The Oppositions in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story

Abstract

An abundance of contradictions characterizes most of Edward Albee’s plays. The playwright emphasizes the crucial function of contrasts in everyday life going beyond just expressing them. The playwright reveals that one has to live with such opposites as black and white, good and bad closely since it is not possible to avoid them. Moreover, one should go one step further and accept this unavoidable situation even embracing this contradictory situation. As an example, that we are spiritually dead, while living, is one of his most important themes. Life and death, in fact, are realities of humanity, close to each other, going hand in hand any moment in life. But this is persistently ignored by his characters as well as by mankind in general. The playwright tries hard to make the reader be aware and acknowledge that this is the case. Therefore, we will try to examine the contradictions in The Zoo Story, give examples, and reveal how influential they are in the play as well as in real life. Key Words: Edward Albee, Paradoxes, The Zoo Story