The Zoo Story
1. Characterization
a. Jerry : who is an alienated and unhappy homosexual; Jerry is a disheartened and troubled guy who lives in a boarding house.
b. Peter : is a middle-aged ordinary straight guy, Peter is a middle-class publishing executive with a wife, two daughters, two cats and two parakeets who lives in ignorance of the world outside his settled life.
2. Setting :
It is Central Park; a Sunday afternoon in summer; the present. There are two park benches, one toward either side of the stage; they both face the audience. Behind them: foliage, trees, sky. At the beginning, Peter is seated on one of the benches.
3. Structure:
The Zoo Story is a long one act play in which "nothing happens" except conversation until the violent ending. Shorn of much of the richness of Albee's utterly arresting language, and his astonishing nuances of psychological attack and retreat,
4. Summary:
The play is about a confrontation that happens in New York's Central Park. The characters are Jerry, who is an alienated and unhappy homosexual; the other person is Peter, a middle-aged ordinary straight guy. The play explores themes of isolation, loneliness, social disparity and dehumanization in a commercial world.
Peter is a middle-class publishing executive with a wife, two daughters, two cats and two parakeets who lives in ignorance of the world outside his settled life. Jerry is a disheartened and troubled guy who lives in a boarding house.
The two men meet on a park bench in New York City's Central Park. Jerry is desperate to have a meaningful conversation with another human being. He intrudes on Peter’s peaceful state by interrogating him and forcing him to listen to stories from his life that includes in particular "The Story of Jerry and the Dog" and also the reason behind his frequent visits to the zoo.
The ironic humor and dramatic suspense are brought to a climax when Jerry brings his victim down to his own savage level. Jerry frustrates all attempts of Peter to leave him alone.
The shocking ending transpires when Peter eventually announces, "I really must be going home;..." in which Jerry, in response, begins to tickle Peter. Peter giggles, laughs and agrees to listen to Jerry finish telling "what happened at the zoo." At the same time Jerry begins to push Peter off the bench. Peter gets angry. Unexpectedly, Jerry pulls a knife on Peter, and then drops it as initiative for Peter to grab. When Peter holds the knife on instinct, Jerry charges him and serves himself on the knife.
5. Conclussion
MAN VS SOCIETY
The Proposal
1. Characterization
a. Stepan Stepanovitch Chubukov : He is about 65 years old, he is a landowner.
b. Natalya Stepanovna : She is Chubukov’s daughter, she is twenty years old, she is beautiful girl.
c. Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov : He is Chubukov’s neighbour. He is a large and hearty, but very suspicionous landowner. He likes natalya.
2. Setting : at a drawing room in Chubukov’s house
3. Theme and issue:
The themes and the issue for this one act play by Chekhov that is a comedy or a satire, include making fun of romance and marriage. Chekhov examines the true nature of marriage, an institution of necessity in his. The farce explores the process of getting married and could be read as a satire on the upper middle class and courtship. The play points out the struggle to balance the economic necessities of marriage and what the characters themselves actually want. It shows the characters' desperation for marriage as comical. In Russia, marriage was a mean of economic stability for most people. They married to gain wealth and possessions or to satisfy social pressure
4. Conclussion
MAN VS SOCIETY
Because there is a conflict between Natalia and Ivan relater their marriage proposal. They married to gain wealth and possessions or to satisfy social pressure.
