There Shall Be No Night -- by Robert E. Sherwood (1941)

Description

As you can see by the poster, Sherwood's third and final Pulitzer Prize-winning play featured his muses, Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Alfred plays the role of Dr. Valkonen; Lynn plays the role of his wife, Miranda. Dr. Valkonen is a premier scientist in Finland who decides he must stay in his homeland during the World War. He eventually joins the war. He commands his wife, who is an American, to move back to America to avoid the catastrophe of war. She refuses to leave. Of course, part of the play includes a subplot with their child, Erik, who is the first to join the war effort.

In the Preface of the play, Sherwood immediately shares why the message of this play seems so drastically different from Idiot's Delight. The play has been made into a movie and has been revived, but its revivals have halted decades ago. It can certainly be held as an important American period piece.

Candid Reactions

  • I enjoyed Sherwood's Preface wherein he addresses the change in his work. 
  • Dr. V remarks, "They glorify a theory of government which is no more that coordinated barbarism, under the leadership of a megalomaniac who belongs in a psychopathic ward rather than a chancellery" (20). Now where have I heard that before?
  • Uncle W has some very biting lines. For instance, "Tonight--prayers. Tomorrow--guns" (51). 
  • The triviality of doing chores during wartime is sensible. 
  • I love when Dr. V tells Mr. Corween that risking one's life to care for the hurt during wartime "isn't suitable for any member of the human race . . . But someone must do it" (78). 
  • Ziemssen's line really challenged me: "Your own experience is misleading" (85). 
  • The cold cofee at the end of scene three is a lovely symbol. 
  • The callback to the title is moving. 
  • Dr. V has some splendid lines. He defends that he has "not conclusions, I'm afraid. Just somewhat stronger suspicions" (151). And all the scientists said, "Amen."
  •  I was not ready for Dr. V to tear off his Red Cross badge like that! That was a truly great dramatic moment. 
Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning
1. Death of Isolationism
Sherwood acknowledges the shift of the American mindset. Instead of choosing to stay out of international affairs, America decided to insert itself into a worldwide conflict (of course, Pearl Harbor influenced this mightily). In writing this after Idiot's Delight, Sherwood made a remark on the tonal shift in America.

 2. Perils of War   
Not only is the play about a physical war, but it is about the spiritual war humans undergo on earth. Sherwood uses the conflict of a World War to discuss the responsibility and fragility of man.

Classroom Implications
I feel the same way about this text as I did with Idiot's Delight. I don't think this text would be worth spending time on in class, but it is more accessible than Idiot's Delight. I could see college students doing a comparative essay between Idiot's Delight and There Shall Be No Night. These two texts could be cherished by history lovers who are curious about how the war was presented through the lens of theater.

Personal Takeaway
Writers change.

Ranking

Dialogue
Characters
Plot/Conflict
Symbol/Literary Devices
Overall Enjoyment
TOTAL SCORE





6.75
0
Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character
Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity
Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping
Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story
Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1
Not consistently realistic (1.5)
Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity
Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1)
Devices somewhat enhance story (1.5)
Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work (1)
2
Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters
Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (1.75) 
Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!
Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation
Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically  

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9.75 -- Fences by August Wilson ( 1987 ) 9.5 -- The Subject Was Roses by Frank D. Gilroy (1965) 9.25 -- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (1955) 9.25 -- The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn (1978) 9.25  --   Long Day's Journey into Night  by Eugene O'Neill  (1957) 9.25 -- Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007) 9.25 -- Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks ( 2002 ) 9.0 -- Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner (1993)   9.0  --  Anna Christie  by Eugene O'Neill  (1922) 9.0 -- Cost of Living by Martyna Majok ( 2018 ) 9.0 -- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (1949) 9.0 -- Doubt by John Patrick Shanley (2005) 9.0 --  The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) 9.0 -- 'night, Mother by Marsha Norman (1983) 9.0 -- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes ( 2012 ) 8 .75 --  Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neill (1920) 8.75 -- How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel ( 1998 ) 8.75 -- ...
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