奥尼尔的现实主义悲剧是展现在现实社会中无奈挣扎的小人物内心世界的新型悲剧。这与他本人的生活经历是分不开的。奥尼尔在作品中常常以“雾”作为象征物。雾是大海上常见的天象特征,但被奥尼尔视作一种神秘力量的象征。人生恰如雾海行舟,谁也无法逃避迷雾,只能在迷雾中摸索前行,无法预知厄运。 O’Neill’s realist tragedy is a new type of tragedy that reveals the inner world of the little people who are struggling in the real world. This is his life experience is inseparable. O’Neill often uses “fog” as a symbol in his works. Fog is a common astrological feature of the sea, but O’Neill as a symbol of the mysterious power. Life is like a foggy sea, no one can escape the fog, only fumble in the fog forward, can not predict the doom.