Sympathy is given to those who suffer for no reason. When a person goes through rough times because of issues that were beyond his control, he deserves the sympathy of others. However, not all victims deserve sympathy.
In most cases, the suffering of victims is somehow the consequence of their own actions or decisions. Although they may not directly cause their suffering, in one way or another, their actions, words, or decisions may have led other people to inflict pain unto them. In Desire Under the Elms, the three major characters all go through suffering. They all are victims for different types of agony.Eben is a victim for he lost his mother due to his father’s mistreatment of her.
He goes to jail for a crime he did not commit himself but may have indirectly caused such crime to be committed. Abbie not only lost a husband but lost her son as well. Moreover, she goes to jail for murdering her son out of a supposed great love for Eben. On the other hand, Cabot is a victim of deception and deceit by both his wife and his son. All along he thinks that he has a son but what he fails to recognize is the fact that he is being cheated on by both his wife and his son.
In essence, there are no genuine victims in the story. No one among the characters deserves sympathy for each one of them has directly or indirectly caused their own suffering. Sympathy is only deserved by genuine victims. No one among the characters is a genuine victim and thus, no one deserves sympathy.
Among the three characters, it would seem as if Eben maybe considered as the victim. First, he loses his mother and it would seem as if his own father neglects him and mistreats him. Indeed, these are valid reasons for him to be given sympathy.However, by entering into an illicit affair with his own stepmother, he loses any right to such sympathy. It can be said that his affair with Abbie is the product of his hatred for his father and uses such affair as a form of revenge against him. He has caused suffering for another individual, regardless of whether the person has done him wrong.
In doing so, Eben cannot and should not be given sympathy. He can no longer be considered a victim for he has acted upon his grief and suffering by causing suffering for others.More importantly, Eben should not be given sympathy for he indirectly caused the death of his own son. By saying, “I wish he never was born! I wish he'd die this minit! I wish I'd never sot eyes on him! It's him--yew havin' him--a-purpose t' steal--that's changed everythin'” (Part Three, Scene 2), Eben drove Abbie to kill their child. As such, no sympathy should be given to Eben and to Abbie.
Both of them have caused pain and suffering for others, for their own child and for Cabot as well. Ephraim Cabot does not deserve sympathy himself.For one, the manner by which he treated Eben’s mother makes him a tormentor rather than a victim. Indeed he lost a wife in her, but her suffering may be the result of his mistreatment. Eben pointed this out by saying, “She'd got too tired. She'd got too used t' bein' too tired.
That was what he done. (with vengeful passion) An' sooner'r later, I'll meddle. I'll say the thin's I didn't say then t' him! I'll yell 'em at the top o' my lungs. I'll see t' it my Maw gits some rest an' sleep in her grave! (He sits down again, relapsing into a brooding silence.They look at him with a queer indifferent curiosity. )” (Part 1, Scene 2) The only victim in the play is the baby.
The baby was pure and innocent. However, it was used for selfish and vested interests. Its mother used it to get her share and ownership of the farm. Its father used it as a way of extracting revenge from Cabot. The baby, whose death was caused by the hatred that existed everywhere around him, is the only genuine victim.
He is the only person who deserves sympathy in the play. His suffering is completely caused by others around him. He did not deserve to die.
