READ STUDY GUIDE: Scene Four |
|
Scene IV
| The firemen's forecastle. Yank's watch has just come off |
| duty and had dinner. Their faces and bodies shine from a soap and |
| water scrubbing but around their eyes, where a hasty dousing does |
| not touch, the coal dust sticks like black make-up, giving them a |
| queer, sinister expression. Yank has not washed either face or |
| body. He stands out in contrast to them, a blackened, brooding |
| figure. He is seated forward on a bench in the exact attitude of |
| Rodin's "The Thinker." The others, most of them smoking pipes, are |
| staring at Yank half-apprehensively, as if fearing an outburst; |
| half-amusedly, as if they saw a joke somewhere that tickled them. |
| VOICES: |
| —He ain't ate nothin'. |
| Py golly, a fallar gat gat grub in him. |
| Divil a lie. |
| Yank feeda da fire, no feeda da face. |
| Ha-ha. |
| He ain't even washed hisself. |
| He's forgot. |
| Hey, Yank, you forgot to wash. |
| YANK: |
| —[Sullenly.]Forgot nothin'! To hell wit washin'. |
| VOICES: |
| —It'll stick to you. It'll get under your skin. Give yer |
| the bleedin' itch, that's wot. It makes spots on you—like a |
| leopard. Like a piebald nigger, you mean. Better wash up, Yank. |
| You sleep better. Wash up, Yank. Wash up! Wash up! |
| YANK: |
| —[Resentfully.]Aw say, youse guys. Lemme alone. Can't youse |
| see I'm tryin' to tink? |
| ALL: |
| —[Repeating the word after him as one with cynical mockery.] |
| Think![The word has a brazen, metallic quality as if theirthroats were phonograph horns. It is followed by a chorus of hard,barking laughter.] |
| YANK: |
| —[Springing to his feet and glaring atthem belligerently.]Yes, tink! Tink, dat's what I said! What |
| about it?[They are silent, puzzled by his sudden resentment atwhat used to be one of his jokes. Yank sits down again in the sameattitude of "The Thinker."] |
| VOICES: |
| —Leave him alone. |
| He's got a grouch on. |
| Why wouldn't he? |
| PADDY: |
| —[With a wink at the others.]Sure I know what's the |
| matther. 'Tis aisy to see. He's fallen in love, I'm telling you. |
| ALL: |
| —[Repeating the word after him as one with cynical mockery.] |
| Love![The word has a brazen, metallic quality as if their throatswere phonograph horns. It is followed by a chorus of hard, barkinglaughter.] |
| YANK: |
| —[With a contemptuous snort.]Love, hell! Hate, dat's what. |
| I've fallen in hate, get me? |
| PADDY: |
| —[Philosophically]'Twould take a wise man to tell one from |
| the other.[With a bitter, ironical scorn, increasing as he goeson.]But I'm telling you it's love that's in it. Sure what else |
| but love for us poor bastes in the stokehole would be bringing a |
| fine lady, dressed like a white quane, down a mile of ladders and |
| steps to be havin' a look at us?[A growl of anger goes up fromall sides.] |
| LONG: |
| —[Jumping on a bench—hecticly]Hinsultin' us! Hinsultin' us, |
| the bloody cow! And them bloody engineers! What right 'as they got |
| to be exhibitin' us 's if we was bleedin' monkeys in a menagerie? |
| Did we sign for hinsults to our dignity as 'onest workers? Is that |
| in the ship's articles? You kin bloody well bet it ain't! But I |
| knows why they done it. I arsked a deck steward 'o she was and 'e |
| told me. 'Er old man's a bleedin' millionaire, a bloody |
| Capitalist! 'E's got enuf bloody gold to sink this bleedin' ship! |
| 'E makes arf the bloody steel in the world! 'E owns this bloody |
| boat! And you and me, comrades, we're 'is slaves! And the skipper |
| and mates and engineers, they're 'is slaves! And she's 'is bloody |
| daughter and we're all 'er slaves, too! And she gives 'er orders |
| as 'ow she wants to see the bloody animals below decks and down |
| they takes 'er![There is a roar of rage from all sides.] |
| YANK: |
| —[Blinking at him bewilderedly.]Say! Wait a moment! Is all |
| dat straight goods? |
| LONG: |
| —Straight as string! The bleedin' steward as waits on 'em, 'e |
| told me about 'er. And what're we goin' ter do, I arsks yer? 'Ave |
| we got ter swaller 'er hinsults like dogs? It ain't in the ship's |
| articles. I tell yer we got a case. We kin go ter law— |
| YANK: |
| —[With abysmal contempt.]Hell! Law! |
| ALL: |
| —[Repeating the word after him as one with cynical mockery.] |
| Law![The word has a brazen metallic quality as if their throatswere phonograph horns. It is followed by a chorus of hard, barkinglaughter.] |
| LONG: |
| —[Feeling the ground slipping from under his feet—desperately.]As voters and citizens we kin force the bloody |
| governments— |
| YANK: |
| —[With abysmal contempt.]Hell! Governments! |
| ALL: |
| —[Repeating the word after him as one with cynical mockery.] |
| Governments![The word has a brazen metallic quality as if theirthroats were phonograph horns. It is followed by a chorus of hard,barking laughter.] |
| LONG: |
| —[Hysterically.]We're free and equal in the sight of God— |
| YANK: |
| —[With abysmal contempt.]Hell! God! |
| ALL: |
| —[Repeating the word after him as one with cynical mockery.] |
| God![The word has a brazen metallic quality as if their throatswere phonograph horns. It is followed by a chorus of hard, barkinglaughter.] |
| YANK: |
| —[Witheringly.]Aw, join de Salvation Army! |
| ALL: |
| —Sit down! Shut up! Damn fool! Sea-lawyer![Long slinks backout of sight.] |
| PADDY: |
| —[Continuing the trend of his thoughts as if he had neverbeen interrupted—bitterly.]And there she was standing behind us, |
| and the Second pointing at us like a man you'd hear in a circus |
| would be saying: In this cage is a queerer kind of baboon than |
| ever you'd find in darkest Africy. We roast them in their own |
| sweat—and be damned if you won't hear some of thim saying they |
| like it![He glances scornfully at Yank.] |
| YANK: |
| —[With a bewildered uncertain growl.]Aw! |
| PADDY: |
| —And there was Yank roarin' curses and turning round wid his |
| shovel to brain her—and she looked at him, and him at her— |
| YANK: |
| —[Slowly.]She was all white. I tought she was a ghost. Sure. |
| PADDY: |
| —[With heavy, biting sarcasm.]'Twas love at first sight, |
| divil a doubt of it! If you'd seen the endearin' look on her pale |
| mug when she shrivelled away with her hands over her eyes to shut |
| out the sight of him! Sure, 'twas as if she'd seen a great hairy |
| ape escaped from the Zoo! |
| YANK: |
| —[Stung—with a growl of rage.]Aw! |
| PADDY: |
| —And the loving way Yank heaved his shovel at the skull of |
| her, only she was out the door![A grin breaking over his face.] |
| 'Twas touching, I'm telling you! It put the touch of home, swate |
| home in the stokehole.[There is a roar of laughter from all.] |
| YANK: |
| —[Glaring at Paddy menacingly.]Aw, choke dat off, see! |
| PADDY: |
| —[Not heeding him—to the others.]And her grabbin' at the |
| Second's arm for protection.[With a grotesque imitation of awoman's voice.]Kiss me, Engineer dear, for it's dark down here |
| and me old man's in Wall Street making money! Hug me tight, |
| darlin', for I'm afeerd in the dark and me mother's on deck makin' |
| eyes at the skipper![Another roar of laughter.] |
| YANK: |
| —[Threateningly.]Say! What yuh tryin' to do, kid me, yuh old |
| Harp? |
| PADDY: |
| —Divil a bit! Ain't I wishin' myself you'd brained her? |
| YANK: |
| —[Fiercely.]I'll brain her! I'll brain her yet, wait 'n' |
| see![Coming over to Paddy—slowly.]Say, is dat what she called |
| me—a hairy ape? |
| PADDY: |
| —She looked it at you if she didn't say the word itself. |
| YANK: |
| —[Grinning horribly.]Hairy ape, huh? Sure! Dat's de way she |
| looked at me, aw right. Hairy ape! So dat's me, huh?[Burstinginto rage—as if she were still in front of him.]Yuh skinny tart! |
| Yuh white-faced bum, yuh! I'll show yuh who's a ape![Turning tothe others, bewilderment seizing him again.]Say, youse guys. I |
| was bawlin' him out for pullin' de whistle on us. You heard me. |
| And den I seen youse lookin' at somep'n and I tought he'd sneaked |
| down to come up in back of me, and I hopped round to knock him |
| dead wit de shovel. And dere she was wit de light on her! Christ, |
| yuh coulda pushed me over with a finger! I was scared, get me? |
| Sure! I tought she was a ghost, see? She was all in white like dey |
| wrap around stiffs. You seen her. Kin yuh blame me? She didn't |
| belong, dat's what. And den when I come to and seen it was a real |
| skoit and seen de way she was lookin' at me—like Paddy said— |
| Christ, I was sore, get me? I don't stand for dat stuff from |
| nobody. And I flung de shovel—on'y she'd beat it.[Furiously.]I |
| wished it'd banged her! I wished it'd knocked her block off! |
| LONG: |
| —And be 'anged for murder or 'lectrocuted? She ain't bleedin' |
| well worth it. |
| YANK: |
| —I don't give a damn what! I'd be square wit her, wouldn't I? |
| Tink I wanter let her put somep'n over on me? Tink I'm goin' to |
| let her git away wit dat stuff? Yuh don't know me! Noone ain't |
| never put nothin' over on me and got away wit it, see!—not dat |
| kind of stuff—no guy and no skoit neither! I'll fix her! Maybe |
| she'll come down again— |
| VOICE: |
| —No chance, Yank. You scared her out of a year's growth. |
| YANK: |
| —I scared her? Why de hell should I scare her? Who de hell is |
| she? Ain't she de same as me? Hairy ape, huh?[With his oldconfident bravado.]I'll show her I'm better'n her, if she on'y |
| knew it. I belong and she don't, see! I move and she's dead! |
| Twenty-five knots a hour, dats me! Dat carries her but I make dat. |
| She's on'y baggage. Sure![Again bewilderedly.]But, Christ, she |
| was funny lookin'! Did yuh pipe her hands? White and skinny. Yuh |
| could see de bones trough 'em. And her mush, dat was dead white, |
| too. And her eyes, dey was like dey'd seen a ghost. Me, dat was! |
| Sure! Hairy ape! Ghost, huh? Look at dat arm![He extends hisright arm, swelling out the great muscles.]I coulda took her wit |
| dat, wit' just my little finger even, and broke her in two.[Againbewilderedly.]Say, who is dat skoit, huh? What is she? What's she |
| come from? Who made her? Who give her de noive to look at me like |
| dat? Dis ting's got my goat right. I don't get her. She's new to |
| me. What does a skoit like her mean, huh? She don't belong, get |
| me! I can't see her.[With growing anger.]But one ting I'm wise |
| to, aw right, aw right! Youse all kin bet your shoits I'll git |
| even wit her. I'll show her if she tinks she—She grinds de organ |
| and I'm on de string, huh? I'll fix her! Let her come down again |
| and I'll fling her in de furnace! She'll move den! She won't |
| shiver at nothin', den! Speed, dat'll be her! She'll belong den! |
| [He grins horribly.] |
| PADDY: |
| —She'll never come. She's had her belly-full, I'm telling |
| you. She'll be in bed now, I'm thinking, wid ten doctors and |
| nurses feedin' her salts to clean the fear out of her. |
| YANK: |
| —[Enraged.]Yuh tink I made her sick, too, do yuh? Just |
| lookin' at me, huh? Hairy ape, huh?[In a frenzy of rage.]I'll |
| fix her! I'll tell her where to git off! She'll git down on her |
| knees and take it back or I'll bust de face offen her![Shakingone fist upward and beating on his chest with the other.]I'll |
| find yuh! I'm comin', d'yuh hear? I'll fix yuh, God damn yuh![Hemakes a rush for the door.] |
| VOICES: |
| —Stop him! |
| He'll get shot! |
| He'll murder her! |
| Trip him up! |
| Hold him! |
| He's gone crazy! |
| Gott, he's strong! |
| Hold him down! |
| Look out for a kick! |
| Pin his arms! |
| [They have all piled on him and, after a fierce struggle, by sheerweight of numbers have borne him to the floor just inside thedoor.] |
| PADDY: |
| —[Who has remained detached.]Kape him down till he's cooled |
| off.[Scornfully.]Yerra, Yank, you're a great fool. Is it payin' |
| attention at all you are to the like of that skinny sow widout one |
| drop of rale blood in her? |
| YANK: |
| —[Frenziedly, from the bottom of the heap.]She done me doit! |
| She done me doit, didn't she? I'll git square wit her! I'll get |
| her some way! Git offen me, youse guys! Lemme up! I'll show her |
| who's a ape! |
| [Curtain] |
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