A Study Of Illusion In Eugene Oneills Later Plays

The purpose of this work is to show that Eugene O'Neill in Hughie (1941-1942), The Iceman Cometh (1939), A Touch of the Poet (1935-1942), Long Day's Journey into Night (1939-1941), and A Moon for the Misbegotten (1943) emphasized that man's only salvation is to be found in his pipe dreams. The need for illusion will be shown by examining characters in these later plays. Emphasis will be given to what the character's illusions are, how the illusions aid the characters, and how the loss of the illusions affects the characters.