Hairy Ape by Eugene ONeilYanks sense of belonging
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In The Hairy Ape, by Eugene O'Neill, Yank is the protagonist of the story and we follow his quest for a sense of belonging throughout the play.
Yank's real name is Bob Smith and he was born in New York City. He is a fireman and coal stoker, who works on a Transatlantic Liner. In the beginning he seems quite content with his job because he feels like he "belongs" and that the work he does is very important. Yank feels the firemen "belong" because they make the ship run and they are needed in order for the ship to go.
However, industrialization affected the all working as coal stokers, including Yank. The men are only there to do one task and are not required to think independently. Industrialization basically turned the workers into machines, doing hard manual labor. The workers worked so hard doing the long hours of physical labor that it caused a general wear and tear on their body and deterioration of the worker into a Neanderthal or Ape-like state. The longer Yank and the other workers work on the ship, the further back they will fall on the human evolutionary path...