and hot place on the ship A False Sense of Helpfulness Despite her privileged background Mildred tries to help the poor by studying sociology and doing social work However this attempt is superficial Her aunt mocks her saying The poor that you made so much poorer in their own eyes This shows that Mildred's efforts may do more harm than good Her visit to the stokehole is driven more by curiosity than genuine concern When she faces the harsh reality she faints calling Yank a filthy beast Symbol of Class Division Mildred represents the rich people who are very different from the workers like Yank She calls Yank a hairy ape which shows the big gap between the rich and the poor She doesn't understand Yank and he can't relate to her This meeting makes Yank question where he belongs in the world Mildred Douglas is a character who shows the difference between the rich and the poor Even though she tries to help her actions only make the gap between her world and Yank's world bigger