Consider Yank as a tragic character.

Answer

Consider Yank as a tragic character. [NU: 2016]

Or, Who is Yank? How does he meet his tragedy?

Eugene O’Neill’s (1888-1953) “The Hairy Ape” (1922) is a modern tragedy. The hero is Yank. He works in the stokehole of a ship. His life begins with pride but ends in death. He meets Paddy, Long, Mildred, and the gorilla. He goes to Fifth Avenue, Blackwell’s Island prison, the I.W.W. office, and finally the Zoo. His journey shows the fall of a tragic man.

Pride and Strength in the Stokehole: At the start, Yank is full of pride. In the firemen’s forecastle, he shows his power. Other men fear him. Long speaks of politics. Paddy speaks of old sailing days. Yank, the main character, believes he is strong and powerful because of his work as a stoker. Yank proudly claims, 

“I’m part of de engines!”  

He feels he is the engine of the world. The ship moves with its arms. The men obey his voice. This false pride begins his tragic journey.

The Insult of Mildred Douglas: Scene Three brings Mildred Douglas to the stokehole. She is a rich girl. She wears white clothes. She is curious but weak. When she sees Yank, she calls him, 

“Oh, the filthy beast!” 

Then she faints. This one word destroys Yank’s pride. The man who felt like a god now feels like an ape. Paddy sings sad songs of freedom. Long warns about class. But Yank feels only pain. He thought he was the center of the world. Now he feels like an animal. This insult starts his tragic fall. 

Anger in Fifth Avenue: In Scene Five, Yank goes to Fifth Avenue in New York. The place is clean and rich. People come from church. Long says they must fight in politics. But Yank only wants revenge. He shouts at the rich people. He pushes them. He even hits a gentleman. Soon, the police catch him. Here, his anger destroys him. He wanted to prove