Desire Under the Elms | Eugene O' Neill | Neb English Support Class 12

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Desire Under the Elms | Eugene O' Neill | Neb English Support Class 12

Desire Under the Elms

ABOUT AUTHOR

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill 

Eugene O'Neill is a major figure in American drama. He won the Pulitzer Prize three times in the 1920s and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936.

O'Neill's many works are marked by a variety of experiments with theatrical effects and moods. He tried to experiment with Greek drama and legend in his plays. In Desire under the Elms, he showed his great influence on the Greek myth. So, critics have described it as a Greek tragedy.

O'Neill himself said that he had dreamed one night of the whole story of Desire Under the Elms. So, many critics say that it is a dream allegory. In the drama, all the characters are from the lower class of society, and most of them face tragic endings. Furthermore, he was greatly influenced by Elizabethan tragedy. So, he keeps the murder and violence scenes in the plays. Here too, O'Neill depicts Abbie as a murderer who kills an infant.

Desire Under the Elms was written in 1924 but set in New England in the 1850s. Especially in the history of America, the 1850s was the time of Puritans, and land owing was the central lust of that time. In the drama too, Eugene keeps the main theme of lust for land.

SETTING

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill

Time: 1850

Locale: A farmhouse in New England.

Its setting is very complicated and complex compared to other modern dramas. The setting of the drama, Desire Under the Elms, frequently moves from the interior and exterior of the farmhouse and sometimes the interior of the kitchen. For example, the first part happens on the exterior of the farmhouse and the interior of the kitchen. Similarly, the second part occurs in the exterior of the farmhouse, the interior of the two bedrooms, the interior of the parlour, the exterior of the farmhouse, and in terms of the third part, the interior of the two bedrooms, the exterior of the house, and so on.

Other details of the setting are two elm trees on each side of the farmhouse that represent Ephraim's two dead wives. The leaves of elm trees are covered by stone walls, which stand for confinement or jail. Stone stands for hardness of heart and cruelty. That farmhouse is in good condition, but its wall colour is peeling. Branches of trees are trailing towards the farmhouse. They produce the shadow for the house. Here, shadow stands for conspiracy, and the two elves or two dead wives stand for sinister maternity. The two Elm trees are dropping rain (dew), which means two women are weeping. They seem weeping when 76-year-old Ephraim marries 35-year-old Abbie, thinking that she will also be mistreated by Ephraim like them. Likewise, the father and son live on a second story, and there is a kitchen on the floor.

CHARACTERS

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill

Ephraim Cabot (76-year-old man)

A greedy old man who does everything for the sake of the farm He has taken his second wife's (Eben's mother's) farm and forced her to work hard on the farm. Ultimately, that caused her death. He now has three children: Simeon, Peter, and Eben. For them, he behaves like an animal. His son, too, wishes for his death. He was the widower of his two wives. But at the age of 76, he remarries 35-year-old Abbie Putnam. When he brought his third wife into his home, his two older sons, Simeon and Peter, left the farm for California, but his youngest son remained there. Due to his old age, Abbie's sexual passion was not fulfilled by him. Later, his wife gets the help of her stepson, Eben.   

Eben

He was the youngest son of Ephraim Cabot and his second wife. He thinks that he is the real inheritor of the land because it belongs to his mother. He hates Ephraim, who took his mother's farm and treated her as a slave. To possess the farm alone, Eben gives his stepbrothers Simeon and Peter 300 dollars each, on the condition that they have to sign the paper stating that they will not claim the farm in the future.

He bitterly hates his father's third wife, Abbie, whom he thinks came to take his farm, but later on, Abbie is successful in seducing him and bears a child who later on causes the downfall of Eben as well as Abbie. At last, he arrests himself before the sheriff, saying that he was also a participant.

Abbie Putnam

She was the third wife of Ephraim Cabot. She was 35 years old but married an old man of 76. She married him not for physical lust but for the lust of the farm. She wants to be the mistress of the whole land by giving a son to Ephraim Cabot. However, her desire is not fulfilled from the side of Ephraim due to his old age (sterility). Abbie Putnam, full of sexual passion, is fulfilled by Eben. Later, from Eben's side, Abbie begets a son. But Eben suspects her because he thinks that a child she bears from him will possess all the land, saying the child is of her husband, Ephraim. At this moment, Abbie has to prove her true love for him. She smothers the baby instantly. But Eben is again shocked by this crime and goes to call the police (the sheriff), and the sheriff comes and leads Eben and Abbie towards the jail.

Simeon and Peter

They are the older sons of Ephraim Cabot and his first wife. They absolutely hate their father and long to flee to California when they hear about the discovery of gold there. They accept Eben's proposal and take $300 each. Both brothers escape to California when they hear from Eben of their father's third marriage.

SHORT SUMMARY 

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill

The play is set in a village in New England, America, in the 1850s. Ephraim Cabot is a greedy man who indirectly killed his second wife (Eben's mother) and forced her to work hard on rocky farmland. At present, he has three sons: Simeon, Peter, and Eben. All his sons hate him. The eldest two sons want to leave home for California because they want to be rich, working in the gold mines of California. Eben knows that the farm belongs to his own mother. To possess it after the death of his own father, Eben offers them (Peter and Simeon) $300 each on the condition that they should sign a paper renouncing all claims to the farm. They accept his proposal and escape to California in the absence of their father. After their departure, Ephraim comes home with his third wife, Abbie. He wants to give all his property to her if she bears a son for him. In the course of time, Abbie begets a son. This son isn't from Ephraim, but from Eben. The old Ephraim doesn't know the facts and thinks that it is his own child. But in reality, it is his grandson. Due to a misunderstanding, he proudly tells Eben that he will give all his property to his newborn child. Eben suspects Abbie, thinking that she has seduced him to get a son, and with the help of a son, she will be a mistress of his property. But Abbie, to prove her true love to Eben, smothers her child. This act of Abbie gives a great shock to Eben because he does not inwardly want to kill his own son. Then Eben goes to call the sheriff to arrest Abbie. But later on, Eben accuses himself without any force from others. He requests that the sheriff arrest him, saying that he is also involved in the crime.

DETAILED SUMMARY 

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill

Ephraim Cabot had left the farm two months earlier, telling his sons that he was on a spiritual journey. Now Ephraim's three sons discuss the possibility of their father's return. Simeon and Peter hope that their father will never return.

So, they argue over the ownership of the farm with Eben, who believes that the farmland belongs to his own mother. So, Eben thinks that the farm came into Ephraim's hands through his mother. All three sons wish for their father's death. Then Eben goes to visit Minnie, the village prostitute. Just before dawn, Eben returns to the farm. Cursing and upset, he wakes up his brothers to tell them that their father has remarried and will soon return to the farm with his new wife, Abbie. Simeon and Peter are worried, thinking that their father will give the farm to his new wife, Abbie, instead of them. Eben thinks that Abbie is an insult to his mother, and he is determined to possess the farm at any cost. So, he offers Simeon and Peter $300 each for their share of the farm so that they cannot claim it. Realising their father's third remarriage eliminates their hope of inheriting the farm, Simeon and Peter accept Eben's offer. When Eben notices his father's buggy coming down the road and announces his father's arrival, Simeon and Peter grab their bags and wish Ephraim and his new bride, Abbie, a rude farewell. Then they leave for California.

Two months later, on a Sunday afternoon, Abbie catches Eben sneaking off to town. She teases him and wants him to be lured in by her beauty. But Eben compares her to a whore, Minnie, and says that Minnie sells her body for money, but she (Abbie) is selling herself to an old man to steal his farm. Insulted Abbie threatens to kick Eben off her farm and screams. Hearing her shouting, Ephraim approaches Abbie. She tells Ephraim a lie: Eben is attracted to her beauty. Ephraim explodes with anger, threatening to physically harm Eben and throw him off the farm. She tells Ephraim that she wants to bear him a fourth son if Ephraim agrees to give the farm to Abbie and the new baby. Ephraim accepts her proposal.

That evening in bed, Ephraim was explaining to Abbie the importance of the farm. But Abbie ignores Ephraim's speech. Hurt by Abbie's disinterest, Ephraim leaves to sleep on the farm with the cows. When Ephraim goes out to the farm to sleep, Abbie rushes to Eben's room. He hears her and opens his bedroom door. Then she kisses him, and he initially responds to her with caresses. Abbie offers herself and her love to Eben, but he rejects her at first. Later, accepting Abbie's desire, Eben and Abbie shift to Eben's room and go downstairs to open the parlour, which has been closed since Eben's mother's death.

Now they are inside the parlour. Abbie and Eben believe that the spirit of Eben's mother haunts the parlour. Eben blames Ephraim for making his mother work hard, which caused his mother's untimely death. Abbie consoles Eben. She kisses him again. This time, Eben declares his love for Abbie. He feels his mother's complicity in his act and realises that having an affair with Abbie will prove to be his mother's revenge on Ephraim. That night, they had sexual intercourse. Then, in the morning, they separate with kisses and promises. They return to the normal routine of the farm.

In the spring of the following year (about 9 months after that sexual intercourse), Ephraim organises a party to celebrate the birth of Abbie's son. At the party, Ephraim's neighbours make innuendoes to each other about Abbie and Eben's affair and the paternity of the newest son. Feeling insulted by the villagers, Eben leaves the party. Drunk and happy, Ephraim is oblivious to his neighbours. Then Abbie goes upstairs to check on the baby. She finds Eben hunched over the cradle, adoring the baby. Eben tells Abbie that he is feeling uncomfortable about allowing his father to have his own son. Abbie comforts Eben with her love and the dream of a future without Ephraim.

After half an hour, near the barn, Ephraim stumbles across Eben. He tells Eben to join the party; all the ladies have been asking for him, and he tells Eben that he can find a wife with a son and steal the farm from him. Abbie, hearing such words from Eben, tries to persuade him, but Eben does not understand her and wishes his son dead. Abbie then promises him to prove her true love.

Just before dawn, Abbie rushes to Eben's room. She explains that there is nothing between them that is a hindrance. She adds that she killed the baby son. But now, too, he accuses Abbie of stealing from him yet again. Eben actually, by heart, does not want to kill his son. He is so angry that he leaves to get the sheriff. While Eben goes out to fetch the sheriff, Abbie tells Ephraim that the baby was killed, and that was Eben's son, and she further informs him that Eben has gone to bring the sheriff to arrest her. Then, insulted, Ephraim returns to work.

Eben, calling the Sheriff, returned to Abbie. At that time, he seems to be changing his mind and tells Abbie to run away with him before the sheriff's men arrive. Then Ephraim appears and threatens to kill Eben if he does not leave the farmland. Ephraim also expresses his desire to leave for California, releasing the cattle and abandoning the farm. But Ephraim discovers that his two oldest sons stole his savings. (Actually, Eben took Ephraim's savings, which he had given to his brothers Simeon and Peter.) Then, Eben rushes to Abbie and begs her to forgive him. Eben tells her that he truly loves her, and he is also going to share the blame for the baby's murder. Now, the Sheriff's men arrive, and they hear everything from Abbie and Eben. Allow the lovers one last kiss. Then, while Abbie and Eben are led off to jail, the Sheriff admires Cabot's farm and wishes that he owned it.

▪︎  You see how much the land is valuable in the Puritan world of 1850 in America. For land, every character shows their lust; even at last, the Sheriff wishes that it belonged to him.

THEME

Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill

        Greed for land or lust for land

The important aspect of the land throughout the play deals with greed. Ephraim Cabot is an extremely possessive man. He even states that he would rather burn the farm than give it away. Everyone in the play wants the farm, although when Ephraim first got the farm from his second wife, many people considered it worthless. Then he removed all the stones from the field (and is still removing them), planted them, and raised his cattle. It is, as a result of these years of hard work, what makes the farm so attractive to everyone and is, in fact, the reason why everyone wants it. Ephraim feels that it was God's will for him to have to go through hardship in working the land. So, Ephraim feels that it is not right for anyone to have the luxury of receiving a farm when he has to build it with his own blood and sweat.

Eben also feels that he is the right heir to the land because it belonged to his mother. For the land, he is able to set aside his brothers Simeon and Peter, giving them $300 each. Similarly, Abbie, through lies and evil plans, wants to be the rightful owner of the farm. So, she made an agreement with Ephraim, saying she would give him a son if he promised to hand over the land for her and her child. Peter and Simeon also feel that they are entitled to the land due to the years of blood and sweat that they have donated to it. In fact, Simeon. Peter and Eben hope that Ephraim is dead when he leaves to get married in the first scene of the play. And in the last line of the play, even the Sheriff admits that he would like to have the farm as well. Thus, it is this greed over land that affects every major character in the play.

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