Indifference to Suffering in The Zoo Story

Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story tells the story about two men who cross paths and what really makes these characters stand out from the bunch in a crowd is that they conform to the complete opposite sides of the spectrum. Jerry is the antagonist of the play. He lives in poverty and leads a very lonely life. He is isolated from the world which means that he does not have any human relations. He seeks to end his loneliness with his neighbor's dog but that plan also fails to materialize. Meanwhile, Peter is seen living the American dream. He resides in a good neighborhood with his wife and child. He does not know what less fortunate people go through in their day-to-day lives.  

Peter seems to have it all, especially in Jerry’s eyes. Therefore, Jerry wants someone like Peter to understand what it is like to live like Jerry. Peter uses the bench as an escape from reality, but Jerry does not seem to understand why it would be so important to him for he has it all.  

Jerry provokes Peter and shows him how everything irritates a person who has nothing to lose. They are alone in this world with nothing to hold onto, so the smallest acts hold so much meaning. Just like the bench, they are fighting over. When Peter kills Jerry, he understands Jerry’s story with the dog so much better. Even though Peter did not want to hear more about the story due to its disturbing nature, he ended up making the same decision as Jerry had in the end.