Hello Readers,
Here I'm going to share my BA text named "The Hairy Ape". Let's have look at....below...
◆ Introduction :-
This play - " The Hairy Ape" was written by an American playwright and Nobel Laureate in Literature, Eugene O'Neil. He use to write political plays and he was the one who introduced it into American drama technique. Major topic of his writing is realism and social issue. He use to pen character who are struggle to maintain their hopes and aspirations, but ultimately slide into disillustionment and despair.
" The Hairy Ape" is also a part of his league of plays with realism and social issue. This play is about a british, unthinking labourer named Yank. He is searching for his belongingness. At the end , he knew that he was no belonging and he is just an ape as per society.
◆ Title of the play : " The Hairy Ape"
The title of literary work should be appropriate and suggestive. Most of the time, the title gives us an idea of its subject-matter. It should give us an idea to what the play is about. It should make us eager to go through it.
The title "The Hairy Ape" - has all those qualities. It refers to Yank, the central figure of the play, and his quest for identity or belongingness.
● An ape is the very embodiment of physical strength. It has title brain but a lot of muscles. It has incapable of thought. It knows only the use of physical force. It is exactly these qualities which Yank has. He is Hairy-chested with long arms of tremendous power. He is broader and more powerful than other stokers. He has great capacity for work. He can work for long hours and inhale smoke and coal unaffected like the Hairy Ape. He has immense physical strength and great capacity of destruction.
● In the very beginning, we find that he is quite in harmony with his work, confident of himself and proud of his superior strength.
As he says ...
" He belongs while other stokers do not belong"
But his confident sense of belongingness is soon shattered. Mildred Douglas, a student of sociology, came down into stockhall at a time: Yank is flourishing his shovel ,above his head. Shouting, crushing and pounding his chest with his other hand.
The impact of his ...
" Abysmal brutality, naked and Shameless."
Is too much. As she faints she calls him,
" The Filthy Beast "
Throughout the novel he broods the words 'Hairy Ape' used for him. Desire for revenge burns hot on his heart. His confident sense of belongingness has gone. He realizes that the ship belongs to her and he is simply a slave working to maintain her luxury. He is no longer in harmony with his work. Now he does not share or clean himself like other stokers and comes to look like The Hairy Ape.
● Yank, The Hairy Ape is rejected by civilised society. He has been rapidly disintegrating. Regression alone is possible for him and don't want to go back. He goes to the zoo and looking for brotherhood of the apes. He calls an ape - a "brother" shakes hand with him but the gorilla wraps his arms around him and crushes him to death. It throws it's body into the cage and walks of menacingly.
◆ Conclusion :-
The dramatist has given the play the sub-title " A Comedy of Ancient and Modern Life" . The ancient life is represented by gorilla and the Yank represents modern life. He is the modern ape. There is regression instead of progress.
In short, the title of the play is apt. It suggests the content and theme of the play. The morbid obsession of Yank with the insult that he has been healed upon him and the consequent disintegration of his personality.
Here I'm going to share my BA text named "The Hairy Ape". Let's have look at....below...
◆ Introduction :-
This play - " The Hairy Ape" was written by an American playwright and Nobel Laureate in Literature, Eugene O'Neil. He use to write political plays and he was the one who introduced it into American drama technique. Major topic of his writing is realism and social issue. He use to pen character who are struggle to maintain their hopes and aspirations, but ultimately slide into disillustionment and despair.
" The Hairy Ape" is also a part of his league of plays with realism and social issue. This play is about a british, unthinking labourer named Yank. He is searching for his belongingness. At the end , he knew that he was no belonging and he is just an ape as per society.
◆ Title of the play : " The Hairy Ape"
The title of literary work should be appropriate and suggestive. Most of the time, the title gives us an idea of its subject-matter. It should give us an idea to what the play is about. It should make us eager to go through it.
The title "The Hairy Ape" - has all those qualities. It refers to Yank, the central figure of the play, and his quest for identity or belongingness.
● An ape is the very embodiment of physical strength. It has title brain but a lot of muscles. It has incapable of thought. It knows only the use of physical force. It is exactly these qualities which Yank has. He is Hairy-chested with long arms of tremendous power. He is broader and more powerful than other stokers. He has great capacity for work. He can work for long hours and inhale smoke and coal unaffected like the Hairy Ape. He has immense physical strength and great capacity of destruction.
● In the very beginning, we find that he is quite in harmony with his work, confident of himself and proud of his superior strength.
As he says ...
" He belongs while other stokers do not belong"
But his confident sense of belongingness is soon shattered. Mildred Douglas, a student of sociology, came down into stockhall at a time: Yank is flourishing his shovel ,above his head. Shouting, crushing and pounding his chest with his other hand.
The impact of his ...
" Abysmal brutality, naked and Shameless."
Is too much. As she faints she calls him,
" The Filthy Beast "
Throughout the novel he broods the words 'Hairy Ape' used for him. Desire for revenge burns hot on his heart. His confident sense of belongingness has gone. He realizes that the ship belongs to her and he is simply a slave working to maintain her luxury. He is no longer in harmony with his work. Now he does not share or clean himself like other stokers and comes to look like The Hairy Ape.
● Yank, The Hairy Ape is rejected by civilised society. He has been rapidly disintegrating. Regression alone is possible for him and don't want to go back. He goes to the zoo and looking for brotherhood of the apes. He calls an ape - a "brother" shakes hand with him but the gorilla wraps his arms around him and crushes him to death. It throws it's body into the cage and walks of menacingly.
◆ Conclusion :-
The dramatist has given the play the sub-title " A Comedy of Ancient and Modern Life" . The ancient life is represented by gorilla and the Yank represents modern life. He is the modern ape. There is regression instead of progress.
In short, the title of the play is apt. It suggests the content and theme of the play. The morbid obsession of Yank with the insult that he has been healed upon him and the consequent disintegration of his personality.
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