How To Tellelling a Thoughtful Story Through Absurdity by The Zoo Story

The Zoo Story is a one-act play written in 1958 by Edward Albee. It is a great example of absurd theater. The play deals with issues such as isolation, miscommunication, dehumanization, and corruption of conventional lives. It consists of one scene and it is a bench in Central Park. We are presented with two characters; Jerry and Peter. Peter is a well-ordered and neat person, while Jerry is a misfit and a non-conformist.

Jerry comes up to Peter and starts talking to him. Peter seems disturbed by this talking man because he is a novelty to his orderly life. Peter always does the same things and goes to Central Park and sits on the same bench. This time, he is disturbed by a new person and instantaneously tries to put Jerry as a stereotype. However, he cannot manage to do so and gets even more disturbed.

On the other hand, Jerry asks Peter personal questions as if he is interrogating him. Jerry talks about his own life and struggles, too. He manages to create an intimate environment. Peter gradually gets angry at Jerry as they continue to talk. This stems from his established order and boundaries in life. Jerry forces to break them and the unknown feeling created by this destruction causes Peter to be frustrated.

In the end, Jerry pushes his line and tries to take Peter's bench. Jerry shows a knife to Peter, causing the dialogue to be even more heated. Finally, accidentally, Peter stabs Jerry. Jerry takes over the bench, thus, Peter's orderly life and boundaries. Jerry wipes Peter's handprint from the knife and dies.

Jerry's act is a sacrificial one. He sacrifices himself to set Peter free from his conventions. Peter becomes a disciple of Jerry after their dialogues. Peter is a free person now, and one day he might go and talk to someone he sees at the park.