Tyrone attempts to better the situation while also steering the feuding away from Mary's attention.

[aspera9]

The aspect of this family dynamic that stood out the most to me is the way the the Tyrone and Loman families, in a way, baby the member of their family who is "ill". It seems to me as if instead of discussing the issues that are affecting the characters, they choose to ignore these problems and repress the feelings they are experiencing. For example, the moments when Jamie attempts to state his real opinions to his father, he immediately retracts his statements for fear of hurting his brother (35). The same goes for Willy and his family. His wife Linda avoided speaking her mind or revealing the reality of their situation to Willy in order to protect him. By lying or pretending the problem doesn't exist there is no way for productive healing to take place because the problem is never addressed. It is healthier to discuss and work through problems together rather than pretending they aren't there.

[mmazzucco9]

I've been thinking and there are many other connections to works that can be made.
For instance, the way in which the members of the Tyrone family brutally attack one another is reminiscent of the townspeople in "The Crucible". Everyone was on their own and needed to accuse others of false deeds, and such accusations were no doubt harsh and brought about the death for many.
Another connection can be made with "Oedipus". Oedipus was blinded and could not see the truth. Once he was beginning to unravel the story he immediately employed defense mechanisms to hide himself from the inevitable truth. This is the case with all of the members of the Tyrone family, as well as Willy Loman from "Death of a Salesman". Jamie drinks and goes on "adventures", James drinks the whiskey and gets lost in real estate, Mary uses morphine, and Edmund drinks in order to escape the truth. Willy Loman also uses denial as well as a host of techniques to escape the unraveling truth.