| The present study attempts to scrutinize Eugene | | | | not to be neatly arranged in a study, but as |
| O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's | | | | terrifying, magnificent and often quite horrible, a |
| Journey into Night. Here, the critical overview is | | | | thing akin to tornado, an earthquake or a |
| based on "The American Dream" as a national | | | | devastating fire (p.20). |
| myth; it is the myth of success or a fulfilled life | | | | O'Neill considers the mythical characters that have |
| for all Americans. The theoretical framework is | | | | come to America and have been looking for their |
| based on the ideas of some critics such as Lewis, | | | | dreams and a fulfilled life. He writes about forty |
| Carpenter, and Pradhan on "The American | | | | plays that most of them are about American |
| Dream". | | | | family. O'Neill started and ended his dramatic |
| This study follows a historical perspective and | | | | career in realism. All his important plays depict a |
| states that "The American Dream" has been with | | | | tragic vision of America. Some dozen violent |
| Americans from the beginning of the history of | | | | deaths and over two dozen nonviolent deaths, as |
| America. And later shows that this particular | | | | well as causes of insanity in his drama are an |
| dream has turned to be a myth for centuries. | | | | indication of the consistency of his tragic vision. H. |
| For this research, first, a comprehensive study is | | | | Clark Barrelt (1947) says: |
| done on the history of America as well as on the | | | | When America was close to victory in World War |
| concepts such as "The American Dream" and | | | | II, O'Neill told his countrymen I'm going on the |
| "American myth". Then, the elements of "The | | | | theory that the United States, instead of being |
| American Dream" are traced on The Iceman | | | | the most successful country in the world, is the |
| Cometh and Long Day's Journey into Night. Next, | | | | greatest failure (p.152). |
| these elements are considered as inaccessible | | | | This quotation shows how much O'Neill was aware |
| myth. Totally, it is shown that how O'Neill depicts | | | | of the failure of American values. In both The |
| "The American Dream" in his two plays. | | | | Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey he |
| When O'Neill began to write plays, in the American | | | | represents the failure of American man. He |
| drama there was an unreasonable acceptance of | | | | shows the man who is looking for a fulfilled life |
| materialism and traditional values, and the | | | | but he cannot find it in reality, so the reality |
| presentation of life and character was hackneyed. | | | | becomes painful for him. Metaphorically, in both |
| O'Neill's plays from the first reveal better and | | | | plays O'Neill reveals the lie of "The American |
| truer understanding of man and his life. Tilak | | | | Dream" and considers it as a way escaping from |
| Raghukul (1975) believes that: | | | | reality. |
| From the beginning O'Neill saw life as something | | | | |