Long Day’s Journey into Night – James, Jamie, Edmund Tyrone
1. General physical appearance
James Tyrone is sixty-five but appears ten years younger. He is about five feet eight,
broad-shouldered, but seems taller because of his posture. It is easy to spot that he is an
actor, especially because of his voice. His clothes are shabby because he believes that it
should be worn to the limit of usefulness. He seems like a solid and stabile man.
Jamie Tyrone is thirty-three, has his father’s physique, except he is a little thinner and a
little taller, but appears shorter because of the posture. He also appears older than James.
Because of this he is a reversed image of his father (the same names make this metaphor
even stronger).
Edmund Tyrone is twenty-three, taller and thinner than his brother. The nervousness can
be perceived in his lips and hands. He is evidently sick, thinner than he should be.
2. James Tyrone
He is proud of his Irish heritage (does not allow his sons to talk bad about Ireland). From
this heritage we can extract his relation to religion and to alcohol. He says he is a
Catholic (but according to Jamie he doesn’t go to church) –it seems that he is Catholic
more because he is expected to be one, than because he is true believer. When it comes to
his relation to alcohol, he thinks that it is healthy to take a glass or two from time to time,
he even cured his children’s nightmares with a spoon of whiskey. On the other hand,
when they reproach him for drinking he states that he never missed his performance and
in that way he wants to show that his drinking never affected his professional life (he
makes excuses for himself).
He worked hard to become what he is. His father deserted his mother and six children
and went back to Ireland to die. As a child, James had to work in a machine shop to help
his mother feed the family. When he became actor he tried hard – “studied Shakespeare
like a Bible” and practised to get rid off his hard Irish accent. Because of his hard
childhood he is careful about the money, but only in some aspects. On one hand, he
thinks money spent on home is wasted (doesn’t hire real servant and chauffer, when
theatre season starts he lives in one night stands), a on the other hand he invests money in
real estate that does not worth much.
He loves his wife and cares for her – he buys her a car, although he thinks it is a waste of
money. This love can also be seen in his reaction when he finds out that she has started
using opium again (looking old and tired and ruined). He also cares about his sons, but
does not fail to mention their flaws.
Generally speaking, he is patriarch and a hard man to deal with (he is late for lunch then
complains that the meal is cold, etc.)
3. Jamie Tyrone
We find out that he has taken his father’s footsteps and became an actor, but we also find
out that he never wanted to be one. He feels that his father forced him into it. It is clear
that he and his brother do not hold so firmly to the Irish tradition. It also obvious that
Jamie likes his liquor, he states this several times during the play (although even if he did
not say this explicitly, it is clear judging by his actions). He is the first one to notice that
his mother started using morpheme again (as he says to Edmund, he has more experience
in that). Although his emotions can be seen in the moments when he is caught with his
guard down, he tries to hide them with cynicism, which is his way of defence.
The reader also finds out that Jamie entered into Eugene’s room when he was a small
child, and that the measles he had killed the baby. He carries a lot of burden on his
shoulders and he is crushed, although still young. In his 30s he is still living with his
father, who he does not respect much. Except the statement that he “never wanted to be
an actor”, we cannot see any other expression of wishes and hopes. He seems like a man
without a plan.
4. Edmund Tyrone
James’ younger son is also alcoholic or in the process of becoming one. In many respects
he is still just a boy, his mother baby (even his brother is calling him the Kid). When he
realises his mother is acting strangely, he is in denial, and he does not want to admit that
she has started using morpheme again. He is also greatly affected by his mother’s
condition (when Jamie calls her an addict, Edmund hits him – acting like a little boy
defending his mother’s honour). In the last scene, when he pleads his mother, his voice
has boyish quality.
It is clear that he reads a lot since most of the writers (Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, etc.)
mentioned at the beginning of the first scene in the description of the room are writers
read only by Edmund – when members of his family accuse him of being morbid they
often point to the bookshelf. He spent some time at sea, and there is also the making of a
poet in him. We can realise that he is of romantic nature, Bohemian.
As a child he was often sick and the nervousness of his character is constantly mentioned
throughout the play. The nervousness of his character is backed up with the story of his
attempt to commit suicide, which he did not because deep down (despite being morbid)
he loves life. This can also be seen in the way he reacts when he finds out he is sick. He
is scared and argues with his father because he wants better sanatorium. This sickness of
the body could be the reflection of his spiritual oppression. He feels lonely and
misunderstood – says that he is one of the fog people (just like his mother) because in the
fog the world around them disappears and they do not have to face it.
5. James about Jamie
James cares for both of his sons, but he thinks of them as failures. According to him,
Jamie is cynic, has talent for insults and always sees the worst in people. He also states
that he wasted a lot of money on Jamie’s education (uses “wasted” = spent in vain).
James recognises that Jamie has some talent, but also no ambition. James sees Jamie as a
bad influence for his younger son. One of the hardest accusations on Jamie’s account is
the he didn’t strive for anything more in his life than for whores and whiskey.
6. James about Edmund
James generally has a more positive opinion of his younger son. He thinks Edmund had
guts when he decided to go at sea, because he managed on his own, not coming to him
every time he was broke. Recognises his writing talent, but he thinks that Edmund’s
poems are to morbid. James thinks, to some extent, that Edmund is to blame for
tuberculosis, since he “ruined his health by leading mad life ever since he was fired from
college”.
We can see that James thinks he is not to blame for the way his sons turned out (although
both Jamie and Edmund blame him for all the bad things that happened in their lives).
Although James recognises his sons’ good sides, he does not fail to mention their flaws.
This ambivalent relation is the main characteristic of all relations between male
characters.
7. Jamie and Edmund vs. James
From the very start, the reader can see that the brothers are close (they remain after meal
whispering to each other and laughing, Jamie calls Edmund The Kid). Jamie really cares
about his brother and is very protective of him, while Edmund grew up thinking of James
as a hero.
Both of the brothers think of their father as an old scrooge, but in scenes when James and
Jamie discuss Edmund’s illness, we can see that they are connected and that they
understand each other. Those rare moments represent glimpses of the ideal family picture
we have at the beginning of the play.
Jamie states explicitly that he would do anything for Edmund. He also thinks of Edmund
as a good writer. They are united in many ways, especially when it comes to their father,
since both of the brothers think that James is to blame for most of the bad thinks that
happened to the family and they think this is because James is stubborn and tight-fisted
(Edmund blames him for Mary’s morpheme addiction – he couldn’t find a decent doctor).
Nevertheless, in the last scene, when all three of them are drunk, Jamie admits that he
was always jealous of Edmund, and that one part of him wanted Edmund to fail. He also
thinks of his younger brother as his creation, he is his Frankenstein. He even thinks
Edmund is to blame for their mother’s downfall (but he loves him more than he hates
him). Again we have ambivalence, even in the relationship between the brothers, which
seemed stabile.
8. In Vino Veritas
Male characters always united when it comes to Marry, they understand each other
because they share the same fears. This is especially apparent during the last scene. All of
them try to forget and escape into haziness that alcohol brings. In the last scene characters
reveal their deepest thoughts and through all that they become closer and better
understand each other. James even admits that he is tight-fisted, but in his manner he tries
to justify himself – the story about his childhood (once you’ve learned a lesson, it’s hard
to unlearn it). He admits that this desire for money has cost him career of even greater
actor (he acted in one play just because it brought money). He struggles with his own
flaws, trying to correct them (Gradation (when speaking to Edmund): choose any place,
never mind the costs → any place I can afford → any place you like, within reason).
Although their dialogues in the last scene may seem like rambling of three drunken men,
there is more to it. As Jamie says ‘in vino veritas’, all three characters open to each other
and they experience emotional cleansing, experience that brings them together. Although
future seems gloomy, and without hope, the reader finds himself/herself wishing the
better future for them, because he/she now understands them better and pities them for
their hard lives, for their bad choices and for what they are in the last scene – three men
drunk not only with alcohol, but also with grief.