The Mentality of Rich People - Essay Example

“The Hairy Ape” by Eugene O’Neill Eugene Gladstone O’Neill was born October 16, 1888 and became a renowned playwright and won a Nobel in Literature. His play, The Hairy Ape written in 1922, is about an oppressed worker Yank who tries to identify himself within the rich. He walks through Manhattan and only discovers he belongs nowhere. He finally enters into a zoo and dies on the arms of a gorilla. O’Neill tries to show us that we should come together in our workings to form a community rather than everyone depending on themselves.

A rich middle aged girl insults Yank to be a “filthy beast” (347) showing him hate and fear because he was a worker, his origin is also different from hers. This leaves Yank a devastated man, wondering why he had to be in the working class, they do not have any education or honor. He says, “I’m a busted Ingersoll, dat’s what. Steel was me, and I owned de woild. Now I ain’t steel, and de woild owns me. Aw, hell! I cant see—it’s all dark, get me? It’s all wrong!” (361), this mentality is what destroys most of our motivated members in our society trying to lead in showing how to work together as a community.

O’Neill is a socialist trying to show us the direct differences between the classes of the society. He seems to be hitting on the rich by showing different dialects. The arguments and fights between Mildred and her aunt show that the rich have nothing more important to do than to hate on each other. He uses juxtaposition between scenes to bring out the idleness of the rich who “drink, not think!” The use of stage directions, constantly showing the actor’s makeup also brings out his message.

In scene five he says, “Their faces and bodies shine from soap-and-water scrubbing, but around their eyes, where a hasty dousing does not touch, the coal dust sticks like black makeup, giving them a queer, sinister expression” (347). He generally uses the stage sets in this whole play and it passes the right message he wanted to. The society should cast out the mentality of rich people considering themselves to be the cream of the community while the working class toil and moil to satisfy them.

Unless we eradicate this, the beautiful resources of the community will never be shared to ensure everyone gets a taste of their sweat, it will only be for the chosen few.