Introduction
The Zoo Story by Edward Albee can potentially be read as an indictment of American society and its convoluted culture. Albee portrays two people who are from two distinct but related facets of the same post-World War II American society. Peter, who represents the higher classes, appears to be content with his own social standing and way of life. Jerry, the second protagonist, represents the lower classes in America.
Through Peter’s portrayal, this drama skillfully highlights the materialism and superficiality of modern society. Through Jerry, the character, it also highlights how frequent loneliness and estrangement are in metropolitan life. Although both characters try to become close to one another, the detrimental effects of societal separation prevent real connections from being formed. Albee presents the brutally honest reality of how people are affected by the desensitizing effects of living in a metropolis, compelling readers to recognize the importance of creating meaningful connections.
Social Critiques Portrayed in the Zoo Story
Solitude
The most basic theme highlighted in the Zoo Story is human solitude. The statement “everyone separated by bars from everyone else, the animals for the most part from each other, and always the people from the animals” describes the world as a zoo (Zimbardo 10). In essence, people are kept apart from one another and their fundamental animal natures.
Peter is sitting on a park bench when the play begins. According to Albee’s depiction of the dramatis personae, Peter is “neither handsome nor homely, nor fat nor gaunt” (Zimbardo 10). He is not unique at all, in actuality. Peter embodies the contemporary middle-class archetype of the Everyman.
It becomes clear that Jerry has been victimized by his society’s normative discourse as he recounts his life to Peter. His misfortune is reiterated by the fact that he grew up in a broken home with an alcoholic father and a mother who fled with her lover (Albee 4). Jerry has spent his adult life alone and in misery, living in run-down rooming houses in New York. His distress drives him to the point where he attempts to commit suicide in order to be heard and understood.
Social Stratification
The class structure of American society, which is an inescapable byproduct of capitalism, is the most striking aspect of the capitalist reality in America that The Zoo Story aims to highlight. As previously stated, Jerry and Peter are both members of two completely distinct classes. This is evident in the places they live and the lifestyles they adopt. Jerry resides in “an upper West Side rooming house on a four-story brownstone between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West” alongside him and other marginalized individuals (Albee 45). Peter, his wife, their two daughters, and two dogs reside in an apartment in the East Seventies. Jerry abruptly interrupts Peter as he is spending a peaceful afternoon in New York’s Central Park. Jerry probes Peter to hear his story, and as they continue to talk, it dawns on them that the world is a zoo.
When Jerry tells Peter about the other roommates in the rooming house—a Puerto Rican family, a colored queen, and an unidentified person—Peter displays complete ignorance of Jerry’s environment through his inquiries and remarks. He asks, “Why… why do you live there?” (Albee 48). When Jerry informs him about his landlady’s sexual desires, he responds with the same expression. He states, “It’s so… unthinkable… I find it hard to believe that people such as that really are” (Albee 54).
Beyond its immediate meaning, Peter’s amazement at hearing tales about Jerry’s neighbors has societal ramifications. It illustrates the division between two socioeconomic classes, or rather, two worlds, in which each individual is unaware of the conditions in which individuals who reside on the opposite side live. He can only hear about them because to truly know them as actual people who are just like him is well beyond his reach. “It’s for reading about, isn’t it?” Jerry quips sarcastically, and Peter immediately responds by stating, “Yes” (Albee 54). It is evident that the division between the two is immense.
Individualism
Rugged individualism, the highest belief in the individual, is one of the pillars of capitalism. In a capitalist society, the individual is valued above all else, and qualities such as independence and self-sufficiency are often praised. Every person is given the opportunity to fully realize their potential and pursue their social and economic objectives to the extent that their abilities and capabilities permit. Rugged individualism is, however, often condemned because, despite its seeming fairness, it puts self-interest above the needs and survival of other individuals. This grim, inhuman reality is hinted at in The Zoo Story in an attempt to raise people’s awareness of it. The story aims to provide them with the chance to make changes and free themselves from the shackles of the oppressive capitalist ideal.
Prison of Inner Boundaries
The prison that a person puts himself in can take many different forms, including social standing, employment, family, and so forth. For instance, Peter confines himself to more than just his book and bench seat. Feeling that Jerry is interfering with his privacy, he tries to keep it hidden behind barriers of ignorance and reluctance. Peter responds to Jerry’s persistent attempts to breach his privacy by trying to pull him away from his cage. Peter reacts with expressions such as, “Hm? What? … I’m sorry, were you talking to me? I think so” (Albee 34). There is a terrible communication breakdown as a result of this strong desire to live in one’s own cage.
Everyone is afraid of exposing their empty lives and jeopardizing their privacy when they make genuine contact with others. According to Rose Zimbardo, “We fear, and fearing, we hate with an unreasoning hatred any creature that threatens to invade that little area of the world that provides us with security” (12). This is because people are cut off from one another. However, the security that exists here is fictitious rather than real. It is security predicated on the fear of the reality that genuine lucidity may reveal.
Humans and Animals
Jerry experimented with animals before trying to blend with humans. He set out to “kill the dog with kindness, and if that doesn’t work,” he resolved to simply kill it (Albee 7). Jerry enjoys discussing animals because he believes that everyone and everything in the world is akin to animals in a zoo. This is because people live in cages that they have built for themselves out of racism, class divisions, desires, and other social obstacles. He makes an effort to convey the fact that Peter, like most other human beings, is trapped by traditions, domesticity, and false ideals.
Jerry, a lonely man in dire need of a human connection, tries to elicit an honest answer from the apathetic, complacent Peter (Berlin 775). Jerry, who believes he is an expert on life, is keen to shake Peter out of his complacency, show him the hollowness of his ideals, and instill in him the significance of relationships (Berlin 775). Jerry is acting in the capacity of a societal critic, just like his creator, Albee.
Gender and Social Status
As a loner who identifies as gay and is also poor, Jerry chooses to take a bench seat next to a middle-class family man. In an attempt to topple the system of power that has denied him the experience of social life, he battles to take the bench. He tries to end his life with Peter’s hand, a move that is aimed at achieving a single goal.
As a symbol of authority, Peter is a gendered member of the community. Jerry’s actions serve as a rebellion against the power that has condemned him to an existence of isolation and suffering. He would be thrilled to see himself in the news and in the homes of people who seldom acknowledge his existence. Jerry wants nothing more than to be remembered and seen as a rebel willing to sacrifice his life to be heard.
Family Dynamics
Albee uses post-existential strains to illustrate the flaws in American culture. The high degree of uncertainty in Albee’s characters’ lives haunts them and makes their existence burdensome, thus contributing to their listless nature (Dodhy 8). The primary factor contributing to the characters’ pessimistic outlook in The Zoo Story is the alteration in family dynamics (Dodhy 8).
The foundation of the conventional family structure is the network of familial support. In large families, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all supported and enhanced the family unit (Dodhy 8). The nuclear family system, which consists of a mother, father, and children, took the place of the extended family structure, thus resulting in unprecedented isolation.
Jerry’s sexual orientation in the narrative implies that he attempts to challenge the systems of authority that uphold gender norms. He becomes a recluse and is subsequently ignored by society, given his limited interaction and engagement with members of the community. He claims he is unable to engage with women and is incapable of falling in love with the same person twice. Unlike Peter, he is unable to marry and start a family. Jerry’s challenges are a demonstration of the prevalent views at the time.
Social Norms and Deviations
The observance of social justice and the preservation of every individual’s dignity, particularly the marginalized in society, are of utmost importance. It is worth considering the fact that stereotypes and the regulatory nature of dominant discourse have the potential to negatively impact the distribution of justice, given their deleterious impact on the psyche.
In essence, Jerry’s marginalization is the result of his sexual orientation as well as the fact that he is able to recognize prevalent social trends. For instance, the limitations of the consumerism that the growing capitalist society is promoting have become apparent. In addition, the social norms surrounding family, marriage, gender, and race have excluded nonconformists like himself and stereotyped individuals like Peter. The highly conservative nature of the society depicted by Albee results in untold misery for individuals who adopt different sexual orientations. For instance, Jerry is isolated due to his non-conforming gender identity, in addition to the socioeconomic restrictions that limit his experience of a good life.
Human Zoo
The Zoo Story presents the world as a zoo in which a person’s behavior and social standing are restricted to specific elements defined by society’s fixed and all-encompassing normative bars. The aforementioned ideals attempt to define a person based on their own interests and perspectives rather than individual perceptions and viewpoints. Jerry is adamantly nonconformist and purposely declines to adhere to social norms and requirements. He refuses to abide by social rules that are placed upon a person’s autonomy, sense of self, and freedom of choice.
Society uses predetermined standards to judge people on the basis of their level of success. One is considered a part of society, provided they adhere to the established social frameworks. However, if one contravenes the aforementioned principles, as is the case with Jerry, they are compelled to make the decision to extricate themselves from society. Such individuals are viewed as outsiders, given that their decision to challenge hegemonic ideas is considered an intolerable disturbance.
Conclusion
The Zoo Story artistically draws attention to the materialism and superficiality of contemporary life through its representation of characters such as Peter and Jerry. It also emphasizes how common loneliness and estrangement are in city living through Jerry’s character. Albee actively criticizes the lengths to which Americans will go to preserve a social structure that prioritizes individuality over all else. Despite their best efforts, the two characters are unable to truly connect because of the negative impacts of social isolation. Albee urges readers to understand the significance of forming deep connections by presenting the brutally honest reality of how individuals are impacted by the desensitizing consequences of life in a metropolis.
Works Cited
Albee, Edward. The Zoo Story. Coward-McCann. 1959.
Berlin, Normand. “Traffic of our Stage: Albee’s Peter and Jerry.” The Massachusetts Review, vol 45, no. 4, 2005, p. 768-777. Web.
Dodhy, Shamaila. “Cultural Pragmatics in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story.” K@ta, vol. 18, no. 1 8-12.
Zimbardo, Rose A. “Symbolism and Naturalism in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 8, no. 1. 1962, p. 17. Web.