does.”(Gelb 78)Eugene eventually moved on to Betts Academy. After seven years of Catholic schooling, this was a new kind of life. Here the main concern rather than spirituality was a student’s capacity for learning. Here the atmosphere was much more open and independent. As much as Eugene welcomed this new freedom, he clung to his shell. He was still viewed as quiet and withdrawn. After Betts Academy, Eugene moved on to Princeton in 1906. Eugene described Princeton as: “All play and no work.”(Sheaffer 98) Eugene’s newfound rebellion out him against anyone or anything that tried to put authority over him, he was scarcely ready to conform to a college. Eugene was looking for some sense of life; and couldn’t achieve it with regular classes such as trigonometry and physics. He and Princeton were a mismatch. He entered as a hungry mind and a best-read member of the class, and one of the least qualified to fit in. He was simply not college material. He hated all the hazing, the required dress code, the school songs and the excitement at football games. This simply wasn’t him. He wasn’t a people person and wanted to remain that way. O’Neill was kicked out of Princeton after his first year. It wasn’t because he didn’t have the grades or talent; it was because he preferred not to fit in.In 1909, Mrs. Kathleen Pitt-Smith became Eugene O’Neill’s first wife and the mother of his first child. Shortly after they were married, O’Neill began his record of travel, first to Honduras to prospect for gold, then to Buenos Aires as a seaman. Eugene always referred to his 2-month voyage to Buenos Aires as one of the high points in his life. In the first phase of Eugene O’Neill’s writing career, he would try to utilize his own experiences, especially as a seaman. Eugene and Kathleen’s child was about a year old when Eugene came around to s...
