CONCEPT OF MAGICAL REALISM IN THE HAIRY APE PLAY BY EUGENE O’NEIL IN THE LIGHT OF GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ’S THEORY

Abstract

Magical realism is characterized by various elements that form the structure of magical realism. To summarize them, it can be said they have irreducible elements; in other words, an event occurs that cannot be explained according to the laws of the universe, as they are formulated in empirically based discourse. It has unsettling doubts; in this situation the reader may experience some hesitation in the effort to reconcile two contradictory understandings of the events. The phenomena refer to ghosts, spirits and otherworldly bodies.  In element of merging realms, authors of magical realism sometimes create worlds that are representative of this world, but are not actually quite the same.  They are not fantasy worlds, but rather fantastic worlds or magically real worlds. The dominant theme of The Hairy Ape by Eugene O’Neill is the effect of industrialization and technological progress on a worker. Industrialization has reduced the human worker into a machine. The main character of the play seeks for the belonging to a group; however, he cannot find such a belonging, and he starts to identify with an ape. Moreover, the play is filled with some unusual events which are beyond understanding. In this regard, study of the magic elements of the play would be made possible. In this following research paper, the researcher aims at applying and fining magic realist elements and examining the selected play from magical realism to determine whether Eugene O’Neill’s plays can be categorized as magical realist or not.