Abstract：Strange Interlude has been considered the most complicated play ever written by Eugene O"Neill，not only because of it"s great length，but also because of the complex in structure.The play convers almost the entire life of a woman，right from her girlhood to old age.This paper intends to analyze diverse male/female relationships that are evident in this play.
Key words：male/female relationships； Oedepus Complex； Electra Complex
中图分类号：J804 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1674-9324（2012）03-0219-02
Male/female relationships are always most interested subjects for playwrights and novelists.It is especially true with Eugene O"Neill，the only American playwright to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.
In his Strange Interlude，several patterns of male/female relationship can be identified.The most obvious one is that of love/marriage relations.It"s not difficult to see that Nina"s relationship with numerous men is the core subject in this complicated play of O"Neill.Gordon，Sam，Ned and Charlie.
Gordon was her fiancé who died in the war.They used to love each other very much.His death haunts Nina for the rest of her life，and for quite a long time，is the source of her suffering and unhappiness.She feels guilty for not giving herself to him before he went to the war.She also blames her father for stopping her from marrying Gordon.This also leads her to another destructive extreme：to take care of the wounded soldiers and have sex with them in the sanatorium where she works.On the other hand，Gordon is also a shrine in her heart.She later marries Sam，in a larger part，because Sam worships Gordon.She named her son after Gordon.
Sam is her husband.He loves Nina all his life.This marriage is proposed by Ned，the colleague doctor in the sanitorium，as a therapy of Nina"s mental sickness，or a “prescription”as Ned indicates on several occasions.Nina married Sam because she thinks she can have children and that will make her happy.However when pregnant Nina visited Sam"s mother，she gets to know that there is insanity gene in Sam"s family and she has to give up the child.Nina promises Sam"s mother to stay with Sam and make him happy.She resorts to Ned to give her a child and pretend it"s Sam"s.Sam is a contented husband and a proud father，a truly happy man in this play.However，in terms of love，he is never a counterpart to Nina，even when he has won great success in business and becomes confident.He never truly knows or understands her，either.However，their relations last until Sam"s death for one in-depth reason.Nina has a maternal affection toward Sam，who used to be his mother"s boy，due to her promise to his mother.
Nina"s real counterpart in terms of love is Ned.He loves Nina from the beginning，too.But he doesn"t want to be “substitute of Gordon”.In addition，he fears their relation will destroy his career.He offered to help Nina to have a baby because he thinks that"s good for Sam as much as to Nina.However，after the affair with Nina，He cannot resist his desire for her.His life begins to lose balance.He goes away for a while for evasion.And each time he comes back to Nina.His love for her destroyed his life and career.He becomes the bitterest man.At the end of the play，his love for Nina fades away and even when Sam dies，he no longer wants to marry her.In the end，Nina marries Charlie.
Nina"s relation with Charlie is a very weird type.She refers to him as “dear old Charlie” from the beginning.She also flirts with him，though.Charlie"s love for her is more paternal，especially after her father"s death，though at the same time he is his mother"s boy.Charlie calls her “my little Nina” and “Nina Cara Nina”.Charlie always remembers the good old days when Nina was in her girlhood.And this “dear old Charlie…passed beyond desire，has all the luck at last!...”To Nina，Charlie stands for the final peace of mind.
The second pattern of male/female relation is that between mothers and sons.Interestingly，all the mothers in the play are strong-willed，protective of their sons.Or more precisely，all the mothers share Oedipal Complex，for example，Charlie and his mother.On numerous occasions，when he feels anguished，he thinks of his mother.After his mother"s death，he invites his sister to live with him，to take the place of his mother.His mother opposes him to be with Nina.Another example is Sam and his mother.The most striking example might be Nina and her son，Gordon.She is even jealous when Gordon gradually turns to Sam.She tries to stop Madeline from taking Gordon away from her.Her love for him is possessive.
Another pattern of relation is that between father and daughter.The typical example is Nina and her father.Her father"s love for her is a paternal one，of course.But when she is falling in love with Gordon，her father is jealous and tries every means to prevent her from marrying him.When Nina decides to leave his father for good，he just feels he is abandoned.And after one year，he dies.As her mother died early，Nina is mainly brought up by her father.And it is not surprising she has been in charge of his father"s life.Her position in her father"s life is half-daughter and half-wife.This is called Electra Complex in Freud"s theory.As mentioned previously，Charlie"s love for Nina also has a share of the same Complex.
In Strange Interlude，O"Neill tries to reveal the most inner world of the characters by using various dramatic devices such as soliloquies and asides.These tools，accordingly，help readers and viewers to understand complicated relationships between characters，as well as the human nature.In real life，there might be more patterns of male/female relationship，the above mentioned three are no doubt most evident of all.
Bibliography：
[1]rgill，Oscar，Fagin，Bryllion N，and Fisher，William J.O"Neill and his Plays[M].New York ：New York University Press，1961.
[2]Floyd，Virginia.The Plays of Eugene O"Neill：A New Assessment[M].New York ：Frederick Ungar Publishing Co.，1985 .
[3]O"Neill，Eugene Glastone.Three Plays By Eugene O"Neill[M].Yale University Press，1969.
[4]Sanborn，Ralph and Clark，Barrett H.A.Bibliography of the Works of Eugene O"Neill[M].Random House，1931.
[5]Winther，Sophus Keith，Eugene O"Neill：A Critical Study[M].Random House，1934.
作者简介：康晓亚（1971-），1991年于西南交通大学获得文学学士学位，2008年获得外交学院英语语言文学硕士学位。2010年9月至2011年3月赴美国西肯塔基大学做访问学者，研修美国戏剧与文化。2001年以来任教于中国农业大学人文与发展学院外语系；夏霁，1977年生，中国农业大学教师。