Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Hairy Ape

The Hairy Ape

O'Neill, Eugene

Paperback

Classic Fiction

ISBN13: 9791041805136
Publisher: Culturea
Published: Mar 31 2023
Pages: 80
Weight: 0.25
Height: 0.19 Width: 5.83 Depth: 8.27
Language: English
Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape isn't one of his best-known works, but it has gained popularity as an exploration of early American society. It was first produced in 1922 by the Provincetown Players in Massachusetts, embracing expressionism in its set design and staging, before moving on to Broadway, where it faced resistance from local and federal governments due to its radical views. The play examines the existential crisis of the protagonist, a brutish stoker named Yank, who begins the play secure in his role as the leader of firemen on an Atlantic ocean liner. But when confronted by the disdain of an upper-class passenger who calls him a filthy beast, he seeks to rebel against his place. Then, as all his plans for revenge fail, he slowly finds himself descending to the literal level that society has relegated him to. O'Neill uses Yank's search for belonging to explore the destructive forces of industrialization and social class. Early on, The Hairy Ape's commentary on the dehumanization of workers caused it to be taken up by many labor groups and unions to further their own causes. The play also touches on themes of masculinity and socialism, and the repeated references to the blackface of the ship's stokers and Yank's degeneration into an animal have added a racial element to recent analyses.

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