THE FIRST MAN
A monologue from the play by Eugene O'Neill
| NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Hairy Ape, Anna Christie, The First Man. Eugene O'Neill. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1922. |
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LILY: Oh, Curt is the last one to be bothered by anyone's morals. Curt and I are the unconventional ones of the family. The trouble with Bigelow, Martha, is that he was too careless to conceal his sins--and that won't go down in this Philistine small town. You have to hide and be a fellow hypocrite or they revenge themselves on you. Bigelow didn't. He flaunted his love-affairs in everyone's face. I used to admire him for it. No one exactly blamed him, in their secret hearts. His wife was a terrible, straitlaced creature. No man could have endured her. [Disgustedly.] After her death he suddenly acquired a bad conscience. He'd never noticed the children before. I'll bet he didn't even know their names. And then, presto, he's about in our midst giving an imitation of a wet hen with a brood of ducks. It's a bore, if you ask me. [Shaking her head.] His reform is too sudden. He's joined the hypocrites, I think.
MORE MONOLOGUES BY EUGENE O'NEILL |
