Albee a Zoo Story---hypocrisy in Amercian Society

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The Zoo Story It was your typical Sunday afternoon in Central Park. A slightly plump man is vegetating on a considerably cracked park bench, filling his head with commercial literature, as he did every Sunday afternoon. Peter is just your average hard-working, middle class citizen. He supported an archetypal family---two kids, his wife, and an anthology of many pets. Peter was content with his life; his complaints were few. However, he had no idea that his whole life would be altered by one encounter with a slightly deranged, yet seemingly harmless man. His pity for poor old crazy Jerry is misplaced. Peter does not have to commiserate Jerry, ironically enough it is quite the opposite. Although Jerry is the antagonist, he also serves as Albee's messenger. Originally, people did not understand this play and just wrote it off as absurd or meaningless, but now we know that Albee was trying to prove a point. He makes a harsh statement about the hypocrisy of American Society through the ostracized character of Jerry. The Zoo Story is often classified as an absurd play; however, this does not mean that it lacks a clear moral message or many thematic elements. Initially critics argued that there are no lucid themes in Albee's portrayal, but this is not the case. Albee does not make his themes pop out at us right away like in most dramas; you have to look beyond the simplistic nature of the plot and dialogue to truly see the allegory present in his work such as Jerry's infamous dog story. Obviously there is more to Jerry's story than just befriending a dog. This hidden portrayal of a higher meaning is one of the factors, which helps make The Zoo Story such a timeless drama. The initial confusion about whether the... ... middle of paper ... ...at there are more important things in life than just conforming to acceptable standards. People have a tendency to want to belong to a group, but humans are also individuals. If you ignore your desire to be unique you will never truly be happy as is seen in Peter and all the "fake" people of Manhattan, however if you isolate yourself from the rest of the world like Jerry refusing to be part of a group, you will also be miserable. Albee was trying to point out that a balance is needed in society. You need to belong to a group, but you also have to do some things for yourself. You cannot always conform, just like you can't always object. This is his ingenious yet simple idea that expresses human nature and happiness. Albee was truly ahead of his time almost predicting the change in society and wake up call that America would receive in the next era to come.

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