Each member of Tyrone family attempts to hide the truths surrounding his or her faults, and although they eventually acknowledge it through epiphanies when they escape the guise of an ambiguous life, they do not do anything to reform themselves. The transformation of the characters occurs with the decline of the day, as various truths and epiphanies are revealed by the end of the play. James Tyrone, the patriarch of the Tyrone family, encounters his self realization when he discovers that his stinginess is a result of him not becoming the actor he wanted to be.
James Tyrone realizes the ramifications of compromising a successful acting career for monetary comfort, however realizes the complexity involved in changing and prefers to stay the same. Tyrone, as he is more commonly called
..., chastises his sons, Jamie, James Tyrone Jr. and Edmund for their lack of respect towards him, who are constantly criticizing him for being cheap. He would rather spend his money on land than rather spending it on a proper house for Mary, his wife. One of the first things he admits is his miserliness.
Drunk with his younger son, Edmund, he finally accepts that truth that he is “a stinking old miser”. He enlightens Edmund with a story of his challenging childhood as he was forced to work from the age of ten. This is the root of all his problems since he cannot seem to let go of this habit. Because he was forced to be miserly as a child, it has become ingrained in him. However this causes some serious problems later on for his family as he does not provide the proper comforts for
a comfy life. Tyrone is saddened by the possibility of his cheapness may have indirectly resulted in the downfall of his family.
Tyrone’s problems stem from his unwise decision to compromise his career. Not only did he sell out, he uprooted his family never truly allowing them to live as family. However, Tyrone, like many others, realizes their mistakes and does nothing to change it. Even after his insight, he still refuses to change, goading Edmund to turn the light off, since he does not want to “ the Electric Company rich”. He is only willingly to pay for a “good” sanatorium for Edmund as long as it is “within reason”. Tyrone recognizes the effort required to change and is not willing to make that effort.
Despite all this new insight of himself, he still continues to practice his miserly ways. Tyrone’s decision to put money before a rising career compromises the situation for his family. Edmund Tyrone, the youngest, expresses in his epiphany his desire to break away from his dysfunctional family that is holding him back. Edmund Tyrone, the youngest son, comes to terms with the destructive nature of his family, but struggles to separate himself away from them. One of the first conclusions Edmund has is about his family. He admits openly that they are “all crazy”.
But other experiences make him recognize this, since he is dissatisfied with his life. When he was out at sea, Edmund “set free” and rejoiced in opportunities he had. One of the main reasons why Edmund is unhappy because “As it is, will always be a stranger who never feels at home, who does not really want and
is not really wanted, who can never belong, who must always be a little in love with death”. Edmund reveals his desire to disappear and not been seen: The fog was where I wanted to be. Halfway down the path you can’t see this house”.
He wants to distance himself away from his family who he knows is only bringing him down Jamie is jealous of him and an alcoholic, his mother is addicted to morphine and lost in her emotions and is father is incapable of being a father. Edmund’s epiphany is when he realizes that he can separate himself from his family, since he has the potential to become a different person afterwards. On his trips at sea, he expressed, “I was set free”. He wants to feel this liberation, and the only way that he can do that is by being is own person and distancing himself from his family.
However, Edmund cannot bring himself to do this because he sympathetic to his family. He cannot bring it upon himself to leave them, even though it has a negative impact on him. Jamie Tyrone explores the significance of relationship with Edmund as he comes to terms with his life. Jamie, James Tyrone, Jr. , the eldest son explores his epiphany as he acknowledges his caustic influence over Edmund because of his unaccomplished life, but feels unprovoked to do so as he loses hope. Everyone in the book has a substance problem, Mary is a morphine addict and all the men are drunks.
But Jamie is the worst out of the men and is an alcoholic. He does this because he has had an uneventful life.
He is a failed actor, broke, he father despises him and so on. Tyrone insults him calling him “A waste! A wreck, a drunken hulk, done with and finished! ”. Tyrone is unsupportive and thinks Jamie is a waste of money. The only way he knows how to cope with these problems is by drinking. He has seen his father do it since they were young and alcohol was even used as medicine for the boys when they were younger. At one point “’d begun to hope, if ’ beaten the game, I could, too”.
Mary’s addiction starts when a hotel doctor gives her morphine during her pregnancy with Edmund. Ever since then, she has struggled with a morphine addiction. On several occasions, Mary admits to having been a “dope fiend” (124). Her addiction covers up her real problem, loneliness and regret, both of which her family does not recognize. They believe that she is weak and succumbs herself to drugs. They do not realize how troubled she is and that she needs real support in overcoming her addiction. Taking morphine allows her to relive the happy days of her youth.
Mary’s epiphany is when she recognizes that she regrets the decisions she made in the past as did not work out as she hoped it would. Mary had “two dreams. To be a nun…to become a concert pianist…”. She is disappointed that she in love with Mr. Tyrone”. She gave up her dreams for love and that made blind to her true ambitions, which she feels remorseful. Mary slowly disappears into her own little world. Her behaviors does not offer any proof for change since her
problems are so deeply rooted and her addiction is strong.
Mary’s troubled past haunts her now in form of an addiction which poses no hope for change. All the Tyrone’s recognize their faults through epiphanies when they break away from their fake life however they do not offer any promise to change. Tyrone accepts the truth that he is a miser, and also distinguishes that his behavior may have hurt his family more than help, as well as accepting the truth that he compromised his career for money. Tyrone continues to be cheap and finds it hard to change his ways.
Edmund yearns to break away from his family, since he recognizes that they are holding him back from becoming the man he wants to be, but he cannot bring himself to leaving them. Jamie cannot overcome his alcoholism as he is unmotivated and a failure. He wants to bring Edmund down with him on his destructive path. Mary’s root of problems stems from her regret of making a bad decision in her youth and she covers that up with morphine as it allows her to escape to her past. The Tyrones live in a false reality that is hidden in the fog which distorts their perception of their life.
