The Hairy Ape

Who would dare call Robert Smith (“Yank” to his shipmates) an Ape? Well, actually, a lot of people MIGHT—but Mildred Douglas, young, beautiful, and wealthy, DID—or, at least, he THINKS she did. Brought to the stokehold, at her own insistence, by the Second Engineer, she is repulsed by Yank’s behavior, his language, and his appearance. Busy shoveling coal into the furnace, he is unaware of her presence. The incident marks a turning point in Yank’s life. He is out for revenge. Ashore, he is out of his element—and out of control. Everywhere he looks, he sees the same disgust in the eyes of those he encounters him. “Yuh don't belong, get me!” he says to the world, “Look at me, why don't youse dare? I belong, dat's me!”