| Eugene O'Neill, in his masterpiece Long Day's Journey into Night, penetratingly presents to the reader an image of a love-hate family. Composed in the early 1940s when O'Neill was at the peak of his dramatic career and reached the pessimistic stage in his eventful life, this play of strong autobiographical flavour is a combination of O'Neill's consummate artistry and his pessimism. This thesis interprets Long Day's Journey into Night from the perspective of loss of faith, studying how this theme is revealed in the play as loss of religious and artistic faith, loss of psychological pillar and direction in life.This thesis is composed of seven parts.The introduction briefly surveys loss of faith in American society during the two world wars. American society suffered from various spiritual crises during these decades: crumbling of traditional values, death of God and loss of faith in capitalism. O'Neill held a pessimistic attitude towards the upheavals and turbulences in the societal context.Chapter One studies loss of religious faith in the play, typically represented by Mary Tyrone. Mary Tyrone's life-long mistake lies in renouncing her religious belief to pursue illusory felicity in marriage life. Spiritually exiled and incapable of bearing the abysmal pain in reality, Mary resorts to various means to escape from reality: indulgence in drug and distortion of her past. Worse than that, she shirks her obligation as mother and wife.Chapter Two discusses loss of artistic faith, of which James Tyrone is a typical instance. In his youth, James Tyrone was hailed as the most promising Shakespearean actor in the theatrical circle. However, disoriented by "easy money" in the materialism-dominated society, he sacrifices his artistic talent to pursue material success. Consequently, his pursuit of materialism leads to his spiritual death.Chapter Three focuses on loss of psychological pillar, presented explicitly by Jamie Tyrone. Since his boyhood, Jamie Tyrone has betrayed the unmistakable tendency of Oedipus complex. All his life, he attempts constantly to reach for the center of his shiftless life-his mother, Mary Tyrone. However, Mary has longdeserted him in his boyhood. In despair, Jamie Tyrone seeks for various ways to alleviate his pain: indulging in alcohol, frittering himself away among prostitutes and deliberately destroying his younger brother Edmund. Despite all the means he has resorted to, Jamie is still lost in his long journey into night, close to the death of soul.Chapter Four studies loss of direction in life, exemplified particularly by Edmund Tyrone. As an outcast in the family, Edmund has been deserted spiritually by Mary' long before his birth. Directionless at the cross of life, Edmund discloses various escapist attitudes towards life: seeking for solace from his sea experiences, retreating into the fog-enveloped world and obstinately denying Mary's relapse into drug.Chapter Five is an analysis of the tragic consequences of loss of faith among the Tyrones. Cowards and victims of the painful reality, the four Tyrones resort to various means to assuage their abysmal pain: employing invisible masks, indulging in heavy drinking and escaping into the fog-enveloped world. However, all of these attempts are futile. Only through forgiveness and compassion inhering in the family bond can they achieve some degree of family reconciliation.This thesis concludes that for the Tyrones, their long day's spiritual exploration extends into midnight, into death. Due to his loss of faith in life, O'Neill invests in the four pitiable figures his resignation and pessimism. However, in excavating the root of sickness in the particular societal context, O'Neill claims his greatness as a conscientious dramatist.
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