Long Day's Journey Into Night Character Analysis

Authors in many instances use the main elements in the story such as setting and narrative to prove a point in the story. For example, writers often use characters, their actions, and their interaction with other characters to support or prove a theme. In the short story “Our Thirteenth Summer”, Barry Callaghan effectively uses characters to develop the theme that childhood is fragile and easily influenced. One of the ways that Callaghan makes effective use of characters to develop the theme is by describing the tension between Bobbie and his parents. This usage of characters supports the theme because Bobbie’s childhood is no longer free to do what he wishes, but has to bow down to his parents’

In the beginning of the book A Night Divided, Gerta was physically described as a twelve year old girl with blond hair. She was also described as having round eyes, with a warm brown tone. Her body was athletic and fit although, by the end of the book she had become really skinny almost as if she had been starving.

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

People can change very much in bad situations like the people in the Holocaust, more specifically, Elie Wiesel, a 15 year old who got sent to a concentration camp in Auschwitz. In the book “Night” by Elie Wiesel, the main character, Elie, changed in many ways throughout the book because of the different experiences and sights he had to go through in Auschwitz.

Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.

In “Night” by Elie Wiesel, the main character, Elie, changed as a person because of his experiences at Auschwitz. Throughout his entire journey, his choices became wiser and more strategic. Before entering Auschwitz, Elie was a very weak in the sense of decision making. He did not think ahead or think about the consequences for his actions. However, Elie’s character changed because of his experiences at Auschwitz.

Traumatic and scarring events occur on a daily basis; from house fires to war, these memories are almost impossible to forget. The Holocaust is only one of the millions of traumas that have occurred, yet it is known worldwide for sourcing millions of deaths. Elie Wiesel was among the many victims of the Holocaust, and one of the few survivors. In the memoir, “Night”, by Elie Wiesel, Elie, the main character, is forever changed because of his traumatic experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camps.

People tend to think that it is difficult to trust in something invisible, but it is especially challenging for someone to do so when he has everything taken away. In the memoir, Night, Elie Wiesel recalls his experiences with his family during World War II. After he first arrives at Auschwitz, Elie Wiesel’s mother and sisters are taken away from him. His father is suddenly all that remains of his family. Elie Wiesel witnesses many other terrible events during his first night at camp; the only thing that keeps him sane is his father. Elie Wiesel’s father even keeps him from rebelling and possibly getting himself killed before the Germans intended. When Wiesel lives in the concentration camp with his fellow Jews, he begins to question the

“It’s because he no longer loves us sweetheart. Pack your stuff, we’re leaving this house and your father who doesn’t care enough anymore about this family.”

According to Kristen Breck of Common Sense Media,”For good readers ages 12 and up, The Seer of Shadows is a richly detailed page-tuner, filled with elegant language and a well-crafted plot.”By reading the book, people will be clinging on to every word, hanging on to every moment.Some people might not like the fact that it is pretty slow throughout the beginning, but there are still many moments filled with suspense, emotion, and intrigue.

All refugees, the circumstances notwithstanding, face immense hardship throughout their lives. In time, these hardships give way to new opportunities, dreams, and perspectives, as even in the face of suffering, one always retains their intrinsic self. Kim Ha, the protagonist in Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again, experienced this through her family’s daring escape from war-torn South Vietnam. Consequently, Inside Out and Back Again serves as a fitting title for her story.

A Lesson Before Dying A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines tells the story of a black man, Jefferson, with unequal rights, being accused of killing a white man. Although, the accusation was far from being right, he is a black man, and blacks were treated unfairly. Throughout the journey of the trial, Jefferson and Grant became very close, and they both learned a lot from each other and the trial. Grant learns the lesson of being a man, because he develops feelings, and becomes humble.

Chiron, the main character of Moonlight a 2016 hit movie that follows the journey of Chiron as a childhood to adult as he faces many challenges. The movie gives insight to how living in the hood and how that environment has an effect on families, children, and how being different and not following a particular norm is handled. It is a movie of great- depth and brings with it many truths and provides a visual example of how life can be for those who are not a part of the norm. The movie is in chapter format as to indicate the different points in Chiron’s life that a develop him as a character the first being titled ‘little” which is Chiron’s nickname as a child, second is titled “Chiron” which encompasses Chiron as a teenager, and the last chapter is titled “Black” which is his new nickname as an adult and is the last chapter told in the movie that shows Chiron as an adult and how his previous experience have molded him.

Women are often perceived as mother figures who stand by their husbands no matter what type of situation they encounter. They are expected to give a perfect image to society and do not get the greater say. Eugene O 'Neill’s play, A Long Day’s Journey into the Night (1940), gives the reader a representation of a woman who is still influenced by these standard societal expectations. The character, Mary Tyrone, depends greatly of her husband and will not leave him even if she wanted to. In The Awakening (1899) by Kate Chopin, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier who is the complete opposite. She exposes the dissatisfaction that women feel and decides to act upon it. These two characters feel that they do not belong in the lifestyle they are given. They struggle with their identity due to their husbands’ lack of affection. As a result, marriage becomes a barrier to their happiness and individual fulfillment. The sense of displacement, marital dissatisfaction, and loss and gain of identity pushes both Mary and Edna to take major decisions in order to deal with their pain and desires.

Families are expected to support each other through the worst of times. But in A Long Day’s Journey into Night the mother, Mary, struggles with an addiction to morphine and the only empathy she receives is from her youngest son, Edmund. Edmund is ill with Tuberculosis and he understands his mother more than his brother, Jamie, and father, James. Mary’s older son, Jamie, and her husband did want her to conquer her addiction but they act as if she should be able to beat her addiction within minutes. Edmund on the other hand tries to show her compassion and let her take her time. Jamie and James are always watching Mary and Edmund to make sure Mary doesn’t fall back into her morphine addiction and that Edmund doesn’t cause himself to become sicker by drinking alcohol. The constant feeling of being observed causes both Mary and Edmund to find their own home in the fog. The fog was a shield to them that made them feel safer and more relaxed. There is something about their illnesses that allows Edmund to feel a sense of affinity for his mother. The compassion Edmund shows Mary is unique because he can relate to everything that she is going through and the leniency encourages Mary to overcome her addiction.