Absurdity Theme in Eugene O’Neill’s Middle Period Works:Take The Hairy Ape as an Example

Abstract

 In O’Neill’s eyes, the mechanized industrial process of the materialistic America distorted man’s spirit and divorced man from the qualities of humanity which gave him dignity and the sense of manhood. As a modern tragedian, O’Neill expressed his doubt of the mechanized society and tried to disclose the awkward situation of modern man. His description of loneliness and alienation of modern man in The Hairy Ape echoes the same theme in the theatre of the absurd.Key words:  Eugene O’Neill; The Hairy Ape; Absurdity Theme