| As the most outstanding American playwright of his day, O'Neill's plays are known for deep thoughts and rich art. The present thesis is an attempt to explore Eugene O'Neill's social theme and life attitude through the interpretation of his sea plays, in particular, the "sea" as a central symbol in his plays.The thesis examines the symbolic meanings of the sea in O'Neill's plays. The sea may be a special environment in which a character's personality or fate is formed; it may be an inscrutable force controlling human fate; it may be a free place full of hopes; it may also represent a kind mother consoling man's mental wounds, or a devil destroying man's life. It is held that the symbol "sea" and the symbolic meanings of the sea come from O'Neill's life and can also tell much about his life. The sea as a mother reflects his painful home life. The sea as a world of hope, peace, freedom and security reflects man's sufferings in the society of his day and man's bewilderment and anxiety in a meaningless world. The sea as an inscrutable force behind life reflects his fatalistic and depressing life attitude.In conclusion, O'Neill uses symbolism to intensify and give scope to the theme of his plays. As a means of literary creation, symbolism is used in O'Neill's plays not only to universalize the theme, but also to enrich and deepen the meaning of his plays. The use of symbolism enables O'Neill to record the problems of the society of his day, and to express his search and understanding of these problems in his plays, giving his plays a large social theme. Although he could not find out a way to resolve them, his keen observation of the problems and his art to express them are great contribution to our understanding. |
