Character Profiles From Oneils Long Days Journey Into Night Essays

Character Profiles From O'neil's Long Day's Journey Into Night James Tyrone Description: James Tyrone is 65 years of age, but looks to be in early 50s. He is about 5ft 8inches tall, is broad-shouldered, and deep-chested but appears taller and more slender due to his soldierly posture. Walks tall, head up, chest out, stomach in and shoulders squared. Very attractive for being older, he has deep set dark brown eyes and thinning gray hair. Sports a full white beard. Personality can be described as cheap, penny- pinching and stubborn. Has a very strong reputation of alcoholism and often turns to denial when faced with serious issues. Not to be trusted. to fix serious family problems. Relationships: Married to Mary, of whom he is afraid to confront about such issues as her abuse and addiction to drugs. Wont try to solve problems, but basks in alcohol as a means of forgetting them. James is father to Jamie (who seems to have inherited alcoholism) and Edmund (who is dying of consumption). James often blames Jamies drinking and brothel frequenting for the familys problems, driving Jamie farther into his hole of despair. James seems resentful of Edmund who, being ill, costs great amounts of money to care for and still insists on turning the lights on. James himself tries not to add to the familys problems directly, but in avoiding them so much as to turn to drinking in order to forget them completely, he almost triples the depression and dysfunction. Attitude: Because of a hard time as a child, helping to raise a family with his struggling mother, James Tyrone grew up spending money as little as possible. He grew up learning to find the cheapest route, learning to save every possible dime and learning that others prosper off their pain (which is why he refuses, continuously, not to make those damn electric power companies rich). Goals/Dreams/Values: Had wanted to become a great actor, one of the greatest of his timeand he easily could have been. Sadly his dream was destroyed after buying a script he thought would be one of his greatest investments, and it was, too good actually. He became recognized as one character, he became lost in that character and completely lost his talent of versatility. No longer capable of learning new scripts or portraying new characters, James lost himself, and his dreams, in a prosperous play for the rest of time. Mary Tyrone Description: Mary is 54 and of medium height. With a young, graceful figure, and a small amount of plumpness, Mary shows little sign of middle age waist and hips. Appearance is that of a very Irish woman. White hair is always tightly pulled up and back perfectly. Has a jittering, nervous tendency to her behavior. Her hands never stay still, stricken by rheumatism, they are scraggly and shaky. Mary herself is a very elusive person, falling in and out of her Morphine addiction. She is a very nervous, yet level-headed woman when not on drugs, but when under the influence becomes distant and whimsical (as though she were still a very young, innocent, naive child). Relationships: Married to Tyrone, of whom she distances herself from as much as possible. Avoids much of family, in order to do her drugs without accusations against her (despite the truth in the accusations). Mother to Jamie, whos drinking problems she almost seems to defend, mostly, it seems, to take the attention off of her obvious problems and place it on his. Such behavior only reminds Jamie more and more of her obvious morphine problems and once again he is pushed deeper and deeper into his hole of despair. Mary tends to find comfort in directing attention on other peoples issues. She tells Edmund not to drink because of his condition, but when the bottle is out she encourages it. She blames all of her problems on her family, but mostly on James cheap behavior. Attitude: Finds little drive in life, ever since falling into drugs and a depression that forced her to recognize every little mistake she ever made. She regrets everything shes done with her life, from marrying the husband she claims to love, to becoming a mother. Tries to drift away from