DISPLACEMENT ANXIETY AND PATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS:A BIOREGIONAL READING OF MARY TYRONE IN LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Abstract

Bioregionalism, a concept of second-wave of ecocriticism, emphasizes the significance of a place of attachment in shaping the personality of an individual and highlighting how displacement renders psychological and pathological effects on an individual. Ecocriticism underscores the indelible impact an environment, both natural and physical, has on an individual. The aim of this research is to explore the dynamic interaction between environment and an individual, highlighting the effects of displacement. However, the objective of this research is to analyze the character of Mary Tyrone through the ecocritical lens of bioregionalism. Thereby, centering this research upon exploring the physical illness, psychological impacts, morphine addiction, and anxiety of Mary Tyrone induced as a result of being displaced from her place of attachment. The primary tool for this research is Eugene O’ Neill’s play Long Day’s Journey into Night. The secondary resource is the theory of ecocriticism, particularly the idea of bioregionalism purported by Lawrence Buell. It is a qualitative research in nature. The research pivots around the theory of bioregionalism and the ideas of place attachment, place deprivation, and how the individuality as well as the physical anatomy of a person degenerates leaving behind deteriorating bones and derailed sense of identity when displaced from a place of attachment.