Self-identity Crisis and Animalism in "The Hairy Ape" by Eugene O'Neil

Master's Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Literature - Comparative Literature, grade: -, , language: English, abstract: This research paper articulates the aspects behind self-identity crisis in workers, a big cause of low financial status. Purpose of this study is also to discover the effects of negative perception upon them as positive perception plays a significant role in building strong personality characteristics. Developing positive sense of self is an essential part of every individual becoming a mature person as it develops strong character. Workers are born in poverty, live like animals and don¿t have basic needs of life. They perceive and believe that generation to generation they belong to low class, it is in fate and not possible to bring change in their lives. Whole life they remain unable to think positively and change progressively. Though they do hard work, most of them remain failure in improving poor financial status. In anger sometimes they blame fate while brood and complain against close people and society, on another time. Question is what the causes behind their self-identity crisis are and who is responsible of their deprivation and alienation.

Purpose of the study is to know whether, wholly and solely, workers are responsible of their identity crisis or close people and society play significant role on the basis of The Hairy Ape by Eugene O¿Neil. It is also to explore the causes which force central character to follow instincts and also the aspects of weak evaluation of his characterization, as a crew member in the play. It needs to be known what the reasons behind constant poverty generation to generationare despite the fact that they do hard work but they can¿t change and progress. Besides they are not given due rights and due to poor financial status they are not considered respectable citizens in society.