The Sacrifice of Women in the Patriarchal Society

--analyzing Mary’s tragedy in Long Day’s Journey into Night

Long Day’s Journey into Night reveals the plight of disadvantaged women who
are unable to resist and escape the oppression of the patriarchal society. The
patriarchal society reinforces the reality of male superiority over females by
depreciating, discriminating and suppressing women. In the play, Mary almost loses
her right to speak. Apart from her self-identity, she plays the three roles given to her
by society: daughter, wife and mother. Mary strives to escape from the subordinate
position, but due to the limitations of history, she is unable to fulfil the requirements
of each identity and finally ends up taking morphine to escape from reality.
1. Mary as a daughter.
Mary's father educates Mary in accordance with the traditional requirements for
women, which renders Mary doomed to be a subordinate to the patriarchal society.
From her desire to become a nun in a convent, we can see that she is deeply poisoned
by the patriarchal society. She says that the first person to whom she owes gratitude is
her father, who allows her to be educated in a convent. However, such dependence
will be transferred to her husband and even to her children when she marries. Losing
the opportunity to develop her own spiritual independence from the very beginning,
which paves the way for her to become an appendage of the male society in the
future.
2. Mary as a wife.
After the marriage, Mary's subordinate position is further reinforced. She
sacrifices her freedom for her family, gives up the opportunity to pursue dreams, and
leaves her original home and life circle. However, Mary is often overwhelmed with
disappointment when confronted with her husband's stinginess. She even becomes
addicted to drugs due to her husband's meanness. In the family, she is also unable to
talk to her children harmoniously. Mary desperately wants to get out of this
predicament, but her cowardly mentality and dependence on her husband have long
controlled her. As a wife, Mary is undoubtedly a failure, failing to be as obedient to
her husband as she would have been if she had been brought up in a convent.
Nevertheless, the reason for Mary's tragedy is not only herself but also her father’s
education, her husband’s irresponsibility, and even the pressure from the patriarchal
society.
3. Mary as a mother.
Mary's sons have been influenced by the patriarchal society in which women are
oppressed by men, and the idea of male superiority over females is deeply rooted in
their minds. Naturally, they will have this prejudiced attitude towards their mother.
The eldest son, Jamie, has no respect or love for Mary, only endless resentment and
discontent; the second son, Edmund, who is frail and sensitive, always ignores Mary's
love. In the end, Mary's hope of being a good mother dashes, which leads to her
complete breakdown. Therefore, Mary blames her husband, who has always left her
in a shabby hotel after the wedding; she blames her son for being uneducated and not
heading for a bright and promising path. However, Mary, who has lived in an
oppressive environment for a long time, does not dare to say too much about her true
thoughts. The only thing she dares to do is retract her complaints and dissatisfaction
in a short catharsis. Gradually, in an attempt to enjoy a moment of peace and joy,
Mary turns to morphine due to her fragility induced by patriarchy.
In conclusion, the male-dominated society has gradually pushed women to the
bottom of the social hierarchy by suppressing and degrading them. Since birth,
women have been involuntarily placed with excessive standards by men. In the play,
Mary unconsciously accepts the moral standards imposed on her and plays the three
roles of a woman's life: "daughter, wife and mother", according to the requirements of
the patriarchal society. She has tried to resist but eventually caused an irreparable
tragedy. Mary represents the dilemma of women in a traditionally male society, and
this is not only a tragedy for her alone but for all women in that era.