Conflict Paragraph

In O’Neil’s Long Day’s Journey into the Night, James Tyrone and his son Jamie are in constant conflict throughout the play, and deal with the fact that they aren’t much different from each other. This is precisely the reason why they are at such uncontrollable odds; Jamie is truly his father’s son. All while Jamie accuses and blames his father for the gradual deterioration of there family, Jamie possesses the same qualities and characteristics his father does. James Tyrone was a poor Irish immigrant who is no stranger to rough times. Through growing up with very little money, he learned a great deal about the importance and scarcity of those precious pieces of paper. Throughout the play, James exhibits this idea as he sends his wife, Mary, to an awful sanatorium, leading to her ongoing addiction to morphine. He purchases undesirable land that will do nothing positive for him, instead of investing his money in a true home( which they don’t have), and on multiple occasions, he insists on keeping the lights off whenever possible. Jamie refers to his father as a miser, and accuses him of being cheap with his wealth, but that isn’t the only reason James insists on the lights off. James doesn’t want to see the destruction that has shook his family. If the lights are off, he is symbolically ignorant to his surroundings, including his poisoned wife, and his children. Jamie Tyrone also has problems with his money; he squanders every dime of it. Jamie uses his father as an example of someone he doesn’t want to become, but yet, in his early thirties, he has already become his father. He has no money, no sense of pride, and no true morals. His spending consists of alcohol and prostitutes, and while he believes he is doing the opposite, he’s really shaping into the same being as his father. Both men want to believe they have done the right thing through their years, but in their hearts, they know that is not the case. Both Jamie and James cause the family bond slip away, and it’s remains to spiral out of control. As long as they continue on their merry, selfish ways, they will never come to terms with each other, and the family will only suffer more, as the guilt upon their shoulders gains weight.