Tragedy of strength: A precarity's study of Yank in The Hairy Ape

The paper studies the condition of the vulnerable classes represented by Eugene O’Neill in his play The Hairy Ape, highlighting the significant psychological insecurities of the characters. The speeches and atmosphere inhabited by the characters are a projection of their inner turmoil and trauma.The current study will identify how Yank’s confrontation with reality and his tragic fate are a result of the precarious condition of his livelihood through a close textual analysis. The paper examines the influence of the struggles of destitutes and victimized bodies in The Hairy Ape on the felt vulnerabilities of the socially and economically alienated classes. The paper has employed the idea of precarity internalized by the characters of the play, enabling them to associate emotions and trauma with events, time, and objects. O’Neill has been considered the bard of suffering and is known to represent the lives of individuals with a death drive or tendency to kill oneself, as exemplified in the central character, Yank, in American society.