Beyond the Horizon
by Eugene O’Neill (excerpt)
In this opening scene, Robert is preparing for a journey at sea with his uncle. He dreams of leaving his family farm to seek adventure. Before his departure, he expresses his feelings of affection to his longtime neighbor, Ruth, and she explains that she has also secretly loved him.
ROBERT: (The expression of bewilderment giving way to one of overwhelming joy.) Do you mean that—that you love me?
RUTH: (sobbing) Yes, yes—of course I do—what d’you s’pose? (She lifts up her head and looks into his eyes with a tremulous smile) I’ve loved you right along.
ROBERT: (mystified) But you and Andy were always together!
RUTH: Because you never seemed to want to go any place with me. You were always reading an old book, and not paying any attention to me. I was too proud to let you see I cared because I thought the year you had away to college had made you stuck-up, and you thought yourself too educated to waste any time on me.
ROBERT: And I was thinking—— (With a laugh) What fools we’ve both been!
RUTH: (overcome by a sudden fear) You won’t go away on the trip, will you, Rob? You’ll tell them you can’t go on account of me, won’t you? You can’t go now! You can’t!
ROBERT: (bewildered) Perhaps—you can come too.
RUTH: Oh, Rob, don’t be so foolish. You know I can’t. Who’d take care of ma? Don’t you see I couldn’t go—on her account? Please don’t go—not now. Tell them you’ve decided not to. They won’t mind. I know your mother and father’ll be glad. They’ll all be. They don’t want you to go so far away from them. Please, Rob! We’ll be so happy here together where it’s natural and we know things. Please tell me you won’t go!
ROBERT: (face to face with a definite, final decision, betrays the conflict going on within him) But—Ruth—I—Uncle——
RUTH: He won’t mind when he knows it’s for your happiness to stay. How could he? (As ROBERT remains silent she bursts into sobs again) Oh, Rob! And you said—you loved me!
ROBERT: (conquered by this appeal—an irrevocable decision in his voice) I won’t go, Ruth. I promise you. There! Don’t cry! (After a pause he speaks with happy hopefulness) Perhaps after all Andy was right—righter than he knew—when he said I could find all the things I was seeking for here, at home on the farm. I think love must have been the secret—the secret that called to me from over the world’s rim—the secret beyond every horizon; and when I did not come, it came to me. Come! We’ll go and tell them at once.
RUTH: Let’s go, then. (She takes his hand, and they start to go off left. ROBERT suddenly stops and turns as though for a last look at the hills and the dying sunset flush).
ROBERT: (looking upward and pointing) See! The first star. Our star!
RUTH: (in a soft murmur) Yes. Our very own star. (They stand for a moment looking up at it, their arms around each other. Then RUTH takes his hand again and starts to lead him away) Come, Rob, let’s go. (His eyes are fixed again on the horizon as he half turns to follow her. RUTH urges) We’ll be late for supper, Rob.
ROBERT: (shakes his head impatiently, as though he were throwing off some disturbing thought—with a laugh) All right. We’ll run then. Come on!
(They run off laughing as the Curtain Falls)
3
Select the correct answer.
Which statement best expresses how Ruth’s character advances the plot?
A.
Ruth expresses her love for Robert to persuade him to take her along on his travels.
B.
Ruth expresses her love for Robert to persuade him to abandon his dream of traveling.
C.
Ruth explains her dislike of Andy to persuade Robert join her for dinner.
D.
Ruth explains her dislike of her mother to persuade Robert to abandon his dream of traveling.