Class Conflict And Conflict In Eugene O Neill's The Hairy Ape

More often than not, one can only expect to find major differences in Hollywood adaptations of written works. Unsurprisingly, the Hollywood adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s The Hairy Ape is no different. However, there are a handful of similarities between the two works from the central theme of the story to the major characters. Specifically, class struggle is prominent throughout both the film and the play, and the major characters of buffoonish Yank (or rather, Hank), Mildred, Paddy, and Long are all present. Furthermore, the crucial scene of Mildred calling Yank a “hairy ape” in the stokehold and Yank’s questioning of his identity and eventual arrest also make an appearance. However, the similarities end there, as the differences between

In the original play, there are only two scenes where Yank makes contact with the upper class—first when Mildred is in the stokehold and the second when Yank is on 5th Avenue. These two scenes only offer a glimpse into the tension between the two classes: through the insult Mildred says and the fact that the upper class bluntly ignore Yank. However, as Dr. Casale had mentioned, the idea of the middle class is also present in the film. As a result, viewers are not only able to see the class struggle between the lower and upper classes, but also between the middle and both the upper and lower classes. Consequently, there are more examples of tension between the different classes as seen by Mildred’s treatment of Helen, the doorman’s treatment of Yank, Tony’s treatment of Mildred, just to name a few. Perhaps one of the most compelling images the film has to offer in reference to class struggle, however, is the fact that Yank has the whistle in his possession at the end of the film. Earlier in the film, the engineers (who are in a higher social class) are ordering around Yank and the other men in the stokehold via their whistles. The fact that Yank now has this whistle, and blows it as he sees fit, symbolically shows that he now has the power despite still being from the lower class. This

This is due to the fact that the two adaptations are extremely different, and each presents its own story arc. While O’Neill’s original work is arguably depressing, it shows just how brutal the world (specifically, a Capitalist one) can really be. Unfortunately, the fact that one little insult can cause one’s life to be thrown into utter turmoil isn’t all that uncommon—and sometimes, there can be drastic consequences. However, the film adaptation of The Hairy Ape shows that, despite living in a brutal world, one can still thrive and be happy as long as they know and accept their place within it (with the help of enacting a little revenge). Without a doubt, life can certainly go either way, which is why it is hard to choose which is more enjoyable. However, if I was forced to make a decision, I would say that I enjoy the film adaptation of The Hairy Ape more because it has an optimistic ending where the “little man” takes