The Hairy Ape.

The Hairy Ape

-         Eugene O’Neill

 O’Neill was the first American playwright to receive the Nobel prize for literature. O’Neil plays are written from a personal point of view and reflect on the tragedy of human condition. He starts career as a writer of “ Realistic Plays.” We find four things in his play………

1.      Psychological  Depth

2.      Poetic Symbolism

3.      Expressionistic Technique

4.      Religion ideas

·        As a Expressionist Play :

‘The Hairy Ape’ is an expressionist play which written by O’Neill. He takes character a brutish , unthinking labor known as – Yank. In whole play, he searches for a sense that……….

                  “ Where he belongs in the world ? “

When  Mildred – Daughter of rich an industrialist in steel business refers to Yank as a “Filthy beast“, Yank undergoes a crisis of identity. At last, Finally Yank go ahead seeking a kindred being with Gorilla- his brother in Zoo and died the animal’s embrace. We find Capitalist privilege and over power to others.

     

 O’Neill is critical of socialist Movement that can’t fulfill individual needs or solve unique problems. Writer only describe the problem of the society not solution.  The most important question is  “ Where is belonging ? “ we find class conflict in whole play. In The Hairy Ape  , O’Neill has adopted  “Non-realistic” methods.  Realistic setting is intended to create an impression in the manner of an expressionist.

Yank – the main character is the representative of a lower class. He creates the impression of man as “ Hairy Ape”. Yank has idea doesn’t ‘ Belong ‘ any class. He catches the attention of reader and is focused central figure – Yank.

                       

Voice of chorus is the most important among them. The name of Paddy and Long  are not the name of human beings . it just seems like animals .. like.. Dog’s name.

 The connections between the scenes are emotional  not logical. Play describes the consciousness of lower class which is represented by Yank. Many “Interior monologue” used in the play. Sometimes, it seems that Yank’s suffering is spiritual not physical. Man has been degraded and dehumanized. Yank feels mostly animalistic behavior from the others and he sees himself as a “ A Hairy Ape – Gorilla as Brother.” He thinks that both are same club – “ Club Of Hairy Ape ! “  

                   

Mildred and her aunt are symbolic of the artificially and enervation caused by the contemporary mechanized and materialized urban life. Paddy says to Mildred that…

                  “ You won’t change the dress.”

 Mildred answered ….

                                          “ I have many white dress like this….”

Worker can’t go outside from the bottom of the ship. The bottom is dark side of the ship and that reflects the mental disturbance , frustration and dehumanized  condition of lower class people.

Gorilla at least belongs to  Nature but Yank doesn’t belong even to that Beautiful World. Yank himself didn’t think that belonged….

            “ Crist , where do I get off at ?  where do  I fit in ? “

Alienation and isolation , is the common lot of man in the modern industrialized and urbanized society. Here we find that Expressionism is based on reality.

 How upper class people behaves with lower class people. Sympathy  far away from lower class. Because of language upper class people believe that people of lower class Is bad and have no manner or sense. Writer describe the contrast between the deck of the ship  where passenger enjoy the beautiful sunshine and bottom part of the ship where worker can’t get even enough light and fresh air. So, we can connect it with their physical strength also and their appearance.

Mildred describes herself as “ Waste Product “ and compares with leopard who never wants to live with “ Scratch off “. By this we can say that both Mildred and Yank are not satisfied their own position because one has intellectual power though she can’t do what she want to do. And one has physical energy though can’t do his own work. So, above discussion we can say that they both are not happy in their own environment because of incapability of communication as “ Civilized”. Both are doing struggle in their own class.

 O’Neill develops the theme  of entrapment through characters that exist within extremely different social strata. Means that…….. both Mildred and Yank who represent their own class want to be free from there. One or another way  both are victimized the same situation in their own class.

"The proletariat’s helpless is only equaled by the Bourgeois’ ego centrism.”

The people of the upper class are self- centered and to satisfy their ego, and prove their status in the society and front of them lower class people are helpless. We may say that Industrialization is divided people into  the class .  O’Neil describe industrial progress as means of human progress mean….. “Every men have existence.”  Lower class people can’t get opportunity to belong aristocratic class and by the authority of Stell companies treat them like…….. animal.

            During this continual work, they think and gradually they think that …. they have no intellectual thought. “ They have no right to think !” “ Drink !  Don’t think ! “

“ Not belonging “ is the predicament of modern society . There is the class identity in our society from the birth.

“One becomes the product of the culture and industry , they were born into.”

 Both want to free from their own culture but can’t escape yet the class didn’t choose by themselves. Yank – Finally wants to be a friend of Gorilla and address him as “ Brother !” but…. Gorilla springs on Yank , crushes Yank with his massive arms and then tosses Yank into his cage. So, we can say that Yank fails to find the proper class. Writer O’Neill expresses that lower class have lack of opportunity , knowledge and education so they can’t mix up with high class society.

       We find  other aspects to study the play  - The Hairy Ape like…………

1.      Human regression by industrialization

2.      The Frustration of Class

3.      Men versus Machine

·        Thought :

For yank, thought is the ultimate boundary. Means…. That he put the matter of thinking at the least of the last. By the position of “ Rodin’s thinker” he tries to think . First , yank takes the thing of thinking as ridiculous way .

“ Drink ! Don’t think ! “

After encounters with Mildred in stokehole, Yank a wares about the class consciousness with thought. Yank now thinks that thinking is the most important thing but can’t eliminate or get rid of by physical might. He himself laughs when he says…………

“ He is trying to think! “

Yank’s inability to thin not only reveals his regression to a lower animal form, but also renders him unable to adapt to or defend himself in the world beyond the ship. Means … yank has no intellectual knowledge so he can’t able to face outer world of the ship. Thought represents the authority of high class society of ………………….“ Brain Superiority.”

·         Language :

Yank’s own language represents the elimination of the belonging to upper class society. His deform language makes real communication impossible.

Example :

        He can’t pronounce properly the word “ Think”

 His language itself suggest that he belongs lower class society otherwise “where he belongs ?”Yank’s language create the disaster in his life because he has no intellectuality. Mildred language is also noticeable here because though she belongs upper class society , she doesn’t use the respectable language.

Example :

                                “ Mildred calls her aunt “ Old Hag ! “

In the whole play, we find the language abusive and more complex.

“ Yank has strength to bend the bars of his cell but he can’t break the division of the class.”

 Yank’s speech defines his class and place in society – rigid, unchanging and binding. But…  in the play “ Primitive state “ of human mind because as we know that in the play worker class people or firemen were not comfortable with technology , complex language structure, and complex thoughts. Yank himself doesn’t fit anywhere and scattered here and there and his own life leads him towards the tragic end of his life.. he belongs “ No where ! “  After his death , question is remain …. “ Where he belongs ?  “