Desire Under The Elms

A detailed Summary of Desire Under The Elms


In "Desire Under the Elms", by Eugene O'Neill, many uses of both biblical and mythological allusions can be seen. These allusions help add depth to the plot of the play by linking the play to other similar, well-known stories. Three of the best allusions are seen in Cabot's talk about how God is a strong god, his talk about God being in the stones, and his telling Eben that he is blind as a mole.

Cabot's talk about God being a strong god is important to the story. He tells about how hard he had to work to make the farm a good place to live. "When yew kin make corn sprout out o' stones, God's livin' in yew." This quote is an allusion to how if you work hard and believe in God you can do whatever you want. The quote is important to the story because it helps develop the character of Cabot and it tells the reader what kind of man Cabot is. It shows that he is strong, tough, and has a strong belief in God.

Another important allusion can be seen when in the same part of the story as the previous one. Now, he is talking about how the farm is h


The last allusion is a mythological one instead of a biblical one. This allusion can be seen when Cabot is talking to Eben about getting married to have someone to share the farm with. The Eben mentions that Cabot never shared the farm with anyone, Cabot blames that on Eben's mother's parents saying that they were trying to steal the farm from him. He says "It's ye that's blind - blind as a mole underground." He is trying to tell Eben that he is wrong and that he did not understand the situation. This quote is an allusion to the plays of Oedipus and the character of Tiresias. Tiresias was a blind prophet who was very helpful to Oedipus. The allusion is somehow ironic because, in the stories of Oedipus, Oedipus always listened to what Tiresias told him because Tireias was very wise and Oedipus trusted him. The irony is that Tireias symbolizes Eben and Oedipus symbolizes Cabot but Cabot never listens to Eben or trusts what he has to say. This quote is important because it adds much needed depth to the plot by linking it with ancient mythologi

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 710
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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