Places Discussed
North Atlantic seacoast
North Atlantic seacoast. Eugene O’Neill’s depiction of the seacoast is based on his own youthful experience as a seaman during a time when he had dropped out of college. The barge on which most of the action takes place stops in New York City, Provincetown, and Boston, moving from the Long Island Sound to the Nantucket Sound, around Cape Cod, and ending in Boston Harbor. While the barge hugs the coast, the greater sea intrudes in the person of Matt Burke, a virile sailor rescued from an open boat after the wreck of his steamer. For Anna, the sea and her seaman are rejuvenating and spiritually transformative. For Chris, however, the sea is an “old devil” which will destroy all who venture onto it.
Simeon Winthrop
Simeon Winthrop. Commercial barge that is the home and livelihood of Christopher Christopherson, a Swedish immigrant of fifty. The play’s stage directions describe the barge in some detail. For Chris, the barge is a retreat, but the barge inspires Anna with new possibilities.
Johnny-the-Priest’s Saloon
Johnny-the-Priest’s Saloon. Rough waterfront bar on New York City’s South Street, where Anna first reunites with her father. This location is based on O’Neill’s own memories of a bar known as Jimmy-the-Priest’s. Stage directions indicate double swinging doors and half barrels of cheap whiskey drawn by spigots, characteristic of saloons of its time and place.
Historical Context
The Emergence of American Theatre
By the close of the nineteenth century, a group of playwrights, including James
A. Herne, Bronson Howard, David Belasco, Augustus Thomas, Clyde Fitch, and
William Vaughn Moody, began to diverge from traditional melodramatic styles and
themes. This marked the beginning of a distinct identity for American theatre.
Inspired by the dramatic innovations of Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg, and
George Bernard Shaw, these and other playwrights of the early twentieth century
sought new creative directions. During this era, experimental theatre groups
consisting of dramatists and actors encouraged emerging American playwrights.
In 1914, Lawrence Langner, Helen Westley, Philip Moeller, and Edward Goodman
founded the Washington Square Players in New York. The following year,
playwright Susan Glaspell co-founded the Provincetown Players in Massachusetts.
Both groups aimed to produce plays that conservative Broadway theatres had
rejected. The most significant figure from this latter group was Eugene
O’Neill, whose works resonated with a distinctly American voice. As George H.
Jensen notes in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, "before O’Neill
began to write, most American plays were poor imitations or outright thefts of
European works." Jensen asserts that O’Neill became the "catalyst and symbol .
. . of the establishment of American drama."
Realism
In the late nineteenth century, playwrights distanced themselves from the
perceived artificiality of melodrama, opting instead to focus on the everyday
aspects of contemporary life. They rejected the flat characterizations and
unmotivated, violent action typical of melodrama. Their work, along with much
of the experimental fiction of that period, embraced the principles of realism,
a new literary movement that promoted the creation of believable characters
with complex interactions with society. Playwrights like Henrik Ibsen abandoned
traditional sentimental theatrical forms to portray the strengths and
weaknesses of ordinary individuals facing difficult social issues, such as the
restrictive conventions endured by nineteenth-century women. Writers who
adopted realism used settings and props to reflect their characters’ daily
lives and employed realistic dialogue to replicate natural speech patterns.
O’Neill’s extensive career mirrored the evolving styles of American theatre from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. His initial plays were unsuccessful attempts at melodrama. He later shifted to realistic portrayals...
(This entire section contains 442 words.)
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of men at sea and the dynamics within families. InAnna Christie, O’Neill crafted a lyrical realism in the troubled romance between Anna and Mat. O’Neill’s new brand of realism moved beyond traditional forms, delving into the deeper layers of everyday reality. Following the emerging American doctrine of "Art Theatre," O’Neill infused his plays with philosophical themes and unconventional forms. In the 1920s, he experimented with expressionism, notably in Emperor Jones and The Great God Brown.
Literary Style
Realism
O’Neill’s initial works were melodramas, but he soon moved away from the
simplistic character portrayals and unmotivated violent actions typical of the
genre. Instead, he embraced realism, a literary movement dedicated to
presenting believable characters and their often complex interactions with
society. O’Neill began incorporating settings and props that mirrored his
characters’ everyday lives and writing realistic dialogue that captured natural
speech patterns.
O’Neill’s approach to realism rejects conventional forms and delves beneath the surface of ordinary life. In Anna Christie, O’Neill realistically portrays the lives of men at sea and the dynamics within families. The play explores the tensions stemming from feelings of abandonment and guilt among family members. It also highlights the harsh realities faced by women in the early twentieth century. Through the troubled romance between Anna and Mat, O’Neill creates a lyrical realism.
Setting
Although the play showcases the tough lives of men who live and work at sea,
O’Neill also uses the setting symbolically. The sea almost becomes a character
itself, influencing the lives of Chris, Anna, and Mat. Chris describes the sea
as an “ole davil” that controls the destinies of men. He tells Anna that a
sailor’s life is “hard vork all time. It’s rotten...for to go to sea” and that
eventually, the “ole davil...[will] svallow dem up.” Chris conveniently blames
the sea for his abandonment of Anna, claiming it constantly drew him away from
her. He warns Anna against marrying a sailor, who would also be tempted by the
“ole davil” to stay away from his family for extended periods. Upon discovering
Anna and Mat together, he exclaims, “dat’s your dirty trick, damn ole davil,
you...but py God, you don’t do dat! Not while Ay’m living! No, py God, you
don’t!”
Anna, on the other hand, sees the sea in a completely different way. After a short stay on the barge with her father, the sun and fresh air rejuvenate her health. The sea also revitalizes her spiritually, as she mentions, claiming it has cleansed her of her past life. Anna tells Chris, “I feel so...like I’d found something I’d missed and been looking for—as if this was the right place for me to fit in...and I feel happy for once...happier than I ever been anywhere before!” The sea also brings Mat into Anna’s life. Mat asserts, “the sea’s the only life for a man with guts in him isn’t afraid of his own shadow. ’Tis only on the sea he’s free.”
Compare and Contrast
Early 1920s: Some Americans view the Russian Revolution as a significant humanitarian advancement. Conversely, others perceive it as a communist menace to American democracy.
1926: Joseph Stalin ascends to power as the dictator of the Soviet Union. His brutal regime will endure for twenty-seven years.
1991: President Mikhail Gorbachev mandates the dissolution of the Soviet Union, leading to the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States by the former Soviet republics.
1921: Margaret Sanger establishes the American Birth Control League. Other notable social advancements for women include gaining the right to vote, access to higher education, the freedom to smoke and drink, and the ability to wear less restrictive clothing.
Today: Women are legally guaranteed equal rights.
1921: Around 900,000 immigrants arrive in the United States during the fiscal year ending on June 30. Post-World War I, Americans express concern over the influx of immigrants willing to work for lower wages, potentially jeopardizing American jobs.
Today: Concerns about the economic impact of immigrants persist among Americans.
1921: Due to American farmers' overproduction, prices plummet eighty-five percent below the 1919 peaks.
Today: Numerous small farms are either going bankrupt or being absorbed by large agricultural conglomerates.
Media Adaptations
The initial film adaptation of Anna Christie was a silent movie released in 1923. It was directed by John Griffith Wray, had a screenplay by Bradley King, and featured Blanche Sweet as Anna.
The 1930 Hollywood version was promoted with the tagline, "Garbo Talks!" This adaptation was directed by Clarence Brown, scripted by Frances Marion, and starred Greta Garbo as Anna alongside Charles Bickford as Mat.
In the same year, a German adaptation of the play was also produced, featuring Greta Garbo once more. This version was directed by Jacques Feyder, using a German translation of Frances Marion’s script, with Theo Shall portraying Mat.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Bogard, Travis, Contour in Time: The Plays of Eugene O’Neill, Oxford
University Press, 1972.
Boyd, Ernest, Review in Freeman, Vol. 4, December 7, 1921, p. 304.
Carpenter, Frederic I., ‘‘Chapter 3: The Early Plays: Romance,’’ in Twayne’s United States Authors Series Online, G. K. Hall, 1999.
Gassner, John, ‘‘Eugene O’Neill,’’ in American Writers, Vol. 3, Scribner’s, 1974, pp. 385–408.
Hammond, Percy, Review in the New York Tribune, November 3, 1921.
Jensen, George H., ‘‘Eugene O’Neill,’’ in Dictionary of Literary Biography Volume 7: Twentieth-Century American Dramatists, edited by John MacNicholas, Gale Research Inc., 1981, pp. 139–165.
Marsh, Leo, Review in the New York Telegraph, November 3, 1921.
Pollock, Arthur, Review in Eagle, November 3, 1921.
Review in the New York Sun, November 3, 1921.
Torres, H. Z., Review in the New York Commercial, November 3, 1921.
Towse, J. Ranken, Review in the New York Post, November 3, 1921.
Whittaker, James, Review in the New York News, November 13, 1921.
Further Reading
Hackett, Francis, Review in The New Republic, November 30, 1921, p.
20. This review delves into the play’s style and its blend of ‘‘pathos and
romance.’’
Macgowan, Kenneth, Review in the New York Globe, November 3, 1921. Macgowan discusses the style and structure of the play in his opening night review.
Mantle, Burns, Review in the New York Mail, November 3, 1921. This review examines the play’s realism.
Bibliography
Bogard, Travis. Contour in Time: The Plays of Eugene O’Neill. Rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Argues for viewing the O’Neill canon as the playwright’s autobiography. Contains a detailed comparison of the final version with earlier versions of Anna Christie.
Estrin, Mark W., ed. Conversations with Eugene O’Neill. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1990. A fascinating collection of interviews with the playwright arranged chronologically from 1920 to 1948. Contains many of O’Neill’s comments about the characters and creation of Anna Christie.
Floyd, Virginia. The Plays of Eugene O’Neill: A New Assessment. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1985. Chapters analyzing each of O’Neill’s plays. Asserts that Anna Christie is a failure of character and plot.
Gelb, Arthur, and Barbara Gelb. O’Neill. Rev. ed. New York: Perennial Library, 1987. A monumental biography of almost one thousand pages with several sections of photographs. An excellent reference for details of the playwright’s life and plays.
Houchin, John H., ed. The Critical Response to Eugene O’Neill. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993. A collection of critical opinions, including reviews of productions from periodicals and scholarly essays, three of which focus upon Anna Christie. The diversity of perspectives is useful.
