Eugene O'Neill was one of the main protagonists of the process that led the American theater to become artistic and to embody the emergence of realism. He believed that a story could not be written until it had been lived. He based his plays on his tragic life experiences; therefore, creating tangible characters that drove the plot. O'Neill is considered the third most read playwright just after William Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw. During his life he published thirty-two complete comedies and twenty-one acts. Furthermore, O'Neill has won numerous awards such as the Pulitzer Prize. Furthermore, the success of his work helped restore foreign countries' respect for the American theater. O'Neill was born on October 16, 1888, at the Barrett Hotel in Longacre Square, now known as Times Square. His life revolved around the theater. His father, James O'Neill, was a prominent and successful touring actor who had gained fame through his most popular entertainment vehicle, the Count of Monte Cristo. Eugene spent the early years of his childhood living with his family in hotels, trains and backstage while his father pursued acting. He later described this insecure and harsh living situation as the cause of his early anxiety and the downfall of his family, particularly his mother who developed a drug addiction. O'Neill's mother, Mary Ellen Quinlan, conscientiously followed her husband on his tours across the country. However, Eugene revealed that she "was never an actress, didn't like theater, and kept aloof from her people." The only times his family settled were when they spent summers at their permanent home located near the Thames in New London, CT. Due to James O'Neill's itinerant career in the theater, Eugene was sent away to attend Cath... ... middle of paper ...... relationships between the characters led to the conflict of the play. Critics of Anna Christie's play question the claim that Eugene O'Neill wrote only one play which was Ah, Wilderness!. They describe the play as melodramatic, "a bittersweet comedy" or as a "nascent tragedy" that took a "finely balanced approach" to comedy and tragedy. O'Neill tried to leave the audience with a deep feeling of the past giving birth to the future. He took a solemn approach to creating a Swedish American girl forced into a deplorable childhood who finds love with a nice but unimaginative young sailor by the sea. Regardless of its popularity, O'Neill did not appreciate this particular work by the time he finished it because it was "too easy" to write due to its simple conflict. Fortunately, the playwright did not eliminate the manuscript, thus preserving an American classic.