Discuss the symbols used in The Hairy Ape.

Answer

Discuss the symbols used in The Hairy Ape.

Eugene O’Neill’s (1888-1953) play “The Hairy Ape” (1922) is full of powerful symbols that show the inner struggle of modern man. The play tells the story of Yank, a strong coal stoker on a ship. He feels powerful but slowly realizes that he does not belong anywhere. O’Neill uses different symbols—like steel, apes, Mildred’s white dress, the cage, and Rodin’s “The Thinker”—to show Yank’s journey from pride to confusion and finally to death. Each symbol expresses a deep meaning about class, identity, and human existence.

Steel—The Power and the Prison: Steel is one of the most important symbols in the play. At the beginning, Yank proudly says that he is the steel. He is—

“The muscles and the punch behind it.”

For him, steel represents power and strength. It makes him feel that he is the real heart of modern civilization. But as the play goes on, steel begins to mean something else. It becomes a symbol of imprisonment and oppression. The ship itself is made of steel, and it traps Yank and the other workers like animals in a cage. Later, when Yank goes to jail, the steel bars again surround him. So, steel finally shows how modern industrial life has trapped men like Yank instead of giving them freedom.

The Ape—Primitive Man and Lost Identity: The ape is another strong symbol. From the beginning, Yank is compared to an ape by others and even by himself. Mildred calls him—

“The filthy beast.” 

Yank begins to think he truly is an ape. The ape represents man’s primitive side, the part that existed before civilization, language, or class. Yank cannot understand the complex world around him. In the final scene, when he meets the real ape in the zoo, he calls it “brother.” This moment shows his total confusion—he feels closer to an animal than to human society. The ape thus becomes a symbol of Yank’s lost identity.