The Family Reunion by T. S. Eliot
"The Family Reunion" is a play by T.S. Eliot, first performed in 1939, that explores themes of family dynamics, memory, and the confrontation with guilt and mortality. Set in the family estate of Wishwood, the narrative unfolds around the birthday celebration of Amy, Lady Monchensey, who is grappling with the weight of her family's past and the inevitability of death. As family members gather for the occasion, tension rises due to generational conflicts and the lingering presence of the deceased, highlighted by the return of Harry, Amy’s son, who is haunted by his own dark actions and the specter of his wife’s death.
The character of Harry is portrayed as undergoing a spiritual crisis, reflecting on his relationships and the burdens of family expectations. The play is infused with elements of the supernatural, as characters experience visions of the Eumenides, representing guilt and the consequences of their past. The dialogue often reveals the family's reluctance to acknowledge change and to confront their emotional struggles, resulting in a sense of stagnation.
As the plot progresses, the relationships among family members are tested, particularly between Harry and his mother, Amy, culminating in Harry's decision to leave Wishwood, symbolizing a break from the toxic legacy of the family. The play ultimately raises questions about identity, responsibility, and the search for personal liberation amidst familial obligations, making it a poignant examination of the complexities of family life.
On this Page
The Family Reunion by T. S. Eliot
First produced: 1939; first published, 1939
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Symbolic realism
Time of plot: Twentieth century
Locale: England
Principal characters
Amy, Lady Monchensey , an old ladyHarry , her sonAgatha , her sisterDowning , Harry’s servantMary , Amy’s ward
The Story:
Amy, Lady Monchensey, is reluctant to have the lights turned on. She has to sit in the house from October until June, for in winter the sun rarely warms the cold earth of northern England. Since all she can do is measure time, she hardly wants to make night come too soon.
The whole family, except her three sons, gathers to celebrate her birthday, and the sons are expected that evening. The conversation while they wait out the time is tasteless. Gerald and Charles, Amy’s brothers-in-law, feel that the younger generation does not accept its responsibilities. Ivy and Violet, her younger sisters, agree that youth is becoming decadent. When they ask Mary her opinion, as a representative of the new generation, Amy’s ward is nettled. Nearing thirty, she was always poor and remains unmarried; she thinks she belongs to no generation.
Amy lives only to keep Wishwood, the family estate, together. Since her husband’s death, she has been head of the house. She knows her family, settled in its ways, is getting older; soon death will come as a surprise for them all. Only Agatha, her older sister, seems to find a meaning in death. Harry, the oldest son, was gone eight years. Amy hopes he can drop back into the old routine at the family home, but Agatha is doubtful. The past is over; the future can be built only on the present. When Harry comes back he cannot take up life where he left off, because he would be a new Harry.
The others begin speculating. They do not like Harry’s wife, a demanding woman who persuaded him to take her away from Wishwood. On their travels she was lost at sea, apparently swept overboard in a storm. Amy says they must feel no remorse for her death.
Harry surprises them by being the first of the sons to arrive. When he seems upset because the blinds are not drawn, the others remind him that in the country there is no one to look in. Nevertheless, Harry keeps staring at the window. He can see the Eumenides, the vengeful spirits. They were with him a long time, but only at Wishwood can he see them. He greets the assembled company with an effort.
Harry becomes impatient when the relatives begin talking of all the old things waiting at home for him. Nothing ever happens to them; they go through life half asleep. Harry, however, is doing some soul searching. In mid-Atlantic he pushed his wife overboard. Now the Furies are always with him.
Only Agatha seems to understand him. The others think him overtired and urge him to go lie down for a while. When he leaves, they decide to invite Dr. Warburton for dinner so that the family doctor can have a look at him.
Charles and Gerald call in Downing, Harry’s servant, to question him. Violet and Ivy object because they fear scandal. Agatha, however, makes no objection, because questioning Downing is as irrelevant as calling in Dr. Warburton. Downing seems to be frank. He hardly thinks Harry’s wife had the courage to commit suicide, and while he is a little distrait, Harry always appears normal. The only thing amiss that Downing noticed was that Harry was always too much with his wife.
Mary appeals to Agatha for help in getting away from Wishwood. She knows that Amy wants her to stay on and marry Harry; in that way Amy will have a tame daughter-in-law for a companion. Agatha, however, refuses help. Mary should have had the courage to leave earlier; since Harry returned she cannot run away.
When Harry talks with Mary about his fears and doubts, she tries to understand his feeling that change is inevitable. They reminisce about the hollow tree in which they played as children and about their regret when Amy had it cut down. Harry sees the Furies again in the window embrasure. Startled by his manner, Mary pulls back the curtains to show that nothing is there.
Dr. Warburton comes early for dinner to have a confidential talk with Harry. He tries to attack Harry’s disturbance indirectly by warning him that Amy’s health is very poor and that Harry must take the burden of Wishwood off her shoulders. Harry recalls the unpleasantness of his boyhood when being good meant pleasing Amy. Abruptly, he demands to know something of his father. The old doctor assures him that there was no scandal. His father and mother just agreed to separate, and his father went abroad to die.
A police sergeant comes to tell the family that John, having suffered a slight concussion in an auto accident, cannot be there for the birthday dinner. Although the family buzzes with the news, Harry shocks them with his statement that it hardly matters because his brother John is unconscious all the time anyway.
A long-distance call comes from Arthur, the other brother. He was in an accident, too, and his license has been suspended for drunken driving. Still troubled about his father, Harry presses Agatha for more details. Agatha remembers his father’s feelings, but his mother complemented his weaknesses. Then Agatha loses her inhibitions and tells the truth. While Amy was pregnant with Harry, her husband plotted to kill her. Agatha talked him out of his scheme; she could not bear to think of destroying the new life Amy was carrying.
At that news Harry feels a great release, for the curse of the house seems clearer. When the Eumenides appear again, Harry is no longer frightened. He knows at last that the Furies are not pursuing him; he is following them. Harry decides to leave Wishwood.
Amy, furious at the news that Harry is going away, blames Agatha, the younger sister who stole her husband thirty-five years ago and now is taking her son. Mary pleads with Agatha to stop Harry’s departure, but to no avail; Harry has crossed the frontier of reality. Then Mary asks her help in getting a situation, perhaps a fellowship, so she can leave, too. As the two women become more confidential, they reveal to each other that they have also seen the Eumenides. That knowledge is a bond uniting them outside the stifling confines of Wishwood. When they talk with Downing, he confesses he sees the Furies but he pays little attention to them; they are Harry’s ghosts. Just before she dies, Amy begins to understand what is happening at Wishwood. Agatha and Mary bring in the birthday cake and blow out the candles as they circle around it. The rest of the family begins talking about the will.
Bibliography
Ackroyd, Peter. T. S. Eliot: A Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984. A useful biography that includes a discussion of The Family Reunion, its genesis, mixed critical reception, and importance to Eliot’s early career as a playwright. Ackroyd considers the play to be Eliot’s most powerful work because of its use of symbolism.
Däumer, Elisabeth. “Vipers, Viragos, and Spiritual Rebels: Women in T. S. Eliot’s Christian Society Plays.” In Gender, Desire, and Sexuality in T. S. Eliot, edited by Cassandra Laity and Nancy K. Gish. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Däumer analyzes Eliot’s depiction of women in The Family Reunion and several other plays.
Evans, Giles. Wishwood Revisited: A New Interpretation of T. S. Eliot’s “The Family Reunion.” Lewes, England: Book Guild, 1991. A subtle analysis of the play, with references to the work of critics and biographers. The author recognizes that the play develops the Christian sympathies and philosophical concerns of earlier works, and he regards it as Eliot’s best drama.
Gordon, Lyndall. T. S. Eliot: An Imperfect Life. New York: W. W. Norton, 1999. An authoritative, thoroughly researched biography that concedes Eliot’s many personal flaws as well as describes his poetic genius.
Kari, Daven M. T. S. Eliot’s Dramatic Pilgrimage: A Progress in Craft as an Expression of Christian Perspective. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 1990. Considers the play to offer an important experiment in religious verse drama. Examines Eliot’s use of characterization, verse techniques, and stagecraft.
Moody, A. David, ed. The Cambridge Companion to T. S. Eliot. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Collection of essays, including discussions of Eliot’s life; Eliot as a philosopher, a social critic, and a product of America; and religion, literature, and society in Eliot’s work. Also features the essay “Pereira and After: The Cures of Eliot’s Theater” by Robin Grove.
Raine, Craig. T. S. Eliot. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. In this examination of Eliot’s work, Raine maintains that “the buried life,” or the failure of feeling, is a consistent theme in the poetry and plays. Chapter 5 focuses on Eliot’s plays.
Spanos, William V. The Christian Tradition in Modern British Verse Drama: The Poetics of Sacramental Time. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1967. One of the most eloquent and insightful treatments of how Christian beliefs have been expressed through modern British verse drama. Excellent discussion of The Family Reunion in chapter 6.