Analysis: The Hairy Ape

Virtually all of Eugene O’Neill’s dramas deal with social issues; in this respect, “The Hairy Ape” is no different. The zeitgeist that was prevalent during the writing of this work of literature clearly influenced its subject matter. The play was published in 1922, during the critical years in which the county and the world at large was recovering from World War I and the political turmoil that would eventually result in World War II was taking place. More importantly, perhaps, the Russian Revolution had recently occurred and climaxed with the assertion of the Socialist and Communist Party’s triumph there. As such, the political and social virtues espoused during this period infiltrated O’Neill’s work and indelibly shaped the author’s thinking as revealed by a detailed analysis of the play’s plot. 

The issue of class distinction is featured prominently within this dramatic work. The protagonist, Yank (whose name is exceedingly important since it is an abbreviated version of Yankee, which symbolizes the fact that he represents the common American man) represents the oppressed working class. The oppressor of Yank and of working-class people of the world, or so common Marxist and socialist rhetoric posited at the time “The Hairy Ape” was written, is the rich bourgeoisie class. There are several ways in which the bourgeois is represented within this play, most notably by the character of Mildred. Despite Mildred’s altruistic visions of helping poorer people by the means of charity, her eminent social standing and the financial power of her family render her distinctly of the ‘owning’ class.

This class conflict comes to a head in the play when Mildred, symbolically dressed in all white to represent both purity and the exact opposite of the filth of the lower-class workers, encounters Yank within the bowls of an Ocean Liner. Despite her purported interest in helping poor, working class people such as Yank and his companions, Mildred is unabashedly disgusted and terrified of his stark, dirty appearance—and promptly faints. She refers to him as a beast; the motif of Yank as a beast, and as an ape in particular, endures during the duration of the drama. Thus, the author is clearly denoting the fact that working class, poorer people are despoiled of their humanity by the rich owning class, who take them and their labor for granted.

These socio-political mores regarding the nature of the class struggle are emblematic of Expressionist literature, which surged in the period preceding and directly after the climax of World War I (the latter era was when O’Neill composed his manuscript). Specifically, “Expressionism in literature arose as a reaction against materialism, complacent bourgeois prosperity, rapid mechanization and urbanization” (Kuiper). Various elements of the definition of Expressionist literature are readily found within “The Hairy Ape.” The fact that Yank’s interaction with Mildred serves as the chief source of antagonism within this drama indicates that O’Neill was attempting to disparage material wealth (particularly due to the description of Mildred’s all-white outfit) and bourgeoisie wealth. 

Finally, when noting that the principle point of O’Neill’s play is to highlight the class distinction between the workers and the owners of the world and its source of production, it is significant to realize that Industrial Workers of the World party is represented within this work. One of the characters suggests to Yank that he can join this group and help to exact revenge on the petty bourgeoisie (such as Mildred and her father) who are attempting to exploit workers (O’Neill). As such, it is clear that this play reflects the values of Expressionist literature and the class struggle that was popular at the time. 

Works Cited

O’Neill, Eugene. “The Hairy Ape.” Project Gutenberg. 1922. Web.  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4015/4015-h/4015-h.htm

Kuiper, Kathleen. “Expressionism in Literature.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2006. Web. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/198740/Expressionism/284080/Expressionism-in-literature