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The title of The Hairy Ape is very apt and suggestive. It shows the dehumanization of the modem industrial worker in the capitalistic set-up. A petty worker like Yank leads a life of unending humiliations and hardships and is denied any identity or freedom. The title is the central metaphor which dominates the entire action of The Hairy Ape. It has a direct bearing on the theme as well as the structure of the play. It shows that a sailor leads a life of alienation from the beginning to the end of his life. He is isolated from his house as well as the main stream of life. The title of the play is indispensable for its structure.
The title of the play is its chief fascination. It is thematically and structurally very relevant. It is very and suggestive and artistically very relevant. The title ‘the hairy ape’ is directly linked with its chief protagonist, Yank. Yank is the central unifying force in the play and sustains our interest from the beginning to its end. The entire action of the play revolves around the character of Yank. Yank is the leader of the stokers who feed the furnaces in a repetitive and grotesque manner. He represents the unthinking, voiceless working class. Yank is a vehement critic of capitalism in ‘The Hairy Ape’.