An analysis of the roots of tragedy in The Hairy Ape from a psychoanalytic perspective
信念、迷惘、幻灭—精神分析理论视域下《毛猿》悲剧根源浅析

摘要

尤金·奥尼尔是美国文学史上最伟大的剧作家之一，奥尼尔的戏剧探究了人类的心理和情感，他对人类社会的心理困境产生了极大的兴趣，他的戏剧也是最早讲述社会边缘人物的戏剧之一。社会底层人物挣扎着寻找自己的身份和作为一个人应有的尊重，但最终他们追逐的一切都消失得一无所有。尤金奥·尼尔创作的剧本《毛猿》（The Hairy Ape）中，男主人公杨克用其短暂的一生，不断寻求个人身份的认同以及存在的意义，从信念高昂到对自身存在意义的迷惘，再到最后希望幻灭，最终走向死亡。本文运用弗洛伊德精神分析批评理论分析《毛猿》中 人物的人格特点，进而从人与自然，人与社会和人的精神层面探析扬克的希望幻灭的根源，挖掘工业革命下人类世界的悲剧。

Abstract

Eugene O’Neill stands as one of the greatest playwrights in American literary history. O’Neill’s dramas delve into human psychology and emotion, exhibiting a profound interest in the psychological predicaments of human society. His works were also among the earliest to portray social outcasts. Characters from the depths of society struggle to find their identity and claim the dignity inherent to being human, only to see everything they pursue ultimately vanish without a trace. In O’Neill's play The Hairy Ape(1922), the protagonist Yank spends his brief life in a relentless quest for personal identity and existential meaning. His journey progresses from fervent conviction, through profound confusion about his own existence, to the crushing of hope, culminating in his death. This paper employs Freudian psychoanalytic criticism to analyze the personality traits of the characters in The Hairy Ape. Subsequently, it explores the roots of Yank’s disillusionment through the lenses of humanity’s relationship with nature, humanity’s relationship with society, and the individual’s psychological state. Ultimately, it seeks to excavate the profound human tragedy unfolding within the world shaped by the Industrial Revolution.