The Straw

Eugene O'Neill (1888 -1953) was an American playwright, and Nobel laureate in Literature. He was the first American to use the technique of realism in his plays. His characters were often on the outskirts of society and spoke in American dialects. His characters were unsavory people who often performed inappropriate acts yet still hoped for more in life. They ultimately slide into disillusionment and despair. His best-known plays include Anna Christie (Pulitzer Prize 1922), The First Man (1922), and The Hairy Ape (1922). The Straw was produced in 1919. The Straw is set is a T B sanitarium. The characters portray the tedium of their lives. The professionals have little compassion for the sick and the sick show little concern for each other. When Eileen falls ill and comes to the hospital she no longer has her family to mother. She finds Murray who thinks little of himself. Their relationship is a study in human nature.