Lost In Wind—Yank's Identity Crisis And Failure In Construction In The Hairy Ape From The Perspective Of Social Identity

Eugene O'Neill(1888-1953),one of the most foremost American playwrights of the twentieth century,was the winner of the Noble Prize for Literature in 1936.Most of his plays explore the crushed dreams and hopes of the underprivileged.The Hairy Ape,written in 1922,tells a story that Yank,the protagonist of the play,sets foot on the journey of searching for the sense of belonging and self-improvement after encountering identity crisis,but ultimately dies in the monkey house.The play reflects modern man's situation of despair and loss of the sense of belonging.The issue on identity accompany with the existence of human beings,and it is also discussed throughout the human society.With the advancement of the times,the social structures becomes more complex,and the issue of identity has become a hot topic.The thesis adopts qualitative and analytic methods to explore Yank's identity,identity crisis and construction under the theoretical basis of Henri Tajfel and John Turner's social identity theory.Throughout the play,Yank's identity undertook constant transformations: from the positive identity as a fireman on the liner to a negative identity suffering from the insult from Mildred,one of the outgroup members and from the Fifth Avenue representing the upper class to I.W.W.,the union of workers,even to the zoo,an animal group.These explorations on his identity reveal not only Yank's identity crisis but also his helplessness in the society.Whether Yank passively touches the outside world or actively explores his identity,he fails to construct identity.To some extent,the tragedy of Yank is the miniature of the life of the lower class people at that time.Finally the thesis reveals the reasons why Yank fails to construct identity: lack of self improvement,no proper guidance from others and the social environment.As the modernization advances and the social system changes constantly,the issue of identity has become more complex.Only by making the proper adjustments of status can people survive in the society and find the sense of belonging.