The Hairy Ape is a play by Eugene O'Neill, which follows Yank - a boiler room worker on a ship - as he struggles with his own identity and purpose. Yank is a heavy set and brutishly strong man, who takes pride in his ability to physically influence the gargantuan vessel on which he works. However he undergoes a crisis when a daughter of a rich industrialist brands him a 'filthy beast'. Yearning for a sense of belonging, Yank walks the streets of Manhattan...