Analysis Questions
1. Identify the various class distinctions represented in The Hairy Ape. Between which levels is the actual conflict initiated? Why?
2. Explain Paddy's conflict with Yank. Why is their confrontation essential to the development of Yank's character?

Interpretation Questions
3. Explain the irony in Yank's identification of himself as "the hairy ape."
4. What is Yank's only mechanism to connecting with human communities outside the circle of the workers in the stoke hole?

Evaluation Questions
5. Why is Yank's bravado inconsequential in persuading the union officials of the "Industrial Workers of the World" to accept his membership? What is the purpose of this confrontation?
6. Why is the confrontation between Mildred and Yank so disarming to both characters? What does each character lack that might have explains this juxtaposition?