cal Conflict and Identity Crisis:
Modern tragedy shows inner struggle. Yank is full of pride in the stokehole. But Mildred Douglas, a rich girl, comes in a white dress. She sees him and cries,
“Oh, the filthy beast!”
Then she faints. This insult destroys Yank’s mind. Paddy sings of old sailing days. Long speaks of class. But Yank hears only one word: “beast.” He feels he is not human. He begins to think of himself as an ape. His identity breaks. This is a modern psychological tragedy.
Social Reality and Class Conflict: Modern tragedy also shows society. In Scene Five, Yank goes to Fifth Avenue in New York. The place is clean and rich. Churchgoers walk in fine clothes. Yank feels angry. He wants revenge. Long says politics is the way. But Yank wants only to fight. He shouts at rich people. He even hits a gentleman. Soon, the police come. He is arrested. Here, class conflict becomes clear. The rich ignore him. The poor cannot save him. Yank is lost between classes. His tragedy grows from social injustice.
Rejection and Isolation Everywhere: Yank is rejected again and again. In Scene Six, he is in Blackwell’s Island prison. He feels like an animal in a cage. He tries to bend the iron bars. Guards beat him. In Scene Seven, he goes to the I.W.W. office. At first, they welcome him. But when he speaks of blowing up the Steel Trust, they suspect him. They push him out. A policeman ignores him.
“Yank—Say, where do I go from here?
Policeman— Go to hell.”
Yank feels fully rejected. Rich society, poor workers, law, and politics all throw him away. He is completely isolated. This is the heart of modern tragedy.
Tragic End Without Glory: Classical tragic heroes die with dignity. But Yank dies like an animal. In Scene Eight, he goes to the Zoo. He sees the gorilla. He feels they are the same. He opens the cage. The gorilla crushes him and throws him inside. He dies crying,
“Christ, where do I get off at? Where do I fit in?”
His death has no glory. It is only pain. He dies as a man without a place, without an identity. This is the modern tragic end.
“The Hairy Ape” is a true modern tragedy. The hero is a common man. His tragedy comes from insult, rejection, and class conflict. He meets Paddy, Long, Mildred, the police, the I.W.W., and the gorilla. But nobody accepts him. His pride is broken. His death is meaningless. Eugene O’Neill shows that in the modern world, even a strong worker can die like a tragic king of the past.
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