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                                    Zoo Story Analysis


                                                                    by Alper Caglar

I. Given Circumstances

A.   Environmental Facts

1.Geographical location, including climate

A bench in a desolate corner of Central Park, New York, Temperate

2.Date: Year, Season, Time of Day

Present Day (No exact date is given, but the act appears modern day)
Summer
Afternoon

3.Economic Environment

The environment itself is a secluded corner of Central Park which Peter frequents often.
Jerry appears to be lower middle class, with a sort of haphazard look about him.
Peter appears middle to upper-middle class, cleanly and an organized fellow.

      External Controls

4.Political Environment [Public and Personal]

Democratic society with an elected president and a liberal working class.
Jerry and Peter are ambiguous about their political views, yet we can assume that Peter is a member of the working class, with a family who abides with the political system.

5.Social Environment

      There are no underlying themes of race, ethnicity or social situation.
      Peter appears to be a well educated person, trusting and tolerant.
       Jerry appears to be tolerant as well, but erratic and impulsive.

6.Religious Environment

Neither character seems religious. As it is sunday and they are frequenting the park.

B. Previous Action

+ Went to the Zoo and walked until he came to the bench at the park
+ Before going to the zoo. Walked all the way up Fifth Avenue from Washington square

Jerry

Peter
+ Has been sitting on the bench for a while now

C. Polar Attitudes of the Principal Characters

1.
Jerry: Beginning - "I am troubled with humanity and must find peace"
Jerry: Ending - "I have found peace and meaning"

Peter: Beginning - "I am an ordinary man in an ordinary world"
Peter: Ending - "Through extraordinary circumstances my life is devastated"

2. Not Applicable, it is a 2 character play, there are no 3rd parties.

3. I believe both of them have changed. Jerry finally finds his peace, and gives meaning to something whereas Peter is shattered and appalled at the whole situation, as he has killed a man. A calm and collected person like Peter, however accidental, lost his temper and acted bestial, changing his entire view about himself.

II. Dialogue

Jerry

A.Choice of Words
Jerry uses simple and direct language, and relies on Peter to bring out the complicated synonyms to illustrate his point.

Example: I'll tell you why I do it; I don't talk to many people-except to say like: give me a beer, or where's the john, or what time does the feature go on, or keep your hands to yourself, buddy. You know-things like that.

B.Choice of phrases & sentence structures
Jerry often uses phrases that lead Peter somewhere in the discussion, they are subtly smart pieces of an overall plan that he has.

Ex: (Ignoring the above) Where do you live? (PETER is reluctant) Oh, look; I'm not going to rob you, and I'm not going to kidnap your parakeets, your cats, or your daughters.

C.Choice of images created by the words
When it is necessary, Jerry uses very vivid language, that is extremely descriptive and visual.

Ex: But the landlady is a fat, ugly, mean, stupid, and unwashed, misanthropic, cheap, drunken bag of garbage. And you may have noticed that I very seldom use profanity, so I can't describe her as well as I might.

D.Choice of peculiar characteristics
I have not noticed any leads as to any accent or mannerism Jerry might have in his speech.

E.Sound of the dialogue
Jerry appears to speak loudly, clearly and yet very impulsively, often blurting out what he says, yet he can be silently menacing if he is driven to it.

Ex: And I am there, and it's feeding time at the lion's house, and the lion keeper comes into the lion cage, one of the lion cages, to feed one of the lions. (Punches PETER on the arm, hard) MOVE OVER!

F.Structure of the lines and speeches
Dominating and in control, Jerry is almost trance-like when he begins telling a tale or experience to Peter.

Ex: But during that twenty seconds or two hours that we looked into each other's face, we made contact. Now, here is what I had wanted to happen: I loved the dog now, and I wanted him to lvoe me. I had tried to love, and I had tried to kill, and both had been unsuccessful by themselves. I hoped . . . and I don't really know why I expected the dog to understand anything, much less my motives . . . I hoped that the dog would understand.
(PETER seems to be hypnotized)
It's just . . . it's just that . . .(JERRY is abnormally tense, now) . . . it's just that if you can't deal with people, you have to make a start somewhere. WITH ANIMALS! (Much faster now, and like a conspirator) don't you see? A person has to have some way of dealing with SOMETHING.

Peter

A.Choice of Words
Peter chooses intelligent and sophisticated words, unlike Jerry, and it is apparent that he is eloquent.

Example: Was I patronizing? I believe I was; I'm sorry. But, you see, your question about the classes bewildered me.

B.Choice of phrases & sentence structures
He often has an easy to understand, yet intricate sentence structure, yet he does not resort to phrases. His hesitation though, is understandable and reflects to some of his speeches.

Ex: Well, I like a great many writers; I have a considerable . . . catholicity of taste, if I may say so. Those two men are fine, each in his way. (Warming up) Baudelaire, of course . . . uh . . . is by far the finer of the two, but Marquand has a place . . . in our . . . uh . . . national . . .

C.Choice of images created by the words
Peter is not a very vivid describer, as he holds himself back, until the very end where he finally sheds his shyness and calm.

Ex: I've come here for years; I have hours of great pleasure, great satisfaction, right here. And that's important to a man. I'm a responsible person, and I'm a GROWNUP. This is my bench, and you have no right to take it away from me.

D.Choice of peculiar characteristics
Peter appears to me as a person who would speak slowly and with the occasional hesitation of what he should say next.

Ex: Oh, yes; the zoo. (Then, awkward) That is . . . if you. .

E.Sound of the dialogue

Peter speaks little compared to the endless banter of Jerry, and I would assume he is not as loud or oppressing in a discussion as Jerry is.

Ex: I'm sorry, haven't you enough room? (He shifts a little)

F.Structure of the lines and speeches

Peter is hesitant and almost shy, and is often dominated by Jerry's lectures.

Ex: Yes. Yes, by all means; tell me what happened at the zoo. Oh, my. I don't know what happened to me.

The Whole Play

A.Choice of Words
The play is full of linguistic contrast; the sophisticated and scholarly Peter versus the compulsive and ordinary Jerry.

B.Choice of phrases & sentence structures
      Again, the two main characters are in contrast to each other.

C.Choice of images created by the words
The imagery of the play is not very extraordinary. The setting and the things that are discussed rarely are in unity.

E.Sound of the dialogue

The author has definitely chosen varying degrees of resonance. My view of the ending for example is quite chaotic and loud, as opposed to the beginning which is peculiar and quiet.

F.Structure of the lines and speeches
      Jerry is dominating the speeches and the lines of both of the characters change towards the end.

III. Dramatic Action

A.
1. Meet the Stranger
2. Getting to Know One Another
3. Who Is Peter?
4. Home
5. The Zoo Mystery
6. Wherefore Art Thou?
7. My Filthy Life
8. Sex and Jerry
9. Crying Woman
10. Jerry and the Cur
11. Differences
12. Please Stay!
13. Calm Before the Storm
14. Comes With The Territory
15. My Bench!
16. Stealing Your Fear
17. Fight I say!
18. The Dying Killer
19. Revelations
20. Oh My God

C.
1. J greets P, P inspects
2. J mocks P, P evades
3. J argues with P, P reveals
4. P evades J, J pushes
5. P fears J, J comforts
6. J directs P, P is led
7. J attacks P, P adjusts
8. J rambles, P flees
9. J performs, P relates
10. J performs to P, P surrenders
11. J taunts P, P flees
12. P appeases J, J pleads
13. J entices P, P is guided
14. J attacks P, P reasons
15. J attacks P, P defends
16. J ridicules P, P surmounts
17. J attacks P, P retaliates
18. J pursues P, P flees
19. J calms P, P despairs
20. J comforts P, P escapes

V. IDEA

A.Meaning of the Title

Zoo
1. A park or an institution in which living animals are kept and usually exhibited to the public
2. Slang. A place or situation marked by confusion or disorder.
I think the playwright selected this title for two reasons; first, to illustrate the instinctual battle of wills in every human being, akin to the territorial disputes of animals. Another reason was to illustrate the fact that Jerry went to the Zoo, but only found it with Peter in the Park. Also, the Central Park, where the play takes place, is often referred to as the Zoo.

B.Philosophical Statements

a) No I'll let you in on what happened at the zoo; but first, I should tell you why I went to the zoo. I went to the zoo to find out more about the way people exist with animals, and the way animals exist with each other, and with people too. It probably wasn't a fair test, what with everyone separated by bars from everyone else, the animals for the most part from each other, and always the people from the animals. But, if it's a zoo, that's the way it is.

b) You won't be coming back here any more, Peter; you've been dispossessed. You've lost your bench, but you've defended your honor. And Peter, I'll tell you something now; you're not really a vegetable; it's all right, you're an animal. You're an animal, too.

C.Implications of the Action

In both quotations Jerry compares humans to animals in that they have disputes over things they can not bear to lose or must defend, be it honor or territory. The playwright states these with words and then shows it to us by Jerry drawing Peter into a fight he never thought was possible. The death of a man for a bench, over anger and determination and stubbornness. These three words illustrate how Jerry finds peace in knowing that he is not different, but he is just like all the other animals, all the other human animals.

D.Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

i)Jerry questioning Peter if he himself should get parakeets and girls and a wife as well.
ii)Peter making it clear that he can not comprehend with the story of Jerry and the Dog
iii)Jerry constantly assuming that Peter can understand him, when he can not.
iv)Peter doing something he would never do, even if it was accidental, and Jerry being able to foresee this.

E.Bottomline

Mankind is no different than the animal kingdom, only the values have gotten more complicated, and the territories more specific.