Describe the human regression by industrialization in “The Hairy Ape.”

Answer

Describe the human regression by industrialization in “The Hairy Ape.” [NU: 2020, 22] ★★★

Regression means going backward or falling from a higher stage to a lower stage. Eugene O’Neill’s (1888-1953) “The Hairy Ape” (1922) is an expressionist play. It shows how modern industrial society makes workers less than human. Men in the stokehole lose their freedom. They live like beasts in smoke and coal. Yank, the stoker, becomes the symbol of regression. From the forecastle to the Zoo, his life shows how machines reduce humans to animals.

The Stokehole- Men Like Beasts: In the firemen’s forecastle, the workers drink, fight, and curse. They are dirty and half-naked. Paddy remembers the old sailing days of fresh wind and beauty. But now men burn coal in dark stokeholes. Yank shouts proudly, 

“I’m part of de engines!” 

Industrialization makes him proud of slavery. He is no longer free. He is a part of a machine. His body is strong, but his soul is shrinking. This is the first step of human regression.

Mildred’s Insult- Man Reduced to Animal: When Mildred Douglas visits the stokehole, she sees Yank. She cries, 

“Oh, the filthy beast!” 

Then she faints. The words cut deep. To her rich eyes, the worker is not human. He is dirty, sweaty, and looks like an ape. Yank, who thought he was the engine of the world, begins to believe he is only an animal. Here, we see industrialization has reduced man from human to beast in the eyes of society.

Fifth Avenue- The Worker Cannot Belong: Yank goes to Fifth Avenue, New York. He sees clean, rich people after church. He tries to shout, but they ignore him. He pushes and even hits a gentleman. The police arrest him. His dirty body does not fit the rich street. The industrial worker has no place among the rich. He is out of society. He is treated like a wild animal, making trouble. This is a regression from citizen to outsider.

Prison and I.W.W.-