The Zoo Story tells the story between Peter, a middle-class executive director of a publishing house, and Jerry at the bottom of society. One Sunday afternoon in summer Jerry comes up to Peter who is reading a book sitting on the bench in Central Park. Jerry starts up a conversation with Peter not only asking about Peter’s family, income and address, but also constantly telling Peter his life and the story of the dog. At first Peter answers him because of politeness and feels antipathy when asked about privacy questions; then he is raring to get home after hearing the story of the dog. Jerry urges Peter to stay a while longer and tickles Peter’s ribs with his fingers. Afterwards, Jerry sits on the bench at Peter’s side, and forces Peter to give him more space or even get off the bench. Jerry exasperates Peter unjustifiably and tosses a knife at Peter’s feet. Finally, when Peter holds the knife to defend, Jerry rushes up to Peter and impales himself on the knife.

The Zoo Story　not only made a good start of Edward Albee’s theatrical career, but also marked the start of American Absurd Theatre. It is brought up by 高迎春 (2012) that at that time American theatre was beset with a crisis—O’Neill was dead and the golden age of Williams and Miller seemed to be over. Albee’s The Zoo Story put fresh vitality into American theatre which was in the doldrums. With audacious and revolting artistic practice, he brought avant-garde and innovative thoughts into the unimaginative and banal American theatre, presenting a new appearance to American audiences. The Zoo Story as the first writing of the American Absurd Theatre, broke the writing technique of traditional theatre and had the obvious art characteristics of the Theatre of the absurd. Ruehl (2016) remarks that “Edward wanted his plays to shake people in the cockles of their hearts and make them look at life anew. Make them look at their preconceptions, at their prejudices, and at their fears.”

1.2 Previous studies of The Zoo Story

1.2.1 Materialism and alienation

The word “alienation” coming from the German word “entfremdung” means that the creature is porced from the creator—not only getting rid of the control of people, but also becoming the dissident force that enslaves and dominates human beings. It means the loss of self. In the process of industrialization, the deepening pision of labor separates the manual labor from the mental work, while the physical and mental feelings of the human beings are separated as well. Worst still, the feelings of human beings are ruled by purely possessive desires (张琼2004). 楚合江 (2011) states that people create more use value of things, but at the same time fall into its absolute control; people are becoming more and more dominant in nature, but they are increasingly unable to control their own destiny.

The Zoo Story, from first to last, is constantly showing people various kinds of images, and trying to instill the concept of material into people, in order to imply a universal alienation of material. At the beginning, Jerry tries to talk to Peter by interrogating Peter or introducing himself. 

JERRY: On a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon like this? Who better than a nice married man with two daughters and... uh... a dog? [PETER shakes his head.] No? Two dogs. [PETER shakes his head again.]Hm. No dogs? [PETER shakes his head, sadly.] Oh, that's a shame. But you look like an animal man. CATS? [PETER nods his head, ruefully.] Cats! But, that can't be your idea. No, sir. Your wife and daughters? [PETER nods his head.] Is there anything else I should know? 

PETER: [He has cleared his throat] There are... there are two parakeets. One... uh... one for each of my daughters. (pp. 17-18)

When introducing himself, Jerry says “What I do have, I have toilet articles, a few clothes, a hot plate that I'm not supposed to have, a can opener, one that works with a key, you know: a Knife, two forks, and two spoons, one small, one large; three plates, a cup, a saucer, a drinking glass, two picture frames, both empty, eight or nine books, a pack of pornographic playing cards, regular deck, an old Western Union typewriter that prints nothing but capital letters, and a small strong-box without a lock which has in it…what ? Rocks! Some rocks…searounded rocks I picked up on the beach when I was a kid. Under which…weighed down…are some letters…” (p. 23)