Long Day's Journey Into Night

One of the critical issues facing the Tyrone family is a miscommunication of love and support, which manifests in the resentments that different characters hold against one another. Although the characters in the play profess their love for each other periodically, each character feels that they have not received a necessary measure of love and support from the other family members. Jamie, for example, sees that Edmund is the favorite child, and he understands that Mary blames him for Eugene’s death, while Tyrone blames him for failing to live up to Tyrone’s acting legacy. Mary feels neglected by Tyrone, but Tyrone perceives money and objects as an equivalent to love and affection, citing his purchase of a car for Mary as an expression of love. Edmund seems to be the most satisfied in terms of love and support, but he still fundamentally lacks the feeling of unconditional love and importance that he needs to feel complete. His feelings of isolation and estrangement from society are another manifestation of the loneliness Mary, Tyrone, and Jamie also express.

The best example of this theme is the car and driver that Tyrone purchases for Mary when she returns from the hospital. He notes how expensive the car was to buy, and he also layers on the cost of maintaining Smythe, a driver, even when Mary is not using the car. Mary counters Tyrone’s claim, noting that the car was purchased “secondhand,” or used by a previous owner, and Smythe is not a professional chauffeur, seeming to undermine the cost of each element. Importantly, though, Mary expresses the disparity between Tyrone’s attempt at showing love and support and her own needs by saying, “I knew buying the car was a hard thing for you to do, and it proved how much you loved me, in your way, especially when you couldn’t really believe it would do me any good” (77). Mary understands that Tyrone is not willing or able to provide the kind of supportive environment that she needs, but she also sees how buying the car, though ultimately pointless, was a gesture of the love and support Tyrone would like to provide her. When she notes that Tyrone could not have believed the car would help her, she is mistaken, as the family members all seem legitimately confused when it comes to the needs and desires of the rest of the family.

The most damaging of these disparities is Jamie’s, as he needs to feel the love and support of his parents, but he is aware that they prefer Edmund. He feels that he was forced into acting by Tyrone, but Tyrone sees his involvement in Jamie’s career as a show of support, while Jamie sees it as restrictive. Mary, likewise, believes Jamie is smart and capable, but she disparages him as a means of encouraging him to try to be better. Jamie only sees the criticism, though, not the intention of encouragement. As such, Jamie is left feeling alone and undeserving of love, which leads him to alcohol and sex workers instead of pursuing a career and love life to call his own. A large part of the play’s conflicts center on these kinds of miscommunications, and the message of the play is that love and support are needed in forming and sustaining a successful family unit.