The Hairy Ape

The Hairy Ape displays the obvious differences between social classes like the ones Mildred and Yank fall into. Both characters are alike in so many ways, but share the desire to be what they're not. They are both trapped in the categories that society has placed upon them. Although they yearn to be someone else, they both know that they are just what society tells them they are.

Mildred is a high-class girl who likes to do charitable work. Her father is the owner of Nazerith Steel. She has had all the great luxuries in life and was always given the finest things. She feels empty inside, though, for she wonders what it is like "on the other side." She feels she owes the people beneath her a "helping hand." Her aunt doesn't see why Mildred would lower herself to such a low level of disgrace by helping out the poor. This annoys Mildred, but she simply replies, "Please do not mock at my attempts to discover how the other half lives."(1559) This leads the audience to think that she is doing all of this out of curiosity, but she feels that she has missed out on something by not experiencing "the other side."

Yank is a strong and powerful man. He works for Mildred's fathers steel company and has great authority over the other workers. He is part of the lower class, but rejects this idea. He, too, like Mildred, feels trapped in the society in which he lives. He knows what category he falls under, but he doesn't really understand it and surely does not except it. He is seen as an "ape" of society.

Both Mildred and Yank long to be on opposite sides, but their wish can never be fulfilled. They both know this, but seek happiness through this. Destiny placed both of these individuals in a society where class matters. Unfortunately, they both feel that they don't belong where fate has led them.