Play (The Zoo Story) - Essay Example

Zoo Story by Edward Albee was the most interesting play in my opinion. This play has it all. It has drama and a surprise twist, but also manages to do all of this within a confined space. It shows us how much drama can be squeezed out of two characters who don’t really move around. The play manages to say a lot about humanity and the loneliness of people. It tells us that we need to reach out to our fellow man and try to actually talk to them. Strangers don’t need to be strangers. At first I was skeptical of this play and had a hard time understanding where it was going.

It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. I had trouble understanding the way that Jerry talked. It seemed like he was crazy and abstract. I wanted him to get to the point. I sympathized a lot more with Peter. He seemed to be a character that was a lot more like me. I often find it annoying when strangers strike up conversations with me about nothing. In the course of these kinds of conversations, I often try to figure out what the other person wants. In this play, I kept wondering what Jerry wanted.

Nothing he was saying had any kind of point. That for me was disorientating at first. After finishing the play, I began to understand that Jerry is really seeking fellow feeling and understanding. He is trying to create a narrative of his life that will help him find meaning. He is obviously not very good at this, and the surprise ending at the end of the play, where Jerry is impaled on the knife is the best example of this. In a way, Jerry is so out of tune with the world that he can’t live in it anymore.

He seeks friendship and understanding—and so he has to die in this way. He can’t simply kill himself alone—he needs to have that human connection. I think that is why, in part, he makes sure that Peter picks up the knife. The idea of the zoo is important. It is clear that the author of the play thinks that people are too often trapped in their own cages by social norms and unable to escape and actually talk to one another in a normal way. I found this to be an interesting and thought-provoking play.

It surprised and challenged me. I would like to read more works by Edward Albee and read other playwrights from this era in American history. Overall, I enjoyed this course. I found it invigorating and stimulating. In general, the professor was extremely approachable and it was clear that he had a real appreciation and interest in the subject matter. I now see things in a different light and I intend to go to the theatre for pleasure. Literature is an increasingly important element in my life.

I want to experience more of it in the future. Thank you!