American literature essay. Literary analysis of works and characters - Sykalo Evgen 2023

Desire Under the Elms: When Greed Consumes the Hearth, a literary dissection of how unchecked desires and avarice turn a family farm into a crucible of destruction
Eugene O'Neill

"Desire Under the Elms" by Eugene O'Neill is a harsh and searing picture of human nature warped by lust and avarice. Originally a representation of family harmony, the Cabot farm becomes a hellhole where unbridled passions become weapons of mass devastation, devouring people and bonds in an unrelenting fire. This essay explores how greed is explored in the play as a destructive element that fosters betrayal, shatters love, and finally results in an inevitable tragedy.

The Source of Corruption: Land as a Desired Good:

The possession of the Cabot farm, a productive plot of land that turns into a compelling symbol of wealth and power, is at the center of the play's fundamental conflict. The elderly patriarch Ephraim Cabot is the epitome of unbridled appetite. Motivated by an intense fixation with the land, he weds Abbie, a youthful lady half his age, only to ensure that a successor will carry on his heritage. This act of transactional marriage sows the germ of avarice into the very concept of family, setting the stage for the sad course of the play.

Lust and Betrayal in the Shadows: Forbidden Blooms

But Abbie is more than just a pawn in this possession game. She has her own needs, driven by a desire for love and passion and a seething anger at Ephraim's frugal living. Her extramarital relationship with Eben, Ephraim's son, turns into a perverse expression of these needs. At first, their love seems like a protest against the oppressive environment of the farm, but it quickly gets mixed up with ambition and strategy. The fountain of sincere love is further poisoned by the fact that Abbie and Eben both perceive one other as a way to increase their individual interest in the desired land.

The Gathering of Broken Hopes: A Burning Pit of Destruction:

Unbridled desires develop into deeds of desperation and betrayal as the drama goes on. Due to Ephraim's inheritance-related paranoia, the family becomes divided and brother against brother as accusations and suspicions are stoked. Originally a representation of wealth, the farm is turned into a battlefield as each individual is driven by their own unquenchable thirst for territory, romance, or retribution. The play's message is sealed in the sad end, which is symbolized by Eben's fatal act: in the furnace of ambition, love and family ties are the first to perish.

Beyond the Crashes: Thoughts on the State of Humanity:

"Desire Under the Elms" offers a biting indictment of human nature that goes beyond the parameters of a family drama. Because of their overwhelming ambitions, O'Neill's characters turn into cautionary tales that highlight the terrible results of choosing greed above love and compassion as well as the devastating possibilities of unbridled avarice. Abbie rocking an empty cradle in the farm's shadow during the play's eerie conclusion serves as a sobering reminder of the emptiness that remains when cravings consume the very core of human connection.

This paper offers a structure for your examination. You may improve it even more by:

including certain textual examples to bolster your claims.
examining the Cabot farm's metaphorical meaning as well as other important components.
talking about how the play uses language and dramatic devices to evoke claustrophobia and stress.
examining many critical readings of the play and contributing your own special viewpoint.
relating the ideas presented in "Desire Under the Elms" to more general psychological and social issues.