Christian Weigert
Dramatic Structure and Theatrical Process I
Professor Withers-Wilson
20 November 1997
Shared Themes of Albee's Zoo Story and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
     In many of Edward Albee's plays, readers and audiences experience recurring themes of
the breakdown of language, alienation, loneliness, indifference, and illusion.  No more is this
more prevalent than in Albee's works Zoo Story and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.   In
examining how the aforementioned themes play out in these two plays, we see that there are a
great deal of areas and subjects that these dramas have in common.
     One theme that permeates these dramas is the breakdown of language.  In Who's Afraid
of Virginia Woolf?, the emotional traumas inflicted on others cause the blunting of the victim's
emotion.  Because of this, the impassioned words of George in his "civilization" speech, or
Martha's melancholic description of her relationship with George, it takes a great expenditure
of effort to get their feelings, their ideas, across.  The skepticism, a defense impulse in these
circumstances, makes communication exceedingly difficult.  The same holds true in Zoo Story,
where Peter's feeling of uneasiness around Jerry causes similar conversation difficulties, Jerry's
words fall on deaf ears, their only sign of impact on Peter his response of "We get all kinds in
publishing."  Periodically, in both works, characters regress, both psychologically and
linguistically, to infancy.  The baby talk used in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Peter's
temper tantrum, in which he adamantly declares that he is "a GROWNUP."  This inability to
communicate effectively with "civil" speech leads to scathing, caustic language, and even some
degree of physical violence, illustrating that, in these dramas, at least, pain is the only universal
means of communication.
     Another recurring theme in these works is that of the alienation of the individual from his
fellow man, and even to themselves..  In Albee's dramas, this alienation involves paranoia,
denial, a feeling of being an outsider, and, to some degree, submission to neuroses, either real or
imagined.  The paranoia and exclusion elements manifest themselves in Jerry's plaintive
exclamation of  "People." and George's irritated comment "This is my game.  You played
yours...you people.  This is my game!"  Denial surfaces in Honey's statement that she has
"decided" she doesn't remember anything, and all characters' efforts to block out that which
they don't want to hear, their refusal to accept their environment and, as evidenced by Nick, the
self, even when someone points it out to them.  Nick argues that he is not yet what George says
he is, also that he is most decidedly NOT a houseboy.  The neuroses take their form when
Martha scream of "I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S SICK!", and Jerry's calm, rational statement,
"I'm crazy, you bastard.".  Albee's characters seem to believe they are what they think they are.
Whether this role has any place in their environment is not important; if no such niche exists in
the real world, they'll escape into the world they've devised for themselves.
     Albee also uses his plays to illustrate the loneliness of every human being, the desire for
contact and understanding.  Echoing the theme of language breakdown, Martha, shrieking
furiously "Now you pay attention to me!", George trying to make contact with Nick, and Jerry
trying to make contact with Peter, all underscore Albee's emphasis on lack of communication as
a source of loneliness.  Part of George and Martha's loneliness stem from the comfort of their
marriage.  The audience gets glimpses of the love that still exists between them in the beginning
and end of the play, the word games they play, the companionship as they face their new life. 
This comfort allows them to pick at the minutia of their relationship, up to the point that they are
at each other's throats.  And, as George points out, "when you want to change something...you
BANG!  BANG!  BANG!"  Hurling insults, telling disturbing stories, Albee's characters set
about to make changes in others.  In both dramas, communication does occur, but only at the last
minute.  Understanding is reached when Nick and Honey understand the true story of Martha
and George's son, and why George becomes enraged when he discovers that Honey is using
some method of birth control; she is destroying the very thing that he and Martha want to have,
but are unable to.  Only by wearing through the emotional shielding that goes up in times of
stress can the message get through; once that psychological stability falls away, conversation can
occur.  Communication flashes between Jerry and Peter shortly before Jerry's death, when Peter
understands exactly what Jerry means when he says "you're never going to have [this bench] for
yourself again".  The catharsis induced by these traumatic incidents will forever change the
way the "bystanders" look at their environments; Peter will never be able to pass by that bench
again without thinking about Jerry, and Nick and Honey will never look at college life, children,
or George and Martha the same way again.
     Albee has said that indifference is the worst response on person can have for another. 
This belief manifests itself quite often in his works.  Peter's indifference toward Jerry is
practically palatable.  He mistrusts Jerry, and falsely believes that if he maintains an indifferent
attitude toward him, Jerry will simply leave him be.  George too, is indifferent to Martha, almost
irritably so.  He tries to keep a "game face" on in front of their guests, but is unable to do so, his
efforts culminating with the explosive release of his question "SO WHAT, MARTHA?" 
Similarly, Nick and Peter both dismiss the ravings of George and Jerry, respectively, with glib
chatter the equivalent of a sarcastic "Whatever you say, buddy," entirely oblivious to the
seriousness of the warning they receive.  As mentioned earlier, the audience  soon finds that
pain, anguish, and emotional trauma are the only warnings they can understand.
     Finally, many of Albee's works deal with the use if illusion as a coping mechanism. 
Perhaps the most obvious example of this is  George and Martha's child.  Unable to conceive,
the couple settles into a fantasy world in which they have a son.  The folly of this lies in the fact
that their son is not shaped by the real world, but rather by the whims of his parents' minds. 
Their son is not the same figure in both their minds, and this is incapable of being treated as a
real person.  Similar to this is George's game of "truth or illusion".  The whole basis of this
game seems to be what novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. calls "foma," defined as "harmless untruths,
intended to comfort simple souls."  George's tale of sailing past Majorca, represents an
example of his coping method; this statement, which can not be definitively proved or
disproved, is an illusion.  In Zoo Story, Albee illustrates the use of class as both an illusion and a
shield.  While Peter attempts to hide behind his societal position, Jerry's view of Peter's station
renders it an illusion, incapable of providing any protection.  The walls of class are incapable of
stopping the spectral sword of truth, a weapon which isn't tangible, yet is capable of piercing to
the bone.
     Albee's themes come together in a form that is both entertainment and societal
commentary.  His understanding of human behavior alarms, amuses, and enlightens us.  On
stage, we see the mirror of theatre, reflecting the real world, and showing us what we are. 
Through Edward Albee's plays, we gain not only a deep insight into his characters, but also an
insight into ourselves.

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