How we cite our quotes: (Act)
Quote #1
LARRY: Although even here they keep up the appearances of life with a few harmless pipe dreams about their yesterdays and tomorrows. (1)
Early on in the play, Larry already separates himself from the others by suggesting pipe dreams are something they cling to. This is some pretty solid foreshadowing on O’Neill’s part, and honestly it’s not something most people would pick up the first time around, but by the end of the play it seems clear that Larry is truly no longer a part of the group.
Quote #2
JIMMY: Tomorrow, yes. It’s high time I straightened out and got down to business again. (1)
Do you think this is something Jimmy tells himself every day? Is he in some horrible version of Groundhog Day where he just wakes up and goes through the same thing over and over? If this is the case, do you think he has any real desire to change?
Quote #3
HARRY HOPE: Yes, bejees, I’ll do it. My birthday, tomorrow, that’d be the right time to turn over a new leaf. Sixty. That ain’t too old. (1)
Is this what Jimmy will be saying when he turns sixty? That is to say, does O’Neill use Harry to show us what these guys like Jimmy have to look forward to for the rest of their lives?