Edward Albee & Rape on College Campuses

 Edward Albee was a significant absurdist author, born 1928 in Washington D.C., who was considered a deeply emotional person, often exploring themes of isolation, humanity, and other absurdist themes. The Pulitzer Prize winning author was born in 1928, although his views and writings were quite modern and can easily be applied to modern-day issues and debates. Albee was analytical of traditional American values, and this was shown in many of his writings, including The Zoo Story. He often criticized the violent nature of humans and often wrote of his existentialist views (Kumar Yadav, 2019). Edward Albee would be critical of today’s culture and commentary surrounding sexual harassment and the prevalence of rape on college campuses, and this is clear because of his past judgement of society’s hierarchy and power dynamics, as well his reputation for and demonstrations of emotional understanding in his works. 

The absurdist author Edward Albee would be critical of the increasing rates of rape and sexual harassment on college campuses, and this can be determined based on the themes of his literature being highly judgemental towards the social dynamics and power hierarchy present at the time of his writing. This judgement is more than likely to extend towards modern day issues such as this. It is stated in a biography by Portland Center Stage that “on stage, the elements of this movement are marked by nontraditional storytelling, alienation, disorientation, failure to communicate and existentialism. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? employs these tactics in stunning relief…On the surface, this can seem a critique of love and marriage, but as Albee’s work insists, the criticisms aim much higher. This satire is not just a takedown of tumultuous relationships between husband and wife, but between citizen and society, settler and state, inhabitant and empire” (Portland Center Stage, n.d.). An analysis of Albee's existentialism notes that in The Zoo Story, “the lack of communication between Jerry and his landlady's vicious dog is merely an analogy for the hostility among living beings in a world in which alienation and lack of sympathy are deep-seated psychological conditions. The story of the dog leads to Jerry's zoo story, but the roundabout, digressionary mode of relation is emblematic of Edward Albee's style. This drama is one in which a lonely man on the verge of nervous breakdown desperately attempts to find at least one individual who will hear him out and come to an understanding of the existential plight that Jerry sees as a malaise in the world” (Kumar Yadav, 2019). The criticisms of the social hierarchy by Albee that is mentioned by Portland Center Stage can be parallelled to common criticisms of college campus rape. Albee also makes a criticism of the violent tendencies of human nature in his play The Zoo Story, with the analogy of the attack of a dog to the “hostility” and “lack of sympathy” often seen in humans (Kumar Yadav, 2019). This and Jerry's longing for understanding of his experience can be compared to victims of rape’s desire to be believed. It is not unlikely that Albee would hold similar opinions regarding rape and sexual harassment on college campuses, being critical of the power rapists hold over their victims, as well as writing commentary in ways such as The Zoo Story comments on the desire of humans to hurt each other. 

It is also demonstrated that Albee today would disapprove of the lack of resources for students on college campuses regarding sexual harassment and rape, and this is demonstrated because he is described as being emotionally intellectual and empathetic towards others. “Edward Albee was a prominent American playwright known for his intense emotional expressions and challenging narratives…explor[ing] complex human relationships and often utiliz[ing] minimalist settings and absurdist themes. His writing is characterized by sharp dialogue and a focus on the tensions between truth and illusion, particularly through the lens of familial and societal dynamics…his plays often depict powerful female characters who drive the emotional narrative, while male characters grapple with their weakness” (Biard & Gidmark, 2021).  “We may come to believe The Zoo Story is about what happens when we refuse to put aside our youthful feelings to transition into adulthood and what happens when we refuse to acknowledge our feelings once in adulthood…Edward Albee saw adulthood as a delicate balance between ardent expression and necessary repression. Not coincidentally, “delicate balance” is the name of one of his plays and a thesis he advances in The Zoo Story--in support of which he coins “the teaching emotion,” or kindness and cruelty working in tandem to show us the limitations of our humanity” (Jenike, 2019). Albee's “intense emotional expressions” are indicative of him being extremely empathetic as well. It is likely that he would be critical of rape on college campuses because of the strained social dynamics and feeling empathy for the victims. Additionally, he addresses the effects of emotional dysregulation in his play The Zoo Story, exploring the violent nature of repressed emotions (Kumar Yadav, 2019). This can also be compared to college campus rape, dealing with people that have just entered adulthood and their harmful actions. The actions of a rapist on a college campus can be rooted in deep emotional or psychological issues, which also comes back to the violence of human nature and Albee's critiques.

In conclusion, the absurdist author Edward Albee would be critical of present day’s prevalence of rape in college because of his previous criticism of traditional power dynamics and emotional view. He takes elements of absurdism to comment on problems in society, using his writings in order to criticise them, as well as viewing them through an empathetic standpoint. (Jeinke, 2019) Albee often wrote of societal issues to create awareness around them, and because his views more often align with modern-day perspectives, it is likely that he would do the same with rape on college campuses and advocate for more effective resources. His works were used as his form of expression for his frustration with individuals in society and how issues such as this divide humanity and cause a sense of widespread apprehension. 

References

(n.d.). Edward Albee: An Abbreviated Biography. Portland Center Stage. www.pcs.org/features/edward-albee-an-abbreviated-biography

Jenike, L. (2019). Edward Albee's “The Teaching Emotion”. Ploughshares at Emerson College. pshares.org/blog/edward-albees-the-teaching-emotion/

Kumar Yadav, M., Sharma Yadav, M. (2019) Edward Albee's The Zoo Story as the Play of Absurd and the Themes of Existentialism. 2(1). Al-Kindi Publisher. al-kindipublisher.com/index.php/ijllt/article/view/1441/1176

Shuman, R. Baird., Gidmark, Jill B. (2021). Edward Albee. EBSCO. www.ebsco.com/research-starters/drama-and-theater-arts/edward-albee