Basic passions as seen in Eugene O'Neill's "Desire under the Elms"

Literary works have a relation to human life. Through deeper analysis, the readers can get more knowledge about human life of which the positive aspects can be applied to the real life. The writer chooses a play “Desire under the Elms” for the object of her study because it concerns family conflict and human character traits. The play is interesting to analyze because it includes the basic passions of human. This study is a literary analysis. The writer analyzes the basic passions in “Desire under the Elms” written by Eugene O’Neill. She analyzes it through three elements of drama namely character, plot and setting. In analyzing the main characters of the drama, she uses psychological analysis as the basis of studying man and his behavior. In finding basic passions through plot, the writer starts analyzing by introducing the main characters in the play, and then she analyzes the conflict happened between the main characters and some others. After that she analyzes the climax and resolution related to the conflict. After analyzing the plot, the writer analyzes the setting. She analyzes places and activities in which some important action take place. At last, she analyzes the finding of the basic passions as seen in “Desire under the Elms”. The writer finds that Ephraim Cabot portrays religious devotion. He dedicates his life to God through his liking hard work. As a father Ephraim is concluded as an ambitious man. He never thinks his family; he prefers to burn the farm than giving it to his son or his wife. This drama also describes sexual passion between Eben and Abbie. Their hatred at the first time turns into love. Abbie has affair with her stepson Eben. Their passion toward the farm changes into love. As the result of the content analysis, the writer concludes that all the main characters are greedy that cause them to do anything to possess the farm as possible. In analyzing the main characters, plot and setting, the writer finds that the theme of the drama is the desire of a family to fulfill their dream to possess the farm