Puritan Values as 'Force Behind' in Mourning Becomes Electra

Eugene O'Neill portrays Puritan values of the Mannon family inherited from their family past. Since Puritan values of the Mannons suppress the normal way of life and love, they retain only rigidity, without the charity which is the core element of the teaching of Christianity. With Puritan repression and its dissociation from the vital spring of life, the Puritan Mannons live in a world drained of life and in a world of hypocrisy between outer beauty and inner ugliness. Ironically, they think more of death itself, neglecting to feel the vitality of life. Working as a fate, Puritan values of the Mannon as 'Force Behind' in O'Neill's own term are the cause of suffering and destruction of the Mannons throughout the whole play. The mask-like house and faces are effectively used as a dramatic technique to express the distorted Puritan values.