The Hairy Ape, a play written by Eugene O'Neill in 1922, tells the story of Yank, a brutish and unrefined man who works as a coal stoker on a ship. Throughout the play, Yank grapples with his own sense of identity and belonging, as he tries to find a place for himself in a world that seems to reject him.
At the beginning of the play, Yank is confident in his own strength and masculinity, believing that his job as a coal stoker gives him a certain status and dignity. However, this sense of pride is shattered when he encounters Mildred Douglas, a wealthy young woman who is repulsed by Yank's appearance and mannerisms. In her eyes, Yank is nothing more than a "hairy ape," a primitive and animalistic being.
This encounter with Mildred serves as a turning point for Yank, as he begins to question his own worth and place in society. He becomes increasingly disillusioned with his job and his life, and begins to feel like an outcast and a misfit. In his search for identity and meaning, Yank turns to various groups and ideologies, including socialism and communism, but ultimately finds them to be inadequate.
Ultimately, Yank's journey leads him to a tragic end, as he is killed while trying to escape from the zoo, where he has been locked up after causing a disturbance. However, the play suggests that Yank's death is not simply a physical one, but also a spiritual and emotional one, as he dies having never truly found his place in the world.
The Hairy Ape can be seen as a commentary on the plight of the working class and their struggle for recognition and respect in a society that often treats them as inferior. It also touches on themes of alienation, identity, and the search for meaning in a world that seems to offer little hope or purpose. O'Neill's portrayal of Yank as a complex and multi-dimensional character, rather than a simple stereotype, adds depth and nuance to the play, and helps to make it a timeless and thought-provoking work of literature.
Alienation In The Hairy Ape
Ladies and Gentlemen of Fifth Avenue Citizens of the Upper Class, they are consumed by their own greed and materialism, completely blocking out anything that is not of their kind, like Yank. Ă the ladsĂ argue aboutĂ the way toĂ followĂ and attack theĂ upper crustĂ , and YankĂ remainsĂ assailĂ getting Mildred back. Tell me where his woiks is, how to git there, all de dope. Now we stand in the 21st century, and we have made far strides consisting of cell phones, cars, flight, space travel, robots, etc. It is a condemnation of the whole structure of machine civilization âŚshow more content⌠It is here that his sense of disillusionment is complete. When Yank asks for a beer, the men scramble to give Yank two. In the former case, the machines give the workers a sense of immense power, while at the same time robbing of them of their freedom and humanity.
The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill Summary & Analysis
And rising above all, making the air hum with the quiver of liberated energy, the roar of leaping flames in the furnaces, the monotonous throbbing beat of the engines. The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill Analysis An analysis of The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill is summarized in the protagonist, Yank's, quest for identity and degeneration from a man who found purpose in his work into a gorilla-like existence. Not Mildred alone, but the whole class which she represents is dehumanised in the machine age. Chris Mccandless Pawns In Into The Wild 1297 Words 6 Pages McCandless focuses his life around himself and is egotistical. He opens the cage of the guerrilla to get him free, but the guerrilla wraps his arms around Yank and crushes him to death. All ofĂ the ladsĂ noticeĂ of and are stunned by the sight of Mildred,Ă apart fromĂ Yank.
Critical Analysis of Eugene OâNeillâs The Hairy Ape
They roughly dispatch him to the street. Data from archaeological work conducted by Sonoma State University during the Cypress Freeway Replacement Project is used in an historical materialist exploration of class-consciousness among railroad workers in a late-19th-century working-class neighborhood in West Oakland, California. He is strong, brutish, and hard working. The body, which has been his only source of pride, becomes a prison for him. For the day that was, was enough, for we was free men.
