Tyrone's Bookcase

[nzahorodny09]

A casual perusal of the philosophical tomes lining the Tyrone’s bookcase raises intriguing questions relating to both the beliefs of the play's characters and the nature of the work as a whole. The authors mentioned in these initial stage directions may be briefly described as follows:

Schopenhaur: most famous for The World as Representation and Will, which asserts that the human experience is characterized by a cycle of unfulfilled desire

Nietzsche: considered one of the forerunners of existentialism, typically associated with attacks on traditional Judeo-Christian morality and ideas such as the ubermensch and the “will to power”

Marx and Engels: German philosophers most well known for their work on texts such as Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto, considered to be the founders of modern communism

Kropotkin: influential anarcho-communist writer from Russia, nicknamed the “Anarchist Prince”

Max Stirner: a German philosopher who contributed substantially to the foundations of nihilism, existentialism, and individualist anarchism

The presence of such authors in the home suggests the James Tyrone’s denunciation of his sons as “socialists”, may not merely be the empty insult of a father disappointed and frustrated by his sons, but rather possess a significant degree of truth. The sons, however, both appear far too feeble-willed to engage seriously in spreading or emulating such ideas. This inconsistency suggests that the sons have been driven to such doctrines simply on account of a profound dissatisfaction with their current stations in life and seek to pin their failures on their society rather than on themselves.

Perhaps, however, the reference of such authors is meant, in some subtle way, to connect them to the play. O’Neil’s work may serve as a criticism of the work of such men, through a possible revelation of their deleterious effects on the family, or he may, in fact, be shown to sympathize with their works, a sentiment that will become clear as themes begin to develop more prominently in the later acts.

[timlehms]

I think that you are right in saying the presence of such books are no coincidence within the family's home. While it can be stated that each work represents a different communist writer it must also be taken into account who is reading these works. This is a family of actors who at this time are considered the most outcast of society, lacking grounded purpose or structure. The home they live in is even falling apart. Communism on the other hand is rooted in high levels of structure and planning, based upon the idea that all levels must be in order for the whole to truly function. This makes the bookcase a foil to the rest of the Tyrone's life, suggesting that perhaps the books were their attempt to gain order but ultimately could not build to improve a foundationless family.

[mmazzucco9]

I believe such books were purposefully used by O'Neil in order to demonstrate two things. First, O'Neil is playing with the fact that American Society was under the impression that the actors and individuals within the drama field were communists. At the time this work was published the Second Red Scare was underway, with the full on attack of McCarthy. O'Neil was possibly utilizing these works in order to fortify the fact that the Tyrone family was heavily involved in the drama world.
Another purpose is to establish the fact that the Tyrone's are attempting to discover a way to mitigate the competition for the center of the family. Mary was the center with her morphine, Edmund with his tuberculosis or "summer cold", James with his alcoholism, and Jamie with his terrible ways. In the communist society individuals are not supposed to be of greater importance, therefore everyone is the center. In the Tyrone family the constant competition is tearing it apart. Therefore, if everyone could put aside their desire for attention a much needed change could come.