Long Days Journey Into Night symbolism
In Eugene O'Neil's Long Days Journey Into Night symbolism is used on many occasions. The three prominent symbols, the fog, the foghorn, and Mary's glasses, represent the characters isolation from reality. The symbols in Long Days Journey Into Night are used to substitute illusion for reality. Although Mary is the character directly associated with living in illusion, all characters in the play try to hide from the truth in their own ways. At the beginning of the second act, O'Neil notes a change in setting which has taken place since the play opened. No sunlight comes into the room now and there is a faint haziness in the air. This haziness or fog obscures ones perception of the environment, and it parallels the attempts of each member of the family to obscure or hide reality.