In every work of literature there are external conflicts. An external conflict is something that makes our lives exciting. Also, an external conflict is a struggle between the protagonist and the antagonist. I believe that the story definitely would be boring if there was no external conflicts. If there were no external conflicts then the characters would not be dynamic. The purpose of this essay is to discuss two major external conflicts in the play "The Hairy Ape", by Eugene O"Neill.
One of the major external conflicts in this play "The Hairy Ape" is Mildred and Yank's struggle with the class. The protagonists are Mildred and Yank and the antagonist is the class. Yank is a fireman who works aboard the Transatlantic Liner. They got the name "The Hairy Ape" from his character and role in this play. Yank's real name is Bob Smith and he was born in New York City. Mildred the other protagonist is the daughter of the owner of Nazareth Steel. For a living Mildred helps the poor. Also, her last name is Douglas. Mildred is usually an antagonist, but in this case she is a protagonist. The external conflict is that the class limits Yank and Mildred's money, education, culture and their total outlook on life. This was the only thing that Mildred and Yank had in common. You will definitely find this out in the paragraph below, where I will be discussing the second major external conflict.
The second major external conflict is between Mildred and Yank. This time Mildred is the antagonist and Yank again is the protagonist. You already know about them because I explained who they are in the paragraph above. The external conflict is when Mildred goes into the stockhole while Yank and the other men are shoveling coal. Yank realizes that the men stopped working and he turns around furiously and becomes face to face with Mildred. Mildred demands the men take her away from "the filthy beast" and faints in the arms of the men.