Desire Under the Elms

Drama | Eugene O'Neill
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Briefly comment on the significance of the elms trees in the play Desire Under the Elms.

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Briefly comment on the significance of the elms trees in the play Desire Under the Elms. [2019] ✪✪✪ Or, Comment on the significance of the Elms in the play "Desire Under the Elms". [2015]

“Desire Under the Elms” (1924) is one of the famous plays in English literature written by Eugene O’Neill (1888–1953). The elm trees in this play have deep symbolic meaning. They stand as silent witnesses to human sin, desire, and suffering. O’Neill uses them to express mood, fate, and the dark power of nature.

Symbol of Oppression: The elm trees hang heavily over the Cabot farmhouse. They cover the house in constant shadow. O’Neill says, 

“The sky above the roof is suffused with deep colors, and the green of the elms glows, but the house is in shadow.” 

This shows their gloomy power. The trees seem to crush the people’s lives, just a
s Ephraim Cabot’s authority crushes his family.

Symbol of Motherhood and Desire: The elms are compared to 

“exhausted women resting their sagging breasts and hands and hair on its roof.” 

This image gives the trees a human and motherly form. It reminds us of Eben’s dead mother, who still seems to live in the house. At the same time, their bending branches reflect Abbie’s dark passion and her desire for love under the heavy rule of Cabot.

Symbol of Fate and Tragedy: The elm trees never move; they seem to guard and watch. They represent the unchanging fate that controls the Cabot family. Their shadow covers every event—from Abbie’s sin to Eben’s revenge and their tragic end. The elms are like the silent hands of destiny.

Thus, the elm trees are not mere background objects. They symbolize motherhood, desire, and oppression. They watch over human sin and sorrow. They make the farmhouse a place of beauty, guilt, and tragedy.

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Eugene O'Neill
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