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217highly developed individual. (O’Neill I: THA 207)In The Hairy Ape , the dramatist employs a kind of telegraphiclanguage so characteristic of Expressionistic drama. The rhythm ofspeeches, abrupt and disjointed, reinforces the impression of theformlessness and confusion of the lives of these sailors and stokers. Thesordid, ugly details revealed through their speeches present them asdehumanized victim of mechanical forces. Manyslang expressions andprofane language add charm of their own to the play. FredericI. Carpenterrightly observes :Yank speaks a dialect so ungrammatical that it sometimesbecomes grotesque, while Mildred and her friends speak withthe exaggerated artifi ciality of a Sunday supplement. (100)In The Hairy Ape , the dramatist heightens the dramatic impact bymeans of contrasts. The class struggle is symbolized in the contrast betweenthe elegant passengers on the deck and the workers in the bowels of thevesse l. In the first scene , we have seen the squalor and degradation of thesewage slaves. In the second and fifth scenes , we see the frivolousness andinsanity of the live s of the rich who are their master:The jeweller ’s window is gaudy with glittering diamo nds,emeralds, rubies, pearls, etc. fashioned inornates tiaras,crowns, necklaces, collars, etc. From each piece hangs anenormous tag from which a dollar sign and numerals inintermittent electric lights wink out the incredible prices. Thesame in the fu rrier ’s Rich furs of all varieties hang there bathedin downpour of artificial light. The general effect is of abackground of magnificence cheapened and made grotesque bycom mercialism, a background in tawd ry disharmony with theclear light and sunshine on the street itself. ( O’Neill I: THA233 )O’Neill satirises these through an expressionistic distortion. Yank in hisdirty clothes walking with Long in the Fifth Avenue does not belong to thisworld. He is neglected by everyone on the street.One of the major characteristics of the expressionistic plays is that
218the number of characters is cut down to a minimum. Theeye of thedramatist is focused on the central figure. Other characters are given muchless importance. They are put merely as background to exp edite the actionof the play. In The Hairy Ape , other stokers except Paddy and Long have notbeen given even names, not to talk to some role. The prisoners are nameless.Even the secretary of the I.W.W . has not been given any name. T his neglectof the char acters enables the dramatist to keep his attention fixed on Yank.In The Hairy Ape , expressionism is seen in its disgust at modernhumanity. The lower classes in it are hairy apes; the upper classes aremarionettes. Both the classes are terribly dehumanize d: they are completelyalienated from life. The mechanical set -up has led to a loss of humanidentity. The rich world represented by Mildred has also lost all vitality. Itshows all the signs of spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy. There is nothingto ch oose between Yank and Mildred. The play is a condemnation of thewhole structure of machine civilization. It is a disintegration of moderncivilization and the conflict of their hearts. Thus The Hairy Ape with itsvaried experiments in style and theatricalsetting has becomeexpressionistic. Rober t F. Whitman righ tly remarks:The expressionistic technique s are on the whole betterinte grated (in this play) than in the earlier play . (150)Another expressionistic effect is added to the play with the help ofthe light. It imaginatively presents the contrast between the privileged andunderprivileged classes and the conflict going on i n their minds. While thesuper race scenes are set in bright sunshine, the sub -race scenes are set indarkness. The contrast is, however, not an end in itself. It conveyssymbolically that modern man, unless he is spiritually dead, cannot be athome in either mode of life. Music and songs also contributes to theimaginative appeal of the play. They serve primarily to characterize Yaand to foreshadow his future fate. Mechanical sounds are also veryexpressive. Fire, engines and steel here contribute tocreate discount, yetrhythmic, ‘ music ’ of the modern machine age. The engine whistle soundsare symbol of the reality behind Yank ’s fancy that he is the energy that runsthe ship, that he is steel, that he belongs.nk
Page 1 and 2: `O’NEILL'S TECHNIQUE OFEXPRESSION
Page 3 and 4: 206inadequate because speech does n
Page 5 and 6: 208I advocated masks for stage crow
Page 7 and 8: 210was the deep experience that int
Page 9 and 10: 212pro ne to consump tion. Environm
Page 11 and 12: 214images, all expressionistically
Page 13: 216stage only to givea tragic touch
Page 17 and 18: 220brings symbolically before us Ma
Page 19 and 20: 222a hairy ape. Thus there is a uni
Page 21 and 22: 224his characters ’ personalities
Page 23 and 24: 226present to the past times. Time
Page 25 and 26: 228no laws, there can be no conscio
Page 27 and 28: 230with tuber culosis and only as a
Page 29 and 30: 232the purpose of which is to extri
Page 31 and 32: 234Works CitedAbrams, M. H. A Gloss
Page 33: 236Winther, S. K. Eugene O ’Neill

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