Desire Under The Elms
101702026 Amy Lin
英文三
Professor Tsui-Feng Chiang
Modern Drama
26 March, 2015
The Symbolization of Elms in Desire Under the Elms Under O’Neill’s narration, the two elms are set on each side of the house in this play. Before getting realized what has happened in this house, he tells us the elms “are like exhausted women resting their sagging breasts and hands and hair on its roof and when it rains their tears trickle down monotonously and rot on the shingles” (O’Neill, 629). I think this depiction of elms not only represents two ex-wives of Ephraim Cabot but also foretells that the woman is going to end up badly. When Ephraim’s first wife, Peter and Simeon’s mother, married him, he makes her do almost everything including farming which leads to her early dead. Then he gets second wife to take up her farm legally but unreasonably. As we can see, Ephraim does not have to work; yet, he forces his wife and son to do harsh work. He brags of his toughness, detesting their softness, and crying for his loneliness. These two lost lives have their souls incarnated into two elms, which somehow protective for the residents live in this house but also makes them feel creepy and gloomy. Aside from this, his repeating words of “ripe on the bough” (O’Neill, 650) may also represent his power beyond the women or namely the elms. The shadow of the elms covers on the parlor, where is also the sinful deed of Abbie and Eben done. From then on, their destiny is doomed. Under the shadow’s influence, their willpower to be hold are getting weaker and weaker, then finally corrupts. Though the ex-wives have kind hearts and work so hard, they have a bad end to die. By contrast, Abbie doesn’t have to work as a wife of Ephraim. They were all born to be women, but only Abbie can stay away from this difficulty. Therefore, these spirit of elms want to get revenge on her. It turns out that there is no way for Abbie to escape from her sin for lust. Women become those people who
英文三
Professor Tsui-Feng Chiang
Modern Drama
26 March, 2015
The Symbolization of Elms in Desire Under the Elms Under O’Neill’s narration, the two elms are set on each side of the house in this play. Before getting realized what has happened in this house, he tells us the elms “are like exhausted women resting their sagging breasts and hands and hair on its roof and when it rains their tears trickle down monotonously and rot on the shingles” (O’Neill, 629). I think this depiction of elms not only represents two ex-wives of Ephraim Cabot but also foretells that the woman is going to end up badly. When Ephraim’s first wife, Peter and Simeon’s mother, married him, he makes her do almost everything including farming which leads to her early dead. Then he gets second wife to take up her farm legally but unreasonably. As we can see, Ephraim does not have to work; yet, he forces his wife and son to do harsh work. He brags of his toughness, detesting their softness, and crying for his loneliness. These two lost lives have their souls incarnated into two elms, which somehow protective for the residents live in this house but also makes them feel creepy and gloomy. Aside from this, his repeating words of “ripe on the bough” (O’Neill, 650) may also represent his power beyond the women or namely the elms. The shadow of the elms covers on the parlor, where is also the sinful deed of Abbie and Eben done. From then on, their destiny is doomed. Under the shadow’s influence, their willpower to be hold are getting weaker and weaker, then finally corrupts. Though the ex-wives have kind hearts and work so hard, they have a bad end to die. By contrast, Abbie doesn’t have to work as a wife of Ephraim. They were all born to be women, but only Abbie can stay away from this difficulty. Therefore, these spirit of elms want to get revenge on her. It turns out that there is no way for Abbie to escape from her sin for lust. Women become those people who