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1985

"Failed Love" in the Drama of Edward Albee

Steven Leonard Long
Eastern Illinois University
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Long, Steven Leonard, ""Failed Love" in the Drama of Edward Albee" (1985). Masters Theses. 2773.
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m
 "FAILED LOVE" IN THE DRAMA

OF EDWARD ALBEE
(TITLE)

BY

S t e v e n Leonard Long

THESIS

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS

FOR THE DEGREE OF

Mas t e r of Ar t s i n Engl i s h

IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS

1985
YEAR

I HEREBY RECOMMEND THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING

THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE

DATE
 DEDICATED WITH
DEEP RESPECT AND ADMIRATION
TO

EDWARD ALBEE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to take tl1is opportunity to thank the

following fortheir gracious support, guidance,
patience, and under�>t:-mdine; during the completion
o f this project:
Dr, R. Rogers
Dr. V. Bobb
Dr. 1. Gabbard
The EIU Housing Office .
and, especially
Joe Wheeler
&
Dan Sprehe

"
 ABSTRACT

The p l a y s of Edward A l bee a r e f r e qu e n t l y e x a m i n a t ions of c h ar a c t e r s

w h o are unable to l ove o r t o b e l ove d . A c en t r a l and re c ur r i ng c onfl i c t

wh i c h r u n s through many of A l be e ' s p l ay s is the c onf l i c t wh i c h s t em s from

the l a ck of s u c c e s s wh i c h t h e c h a r a c t e r s o f t e n e xper i e n c e as t h e y s tr ive

t o f in d l ove. The unc e r t a i n t y and amb i gu i t y wh i c h s urround the a b s tr a c t ion

c a l l e d "love" l e ave the c h ar a c t e r s w i t h f e e l i ng s of unhapp in e s s , f ru s t r a t ion,

f e ar, s e l f-h a t r e d, and d e s pond e n cy. Though the ind i v i d u a l s in Alb e e ' s

play s a r e aware th at l ove is t h e ingr e d i e n t wh i c h i s m i s s ing from t h eir

lives, non e know s how to go about a l l e via ting s u c h a emotion a l d e f i c i ency.

1�e re s u l t is a c ol l e c tion of c hara c t e rs who des p e rat ely want love, but

who are, n e v e rth e l e s s , tot a l l y unequ i p p e d t o a t t a i n it.

The purp o s e of t h i s s t udy i s t o d e mon s t r a t e and examine the p e rva s ive-

n e s s of "fa i l e d l ov e " and t o exp l or e i t as a t h eme in t h e drama of Edward

Albee. Ut i l i z i ng e x ampl e s from f ive r e p r e s e n t a t ive Al b e e wor k s --The Zoo

Story , Who' s Afr a i d of V irg i n i a Wool f?, A De l i c a t e Bal anc e , Al l Over, and

Se a s c ape --a s w e l l as p r e v iou s c r i t i c i s m on Al be e 's d r ama, I w i l l ana lyze

the "fa i l e d l ove " t h eme. A framework for exam i n i ng the p h e nome non of

" l ove" is prov i d e d by the i n c l u s i on of i n s ights and obs ervat i on s on t h e

t op i c from Dr. Erich Fromm's T h e Ar t of Loving (1956). Thoug h oth e r

cr i t i c s h av e a l l uded to t h e s ign i f i c an c e o f t h e " f a i l e d l ove" t h e m e in

A l bee's p l a y s . f e w h ave d e l ve d d e e p l y i n t o t h e are a and non e has prov i d e d

a working d e finit ion of " l ove" or c rit e r i a t o if f erent i atE� love from

other s im i l ar ( but i n f e rior ) ph e nomena. The goal of t h e pres e n t s t udy i s

t o giv e greater ins igh t int o t h e forces a t work in A l b e e ' s powerful drama

by s howing the major rol e t ha t l ov e and it s rout ine failure pl ay i n the

d e v e l opment of the t h e m e and p l ot of each p l ay.

 ii

This examination will focus chiefly on four specific areas in

wh ich Al bee's characters routinely fail in their quests for l ove .

After briefly discussing the phil osophies of A l bee and Fromm on the

subject of Man's a l ienation and his need for l ove , I wil l provide an

overv i ew of the prevalence of the probl em of a l ienation in twentieth­

century Weste rn cul ture. Each of the remaining sections wil l deal with

one of the obstacles to the achievement of l ove which regu l ar l y surface

in the pl ays of Edward Al bee. Spe cifica l l y , those obstacles inc l ude:

chronic passivity, personal immatur i ty , a l ack of love during chi l dhood,

and an inabil ity to love oneself.

" FAILED LOV E " IN THE DRA�iA
OF EDWARD ALBEE

by
S teven Leonard Long
M a s ter of Art s in Engl i s h

THESIS
E a s tern Illino i s Un ivers i t y
1985
 INTRODUCTION

In 19 7 7, Edward Alb e e' s one- act play Count ing th e Ways had its first

American p e r f o rmance a t Th e Hartford Sta g e Company. Though nearly twenty

year s had elaps e d s ince Alb e e ' s f ir s t o n e - act, Th e Zo o Story, mad e its

American debut in 1960, the o p ening l in e o f Count ing the Way s demonstrat e d

the accuracy of the o l d ad a g e ''The m o r e thin g s chang e , the more t h e y s tay

the s ame .'' On a no t ably s imp l e s ta g e s etting con s i s tin g o f o nly a s mall

table and two chair s s urround ed by b ar e wall s , the play's only two charac-

te rs--lle and She-- s it r e a din g. Sudd e nly, She looks up to ask He, "Do you

love me'?" !Vi t h a s ingle que s tion, s he has ne atly s ummar ized a centr a l

i s s u e which h a s con s i s t ently plagued Alb e e' s characte r s s ince h e b e gan

wr i tin g play s a quarter of a century ago, Alb e e' s plays ar e almo s t always

c oncerned with the po s s i bil i t i e s , th e probl e m s , the perameter s , th e prag-

mat i c s , the p itfalls , and the prom i s e s of love. The amb i gu i t i e s wh ich

p e rvade thought s of love leave Alb e e' s characte r s perplexed and afraid--

terri f i e d to pur s u e the unch a rted depth s of lov e , but fe arful of a l i f e

w i th o ut it.

The purpo s e of th i s s tudy i s to d e mon s trate and exam ine the p e r-

v a s ivene s s of " f a iled love" and to e xplore it a s a theme in the drama

of Edward Alb e e. Ut i l i zin g example s from repre s entat ive Alb e e plays ,
�

pr e v i ous cr i t i ci s m on h i s work s , and i n s i ghts and ob s e rvat i on s about

love from The Art of Loving ( 1956 ) by not e d p s ycholo g i s t Dr. Er ich Fromm,

I w ill analyze Alb e e' s r e current "failed love" theme. Though other cr i t i c s

have allud ed to t h e s i gnif ic ance of s uch a th eme in Alb e e' s play s , few

have delved exten s ively into the a r e a and n o n e has provided a fram e�ork

f or de f in i n g and explain ing the phenomenon of love as Alb e e tre at s i t.

For the purpo s e o f the pre s e nt examinat ion, I h ave cho s e n f or

 2

sever a l reasons to concentrate on f ive of Albe e ' s original dramatic

works--a one -act, The --

--
Zoo Story (1959 ) , and four full-lenct h play s , Who' s
�

Afraid of Virginia Woo l f?

- --··
(1962), A Delicate
-
Balance ( 1966), -----
All Over

(1971), a nd Seascape (1975): (1) b eca u s e they are among Albee's b e s t,

mo s t e ffe ctive, mo s t critically re s pected play s ; (2) becau s e , combined,

th e y demon s trate t h e ran g e of Alb ee's maturing vi s ion of the causes and

e ffects of "faile d love"; (3) because they are all original works ( as

opposed to adaptions of work s b y other authors ) and are pre s u m ably more

concerned with theme tha t w i t h form; and (4) b ecau s e, due to the limited

s c o p e of this s t u dy , I mus t r e g r e ttably exclud e s ome of Alb e e' s plays

( though I beli eve tha t they, too, includ e exampl e s of "f a i le d love" ) .

Thi s examination will focus c h iefly on four s p e c i f ic a r e a s in

which Albee's characte r s routinely f ail in th e ir que s ts for love. After

b r i e fly d i s c u s s i n g the phi losophies of Alb e e and Fromm on the s ub j e c t of

Man's al i en a t i o n and his ne e d f o r love, I will prov i d e a n overvie w o f

the prevalence of the problem of a l i e nation i n twen t i e th- c ent ury We s t e rn

culture. Each of the remaining s ecti o n s will d e a l w i t h one of the

ob s t a c les to the achievement of love in the plays of Edward Albee.

Specifically, I will elaborate on the following ob s tacle s :

1. Chronic pa s s ivity. Bec a u s e many of the characte r s take a

pas s ive attitud e toward life, they operate in.ra "death in

life" s tate in which love cannot exis t.

2. Per s onal immatur i t y . Child i s hness , " g ame playing, " and

oth e r infantile form s of b e havior illustrate a s t a ge of

"emotional infancy" in which m any of Albee' s characters are

l ock e d .

3. A lack of l o v e d ur i n g childhood. Such lack has left many of

 3

Albee's characters to doub t t heir 01m s e lf-worth and to s eek

the l ove o f o t hers in the s am e w a y tha t a small chi ld s e ek s

the love o f hi s p are n t s .

4. The inability to love one s e lf. Thi s s tudy wi ll ultim a t e l y

argue that it is this s t ace which most generally s t ops A lbe e's

characters from achieving the love of others, since the attain-

ment of such a goal is impos sible if one d oes n o t initially

love oneself.

Before examining "love" in A lbee's dr ama, I wil l comment on t h e

studies and bacl�ground of Erich Fromm a n d cite s ome rea s on s for t he

inc lu s io n o f his p articular pers pective in this s tu dy. Don H a u s dorff

has summarize d Fromm' s cre d entials t h i s way:

P s ych o analy s t , s ocial theoris t and critic, e thical

philos oph e r , teache r and b e s t- s ell ing author:
Erich Fromm ha s been all of the s e during a long
and product iv e career. As much a s any pers on
in our time, he has s ought to confront our moral
and inte llectual dilemma s and to compreh end a
humanity that s eem s r e s olutely determ i ned to
destroy itself (3).

Fromm' s Th e Art of Loving appe ared in 1956--thre e years prior to

A lbee's Th e Zoo St ory- - "in a p eriod when love m anu als and s ex manuals

were rapidly flooding t h e market'' (Hau s d o rff 97). Hi s b ook is b a s e d on

,,

the p remi s e th at "love is an art" and t h e refore "require s knowle dge and

effort" ju s t as t he d e velopment of any art require s the s e (Ar t 1).

Fromm's book is n o t a "how-to" guide, however. "Fromm quickly warne d

away those who expected 'easy instruction in the art of loving'" (Hau s -

dorff 97), His b o o k de t ails the p s ychologic a l principle s which lie b e hind

Man's ne e d for love, th e sub s titute s for love wh ich are commonly found in

our society and why they a r e inf e rior t o love it s e lf, the vario u s objec t s
of love, and, finally, some prerequisites for the effE�ctive p ra ct ic e of

love.

Fronun's a ppro ach is u ni q ue beca u s e of its s in gu l ar d e m an d fo r t he

active involvement of t he reader. The bur d e n of f in di n g "love" ( as

opposed to a "lover" ) is e n tir ely on th e re ader, who mu s t take c on tr o l

of his or her own lif e as well as ful l re s pons ibi lity for his or he r

actions. The b o ok is written from the vie wp o in t t hat love is hard to

ac hieve , b ut th at the s trug g le i s worth it.

Albee's appro ach to hi s the ater audience p ar a l l e l s Fr omm' s appro ach

to his re aders. Like Fromm, A lb e e demands much of tho s e who come to

s e e his p l ay s . His drama i s neithe r e s capis t entertainment n o r typ ical

contemporary romantic comedy ( that fe ature s a ro s y love affair that

is i n i ti a t e d , con s ummated, thwarted, and mir aculously, etern a l ly re s o lved

in approximately two h ou r s ) . A s Anita Maria Stenz po int s out , ac t ive

listening an d involvement in t h e theatr i c a l exp eri e nce is re q u i re d for

the achievement of love outs ide the th e ater:

Since Albee subtly develo ps of his

the e x p ositio n
plays r i g ht to the end, is in f a c t r eq u ir ed to
one
listen very hard and to reconstruct f o r him s el f
t h e b ac kgr ound of t he c h ar acter s and their con­
flicts. Even t h o ugh it may b e pa in fu l, t he play­
g o er is expected to participate fully in t he
t h e a t r ica l experience, to c o nc entrate crit ic ally
upon each s c e n e and, at the s ame t i me , to re spond
directly with his emot i on s . Wit t ingly, th e �u t hor
make s enormou s d e m ands on hi s audience (2).

Erich Fronun, like Edward A lb e e, d o es not p r om i s e an imme diate improve-

m e nt of one's " l ov e life" for simp ly havin g re ad h i s work . The c lari-

fications that both a u t h o r s make of Man' s curr ent d i lemm a s and cha lleng e s

and a more c o mpl e t e and comp lex know l e d g e of the way conditions "re a l ly

are" make the two uniqu e in the ir common appro ach and their poten t ia l

f o r u t ility (as oppo s ed to "pa s sin g intere s t" ) by tho s e who s tudy the m.
 5

The obstacles to love that bo th por tr ay are stumbling blocks which

inevitably lie before us all. Fromm and Albee share one ultimate goal :

to help m o d e rn Man to h r• l p himself out of a self-induced "slumber" and

into a state of meaningful, energetic, pa i nfu l , promising participation

in the proce s s of l i fe . Th ough Albee h a s read i l y adm i t t ed t h a t t he

purpose of hi s drama is not t o " g ive p at answer s , " the insight t h a t

h i s drama give s
int o the prob l ems which routine l y confront mod e rn Man
.
1
i s , p erh ap s , an even more va l u abl e con t r ibution . In a wor l d of per-

p l exing dil emmas and cha l l en g i n g mora l , e thica l , s oc i a l , and other is s u e s ,

Edward Al b e e d o e s n o t prov i d e the ans w e r s ; h e m e r e l y cl ar i f i e s t h e

questions.

Al i enat i on and Modern Man ' s N e e d for Love

I went to the zoo to f ind out more ab out the way

peop l e e x i s t w i t h anima l s, and the way anima l s
e x i s t wit h e ach other, and w i th p e op l e , t o o . It
probably wasn't a fair t e s t , what w i t h e veryone
separated by b ar s from everyone e l s e, the a n ima l s
for the most part from e ach o ther , and a l ways the
peopl e fr o m the animal s . But i f i t ' s a z o o , that ' s
the w a y it is.
--Jerry , A l b e e ' s The Z o o S t ory ( Plays 1:48).

The exp e rience o f s ep ar a t en e s s arou s e s anxiety;

i t i s , indeed, the s ource of al l anx i e ty .
- - E. Fromm , The Art o f Loving (7).
i

Dur ing t h e 1 950 ' s and 1960 ' s in Amer ica , p s ycho l o g i s t s and s ocio l o -

gi s t s be g an to p ay c l ose a t t ent i on t o t h e grow i n g phenomenon o f a l ienation

in twentie th-cent ury We s t ern s oc i e ty . I n t h e i r 1962 book Man A l one:

A l i en a t ion in Modern S oc i e ty , Eric and Mary J o s eph s on report t h a t the

theme of a l ienation

runs through the litera ture and drama o f two con­

tinent s ; it can be traced in the con t e n t as we l l
a s the form o f modern art ; i t pr e occupie s the o l o -
 6

g i ans and ph i l o s opher s , and t o many p s yc ho l o g i s t s

and s o c i o l o g is t s i t i s the c en tral prob l em o f our
time (10).

I t i s t h i s a l i enat i on t h a t Fromm's The Ar t of Loving and v i r t ua l ly a l l o f

Alb e e ' s pl ays portray a s one of modern Man ' s gre a t e s t f e a r s and h i s

b i g g e s t ob s t a c l e i n a t t a in ing per s on a l happine s s . In 1955, Fr omm d e f ined

t h e ph enomenon in The S ane S o c i e ty:

By a l i e n a t ion i s me ant a mode o f exp e r i en c e in

wh i c h the pers on exper i e nc e s h ims e l f a s an a l i en.
He h a s b e c ome , one m i ght s ay , e s tranged from
h ims e l f. He d o e s not e xpe r i en c e h ims e l f as the
c e n t e r o f the wor l d , as the creat or o f his own
a c t s --but h i s a c t s and t h e ir c ons e quenc e s have
b e c ome h i s ma s t ers, whom he obey s , or whom he
may even wor s h ip ( 111).

Alb e e ' s e ar l y one - ac t s - -The Zoo S t ory , The D e ath of B e s s i e S m i t h ,

and The S andb ox- - f e a t ure a l ien a t e d ind ividua l s a s the ir main c h ar a c t er s .

In an art i c l e on The Zo o S t ory , Mary M . N i l an c a l l s J erry " a un iver s a l

s ymb o l o f a l i en a t e d modern man" (58). Luc ina P. G abb ard p o i n t s t o " the

theme o f abandonmen t " in the s e t hre e p l ay s , o b s erving that e a c h " r in g s

w i t h rage a t s o c i e ty ' s dis r e g ard for i t s o ut c a s t s " ( " Tr iptych" 14).

G e r a l d We a l e s n o t e s t h a t ''S eparat e ne s s i s the o p e r a t ive word for Alb e e's

char a c t er s " (30). I n t h i s l at er ful l - l e n g t h p l ay s , A l b e e cons i s t en t l y

pre s e nt s u s w i t h c o up l e s and the ir fami l i e s who , d e s p i t e the f a c t t h a t

they have s hare d the s ame hou s e f or y e ar s , a r e a l mo s t t o t a l s trange r s .

,
E s tranged from thems e lve s and from one ano ther , they are d o omed t o an

e x i s t en c e " in wh i c h l i f e i s me a s ur e d in t erms o f l o s s , l ove by i t s f a ilur e ,

c on t a c t by i t s ab s enc e " ( We a l e s 29). The unname d t error wh i c h cre e p s

u p and s tr ike s Harry and Edna in � D e l i c a t e Ba l an c e i s t h e stark re a l izat i on

t h a t they are i s o l at e d , a l i enated ind ividua l s who are unab l e t o f a c e

a l i f e devo id o f l ove . The phys i c a l pre s e n c e o f another human b e ing

i s , by i t s e l f , n o t enou gh . Event ual l y t h e s e char a c t e r s reach a point o f

 7

desperation--a moment when they sudden l y become aware of the i r loneliness

and feel trapped in a re l ati onship that mean s no th in g . In T e nne s s ee

Williams' Cat .92:!. � � Tin Roof, Maggie conc i se l y explain s thi s d i lemma

which stems from the d isp a r i ty between the physi c al pr o x i mity and the

emotional dis t an c e that exists in her rela t ionship with her hu s band ,

Brick: "I'm not livin g wit h you," she tel ls her cold, dista nt roo mma t e .

"We oc cupy the s ame ca ge" (28).

Fromm summarizes the condi t i on this way:

Man--of all ages and c u l tur e s --is confronted

with the s olution of one and the same que s tion:
the qu e s tio n of how to o ver co me separateness,
how to achieve union , how to tr ansc e nd one ' s
individual life and find at-onement ( Art 8).

Fromm allows that there are other routes t ha t one might take "to

achieve un ion " besides love. These include three: orgiastic states,

conformity, and creative activity ( Art 9-15). Th e s e are considered

by Fromm to be inferior solutions but he says they can be effective

to a certain degree . These alternate rout e s are rout i ne l y u s ed by unhappy

character s in Alb e e ' s plays. Their u n hap pine s s give s credence to Fromm' s

s tat eme nts.

An orgias t ic state is described as "a transitory state of exal tation

[in which] the world outside disappears, and wit h it the feeling of

separateness from it" (Ar t 9). Examples of this auto-{nduced state

incl ude the feelings one gets from using drugs or alcohol or during

sexual orgasm . Fromm says t hat, since these states often involve the

presence of ano ther person (or group of people), the i l l usion that one

is no longer a separate entity can also be strengthened (Art 9). Albee's

characters can regularl y be fo und in an orgiastic state. In Who ' s Afraid

of V i rg i ni a Woolf? and A Delicate B a l anc e , for e xample , the characters

 8

spend a l o t o f time drinking. Much o f t h e ir d i s cu s s ion c ent e r s around

the type of l i quor they dr ink , the me t h o d s they u s e for the preparat ion

of dr ink s , the amount s t hey can dr ink , or s ome r e lat e d t op i c . Each

chara c t e r dr inks t o extreme s and none f inds t h a t the f e e l ing wh i c h r e s u l t s

i s s a t i sfying for very l ong . In V ir g in i a Woo l f , Mar tha engag e s i n a

"wou l d -b e " infid e l i ty w i t h N i c k a f t er a marathon- l ik e n i gh t o f dr inking .

From pa s t exp e r ienc e , s h e i s not s urpr i s e d t o f ind that ne i t h e r s ex nor

l i quor has changed the overal l c ircumst anc e s of her l ife . Her r e f l e c t i o n s

a s s he fixe s herself s t i l l anoth e r d r i nk i l l u s tr a t e h o w inad e quat e the

org iast i c s t a te c an b e a t making one f orget one's pain:

MARTHA: I cry allll the t ime; but d e ep inside,

s o no one c an s ee me . I cry a l l the t ime . And
G e org i e c r i e s a l l the t ime , t o o . We both cry a l l
t h e t ime , and th en, wha t w e d o , w e cry , and we
t ake our t e ar s , and we put ' em in the i c e box ,
in t h e goddamn i c e trays ( B e g ins t o l au gh ) unt i l
they ' r e a l l frozen (Lau ghs even mcn:e ) and then
��
we put them • •in � . . . dr inks .
•

(Mor e l au gh t er , wh i c h i s s ome t h in g e l s e , t o o .
A'f'te"r a s ob e r ing s i l ence ) Up the drain, d"(;Wll the
-
s p o u t , d e ad , gone , and forgo tten (1 85-6 ) .

In The Zoo St ory , J erry d e s c r ibe s the d e ad e n ing e f f e c t that the s earch

for t h e s exual orgasm has had on h im:

JERRY: I never s e e the l i t t l e l adie s more than

once . I've never b e e n ab l e t o have s ex with , or ,
how i s i t put? make l ove t o anyone more
than onc e • • •Oh , I d o l ove the l i t t l e ladie s ;
•

real l y , I l ove t h em . For ab out an hour (32-J).

I n A D e l i cate Balanc e , C la i r e ' s s exual enc ount e r s w i t h bo t h Tob ias ( her

s i s t er ' s husband ) and H arry ( Tob i a s ' "be s t fr iend" ) l e ave her f e e ling

more a l one than eve r - - a c ond i tion she f i g h t s un s u c c e ssfu l l y by dr ink ing

her way t o al c oho l i sm and s e l f- loa t h i n g . The M i s tre s s in A l l Over has

spent the l a t e r years of her l i f e as the c ompan i on of the W i f e ' s h u s b and .

A s he l i e s dyi� g b e h ind a s cr e en , the W i f e a s k s the M i s tre s s wha t s h e

 9

will do w it h the rest of her life when the Man is gone. "I d o n ' t kno w,"

she answers . "I've thou gh t a bo ut it, o f c o urs e, and no thing s e e ms muc h

good. I'm not a drinker, a n d I'm far to o o ld fo r dru gs " (All Ove r, Pl ays

3:100). Lo ve is s adly out of con s i de ra t i on whi.le our cu l ture ' s favorite

t wo "cure-alls"--booze and pills --to p her lis t of a lte rnate ways of life .

In The Zoo Story, P e t e r demon s trate s a terminal ca s e of Fromm's

second alternative, conformity. As Luc ina Gabbard has observed, "Albee

sho ws Peter's conformity by his pred i c t abi l i ty" ("At the Zoo • • • " 368) •

.Jerry chides Peter's tidy little existence be c au s e he is a c u tely awa re

that Peter's life is a sham a n d a refuge where he attempts to hide f r om

the reality o f h i s s eparate n e s s . In � Deli c at e Bala nc e , Claire (c harac ­

te ris tic a lly playing the "wis e fo o l") quizze s To bias about his du bious

c ommitment to his "indis tinguishiable if n o t n e c e s s arily similar frien ds,"

kno wing that he has n o thing in c o mmon with the m be side s a s hare d (and

thinly co n c e al e d) feeling o f lon e lin e ss and se paration ( 19). As Fro mm

s ay s , "While e veryone trie s to be as clo se as po s sible to the re st [o f

t he herd], everyone remain s u tte rly a lo n e , pe rvade d by the de e p sen se

of in s ecur i ty , an xiety an d guilt whic h always re sults whe n human separate­

n e ss c ann o t be o ve rc o me " (Art 72).

Cre ative ac tivity co mmonly takes the form o f "story-telling" in

Albee's play s . Several of t he s to rie s re n de re d are , i�de e d, wo rks o f

art, e vo king s tro ng e mo tion a n d illu s tra ting that, mo re often than no t,

Albee's characters po s s e ss a de e p s e n s itivity to the wo rld o u ts ide them­

selves. At any rate , the s to ries are alway s accounts of the p ain and

emptiness that· a c companies a lov e les s life. A p artia l list o f the se

stories includes Jerry's tal e of his trip to the zoo a n d his e xpe rie nc e s

with the do g at his ro o ming hou s e ; Martha 's quiet, poignant re n dition o f

"Our Son"; George' s e n igmatic "be rgin " s to ry; To bias ' in s ightfu l "The cat
 10

that I had" spe e ch ; C l a ir e's r id i cu l o u s a c c ount of her tr ip t o buy a

b;ith ing s u i t in autumn ; The W i f e ' s remin i s c ent "The l i t t l e g ir l I was

when he c ame t o ml�" s tory on how she met her husb and ; and Nancy ' s r e c o l l e c -

t i ons of r e ad i n g Prous t a s s h e con s id e r e d che a t ing o n h e r hu s b and, Char l i e ,

i n Seas c ape . Each s t ory, i n i t s own w a y a n d t o i t s o wn d e gr e e , demons trat e s

the pa s s ive appr o a c h Albee's char a c t e r s have t ak e n t oward the ir problems .

The pas t i s re-l ived t ime and t ime a g a in in t he s e we l l - thought-out, we l l -

r e h e ar s e d re c o l l e c t i ons by pe opl e who h ave turn e d away from l i f e and

i n t o thems e lve s . Wh il e the s t orie s s how t h a t the s t oryt e l l er s do, in

f a c t, unders t and the n a t ure o f t h e i r s epar a t e d i l emma s , t o o f ew of them

apply the ir i n s i ght t o an e f f ort t oward change . The ir s t or i e s f a i l,

in addit i on, t o g ive them any r e l i e f s in c e they d o not have anyone w i t h

whom t o s har e the ir t a l e w h o und er s t an d s the ir pl i ght. Too o f t en, a

s t ory i s an a t t empt t o repl a c e expe r i e n c e r a t h e r than to enhance i t .

I n t h i s s en s e, cre a t iv i t y i s an ine f f e c t ive a t d e a l ing w i t h f e e l in g s

o f s epar a t e n e s s a s the org i a s t i c s t a t e and / or c onform i t y . Fromm expl a i n s

t h a t t h e o n l y true cure t o l one l ine s s i s l ove :

The ful l answer [ t o the probl ems t h a t f a c e

u s ] l i e s in t h e ac h i evement o f int erpe r s on a l
un i on, o f fus ion w i t h a n o t h e r per s on, i n l ove •

• • • The f a i lure t o ach i eve i t me ans i n s an i ty

or d e s tru c t i on-- s e l f- d e s truc t i on or d e s t ru c t ion
of others. W i thout l ove, human i t y c ou l d not
e xi s t for a day ( Ar t 15).
'

Through t h i s d i s cu s s i o n o f t h e r e c urre n c e o f uns at i s fying a t t empt s

t o f ind happ i ne s s through a l t erna t ive s t o l ove, we have s e en that, in

the drama o f Edward A l be e, l ove i s , ind e ed, the answe r . Le t u s now

exam ine the s pe c i f i c obs t ac l e s whch ke ep Albee ' s char a c t e r s from f ind ing

l ove .
 11

OBSTACLES TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF LOVE

IN THE DRAMA OF EDWARD ALBEE

I. Chronic Passivity

CHARLIE: I d on ' t want to do anything.

• • •

--Seascape (Plays 3:8),

Love is an activity; I l ove , I am in a c ons tan t

if
state of act i ve with the loved person, but
concern
not only with hi m or h e r . For I shall become in­
capable of r e l ating my s elf actively to the loved
p e r son if I am lazy, if I am not in constant
state of awareness, alertness, activity.
--Erich Fromm, (Art 107).

As I have just noted in the Introduction, E dward Albee and Erich

Fromm both require an active parti cipation in the pro cess of life by

those who s t u d y their works. This re quir ement i s a direct react i on

against the state of auto-induced passivity in wh ich b o t h believe modern

Man currently operates. Pursuit of a b et t e r life imp lies act ivi ty;

modern Man fails to attain h appi n e s s because there is, by d e fi n i tion ,

no such thing as a "passive p u rs ui t . " An ag g re s siv e approa ch to l ife

is the first s tep toward the achievement of love (or any goal). As Albee

has noted, "I find that anything less than absolutely full, dangerous

p arti c i pa tion is an absolute waste of some rather valuable time" (Roudane

16).

Though participation can be potentially "dangerous," it is the perils

"

of being passive that Albee regularly dramatizes. The mo st extreme example

of this is All Over wherein p as s ivity is practiced to a po in t where it

is a na l ogous to a "death-in-life" st at e . The characters in the play

are each in the pr o ces s of waiting for a formal, literal death to overtake

their current figurative one. The play is essentially a long conversation

about mo r ta lity and dying. As a man l i es dying b eh ind a scr ee n, hi s

Wife, Daughter, Son, Best Friend, and Mistress co nt e mplat e t he em pt in e s s

 12

of their live s and their own ne arness to de ath , Th ough the play ends

with the death o f the man and the line "All over," "The iron y in this

play is," as Robbie Odo m Moses has acc urately observed, "t h a t there is

more life in the de a d man than in the sur v ivo rs " (76).

The Wife, for instance, e xplains to t he others that she be lieve s

her life witho ut her husband will probably be much like life with hi m

alive. She says she has bee n " pra c t i c ing widowhood" for the many ye ars

that have passe d si nc e the time he abandoned her to p u rsue a rel at i on sh ip

wit h the Mistress (101). The Wife tel l s the group that she has made

"a l ot of ad j ustments over the years, if only to avoid being eaten away"

(101). Rather than attack her problems ( which would require thought,

action, and pain ) she simply shifts gears and coasts her way downhil l

into a figurative death . As she s i ts helpless while her husband is dying,

she ( like the others ) mul ls ove r h e r own approaching death and realizes

that her end wil l soon come--after many years of lost, untried beginnings.

Albee himself points out that "The peopl e in this p l a y [fil �] have

not l ived their lives; that's what they ' re screaming and crying about"

(Vos 81). There is no l ove in this family during their "hour of need."

Love is talked out but it is no t felt. It is a foreign concept to these

people who have never actively sought it--or anything else. Their approach
'
has been retreat, not pursuit. Eac h has l ived voluntarily in the shadow

of the man, and his imminent de ath st artle s them into a new understanding:

they are virtually ghosts from the past of a man whom they never knew--or

tried to know. As John Mac Nicholas has insightful ly observed, "Al l Over

strongly implies that t he opposite of love is not hate but dying " (19).

Albee's other plays may be more subtle in t heir attacks on complacency,

but the urgency of t he message to "Live your life" is no less important.

 13

In Seascape, for example, a couple in the ir fifties ( Charlie and Nancy)

relax on the beach after a pi cn ic lunch. Their c o nve rsation turns to

events past and the c hal l enge s of the fu tu re, reve a li ng Na ncy to be

a bright, a nimate d, l ov in g wife and Charlie a sensitive, contented,

tired husband. Looking with optimism toward the futur e , Nancy su gge sts

several alternatives for the ir future toge the r, but Charlie's only des ire

is to sit ar ou nd a nd do nothing. "We've e arne d a little r est" f ro m

life, he tells he r (10). Nancy is pe rturbe d: "We've earned a little

life, if you ask�" (37). She is irritate d by Charlie's past-orienation

an d she flatly refuses t o let him become a "vegetable." Nanc y loves

her husband too much to allow him to " d ie " any sooner t ha n t he m i nu te

his pulse s tops. Because of Nancy's p r odding and loving encouragement,

Charlie is able to "1vake up" and his search for more life and more love

continuC's.

Albee's characters ut ili z e a variety of defense m e c h a ni sms in their

" e ffor t " to pas s i ve ly deny their pr ob l e ms . Accommodation, avoidance,

d e nial, and maintenance are among the methods t hey adopt to put off

dea li n g wi th re al it y. Each of these me tho ds is h ighly effective for

misdirecting one's attention away from one's problems te mporarily, but

sooner or l a ter the ir illusory world is de stroye d and, in the me antime ,

their quest for love is sidetrac ke d for abandone d.

Gerald Weales has noted the dependence of many of Albee's chara c te rs

on accommodation--a mec h an ism whic h, he re minds u s, is "a way of cop ing

instead of a way of lif e " (32). G e or ge and Martha thrive on the accommo­

d a t ions they've m a d e for one another--but their tone when discu ssing

them is one of se lf-pity and bitterness, not loving sa c rific e . Ge orge

and Nick d iscu s s their mutual unhappine ss in marriage and Nic k re ve als
 14

the c ir cums t a nces wl1ich forced him to marry Honey . Nick adm i t s t hat

the re wer e c ompe n s ating factor s invo lve d--!Ioney ' s father l e f t her money--

and George tel l s him " There are always c ompen s at in g f a c t o r s "-- f a c tors

wh i c h are meant t o rep l a c e l ove ( Virginia Woolf 103). La t e r , George

s ums up the t o o l s h e has u s e d t o d e al w i t h his own mar i t a l problems :

"Ac c ommod a t ion , malle ab i l i ty , adjus tme nt • t ho s e s e em t o b e in the

order o f t h i n g s , don't they?" (101-2). Wh i l e George i s c ommend able

for adm itting his f a ilur e to d e al w i t h d i f f i cult ie s , h e is a l so to b e

crit icized f o r f a i l ing t o app l y h i s in s i ght into h i s shor t c omings t o

a c o ur se d irected a t corre c t ing t h e m . Mar tha e xpla ins her c omprom i s e d

way o f th ink ing about h e r marr i a ge th i s way:

You c an go al ong foreve r , and everyt h i ng ' s

• • •

manageable . You make all s or t s o f exc use s to your­

s elf .you know
• • t h i s is l i f e
• • • the • • •

hell w i t h it'-:- mayb e t omorr ow he 'll b e dead

• •

• • maybe t omorrow you'l l be d e a d

• a l l s or t s • • •

o f excus e s (156-7).

The purs u i t for ever-new excu s e s and r a t i onal iza t i on s for why h e r marr i a g e

i s a f a i l ur e k e ep Mar tha from grab b ing t h e truth by t h e t hroat and con-

quer ing i t . George ' s de a t h would n o t s o lve Mar tha's problems . She

and George are both a l r e ady " d e ad , " and such a f i gur a t ive d e a t h has

not s erve d a s a r e l e a s e but , ins t e ad , a s an ob s t a c l e . Though the c oupl e

h a s s u c c e s s fully " s i f t e d " out the r e a l i ty of the ir relat ions h ip , Alb e e

"
s hows that s u c h an avo idance o f the truth c an only go on for s o l ong .

I n e v i t a b l y in A l b e e's plays ( and , in l i f e ) the whole i l l u s ion g o e s " S nap! "

and no l ove c an ever b e f ound amid s t the rubb l e .

I n The Z o o S t ory , P e t er avo i d s h i s problems by r e tr e a t ing t o a

b ench in a s e c l uded par t o f Cent r a l Park t o lo s e h ims elf in h i s r e ad in� .

He i s " i nt ent on maint a ining a mellow d e t a c hme nt from l i f e , " and the

painful r e a l i ty o f h i s a l onenes s e s c ape s him--at l e a s t , f o r a t ime

 15

(Hirsch 5). Anita M. Stenz describl�s Peter's existence this way:

Thoroughly insulated against anything that can

remind him that there is something missing in
his l i fe --contac t and intense involvement with
other human beings--Peter may as well be dead (129).

As in many of Albee's plays, the truth eventually intrudes--in this case,

in the form of .Jerry--and destroys Peter's protective shell. Once again,

death conquers love because dying requires less effort than loving.

f2 Delicate Balanc� is a vision of emptiness. The play contains

numerous incidents of chr o nic pas sivity and denial of life. Selective

amnesia is one form of such passivity:

TOBIAS ( Pleading a little ) When will it all

just go i n the past • forget itself.
• •

CLAIRE: �ien all the defeats arc done, admitted.

When memory takes over and corrects fact • • .

makes it tolerable (22).

Tobias tr i e s desperately to deny or forget the problems that he refuses

to deal with for fear of pain. His wife, Agnes the martyr ( or, at least,

one of the martyrs among many in the play ) has stopped trying to improve

her lot in life and has take to simple "maintenance":

Maintenance. When we keep something in shape, we

maintain its shape--whether we are proud of that
shape or not, is another matter--we keep it from
falling apart. We do not attempt the impossible.
We maintain. We hold ( 80).

Tobias' household has entered a state of mental and sp ritual � lethargy.

Autumn has arrived and with it, the premature shadow of winter and death.

Somehow, though, Agnes and Tobias will probably seem strangely unaffected

by physical death when it actually arrives since they, like the Wife

in All Over, havt� been rehearsing for its arrival for so long. Death

will, no doubt, come and go unnoticed.

A general pattern of "quitting"--abandoning the quest for love to

 16

se t t le int o a l i fe wi thout s tr u g g l e-- l e ave s Albe e ' s charac ter s unable t o

grow as ind ividu a l s o r t o enhance the ir emp ty l ive s i n any me an ingful

way . Wh i l e l ove may , in f ac t , be able to "heal all wound s , " it c anno t

thr ive under c ond i t ions c ount e r t o l i f e i t s e l f . Pa s s ive pat t e rn s s u c h

a s ac c on@od a t ion and den i a l are m e r e l y me t h o d s o f s e l f-decept i o n and

se l f - d e s tru c t ion . ''We s ubmer ge our t r u t h s and h ave our s uns e t s on un-

troubled wate r s , '' exp l a in s C l aire but , in s ay i n g s o, s he shows t h a t

she i s c ons c i ous l y aware of h e r one d i s hone s ty w i t h her sel f . The f a i l ur e

of A l bee's charac ters to f ind l ove i s trag i c be c ause mo s t ( l ike Cl a ire )

c le arly see t he reas ons why l ove i s impossible. The ir powers t o cl1ange

t he ir live s are weak from l ac k o f us e . C l a ir e ( and tho s e l ike her who

s ee the truth and a t t empt to work around i t ) w i l l eventua l ly be s ucked

und er t h e "un t roubl e d wa t e r s " and drown e d in a s e a o f se l f-p i t y and

s e l f - impo s e d " s l eep" wh i l e a l i f e - s aver l abe l l e d " l ov e " f l o a t s qu i e t ly by .

A s Fromm has e xpl a i ne d :

The c ap a c i t y t o love demand s a s t a t e o f intens i t y ,

awakene s s , enhan c e d v i t a l i ty , wh i c h c an only be
the r e s u l t of a productive and active orientation
in many other sphe r e s o f life. I f one is not pro­
ductive in oth e r spheres, one is not productive in
l ove either ( Art 108).

The obstacle of chronic pas sivity does not only keep the characters in

Albee's plays from being "in l ove , " i t lce eps them from be ing "alive";
ti

and , a s the plays r e gu l a r l y d emon s t r at e , love and death are s impl y

incomp a t ible .
 17

II. Personal. I mmat u r ity

GEORGE: Vicious children, with their oh-so-sad games,

hopscotching their way through life, etcetera, etcetera
(!fool f 197).

MARTHA (A sleepy child): No more games • • • please.

It's gam-;;-s I don ' t want (207).

The ability to love as an act of giving depends on

th e character developm e n t of the person the • • •

person has to overcome dependency, narcissistic

omnipotence, the wish to exploit others, or to hoard,
has acquired [sic] faith in his own p er s on , courage
to rely on h i s powers in the attainment of his goals.
To the degree that these qualities are lacking,
he is afraid of r,iving of himself--hence of loving
(Art 21-2).

Several critics have noted that Albee's ch ara c t e r s frequently exhibit

?
a variety of c l1 i l d i sh behaviors.- Brattiness, petty jealousy, temper

tantrums, possessiveness, and other forms of in fan t i le behavior routinely

crop up during an Albee play--especially at moments of intense conflict.

Albee's characters are, indeed, "emotional infants"--adults who display

the emotional temperament of a five-year-old child. As such, their

capacity to handle love (or any mature emotion) is severely limited.

Fromm differentiates the normal adult orientation of love from

that of a child by explaining that "love is primarily giving, not re-

ceiving," for an adult (Art 18), For a small child, however, love is

a channel through which one ordinarily receives without actively giving:

�

For most children before the age from eight and

a half to ten, the problem is exclusively that of
being loved • . • for what one is. The child up to
this age does not yet love, he responds gratefully,
joyfully to being loved. At this point of the
child's development a new factor enters into the
picture: that of a new feeling of producing love
by one's own activity (Art 33).

It would appear that many of Albee's characters neve r get beyond an

emotional age of between eight and ten. They not only act like first
 18

and sec ond graders, their discu s s ion and comments about l ove s how that ,

for them , the p r ob l e m of love is stric t l y one of being l oved--n o t l oving

anyone else.

Fir s t , let us l ook a t s ome instances of childish behavior in the

plays . I n The Zoo St ory , Peter s cr e ams " I ' M A GROWN-UP" ( 55 ) , This

announcement is in c ontradiction to the behavior Peter exhibit s . His

behavior--an , a t times , embarra s s in g d i s p l ay o f childish ignor ance and

na ivete--d oes not bec ome P e ter , a p ublishing exe cut ive in his thir ties

who h a s two children of his own . Neve r t he l e s s , l ike a chil d , h e is

c omp l e t e l y unequipped t o hand le J erry ' s s t ory o f his s truggl e wit h t he

c omp l exitie s o f life and l ove . "Why did you tel l me a l l o f t hi s ?" h e

pathetica l ly a s k s Jerry (44). Like a s ma l l c h i l d who run s t o h i s bedroom

t o hide from s omet hing s c ary on t e levis ion , he rea c ts again s t hearing

about the unpleas ant side o f life . Later in the pl ay , wh en Jerry at tempt s

t o " s tea l " Peter ' s bench , he chi l dis h l y s creams "MY BENCH ! " (32) . The t wo

o f them appear like playground brats who can ' t get a l ong .

Throughout the play, Jerry act s t he part of neg l ected chi l d while

Peter res emb les t he fumb ling father who h as no concept of how to dea l

wit h an in sisten t ch i ld. Jerry ' s initial announcement , "MISTER , I ' VE

BEEN TO THE ZOO!" demons trates his own childishnes s (17), Having c a l led

Pe ter "mis t e r , " h e u ses the firs t of s everal a t t ention-.. g et t e r s to keep

P e t er's f o c u s on wha t he h a s t o s ay. J erry des pe r a tely wan t s a t t en t ion

and h e u s e s the t a c tics o f a chi l d to get it . The fir s t f e w e xchanges

between the two are promp ted by a s erie s of ins u l t s by Jerry of P e t er

t o g o ad him in t o res pondin g. Whe n P e t er decid e s t o leave his bench

( and Jerry's ins u l t s ) , J e rry a t t empt s to make it up t o him by t i ck l ing

him (47). The s e behav i ors by J erry s how t h a t h e uses immatur e methods
 19

in h i s a t t e mp t s t o a t t a i n wh a t h e d e s ir e s .

Ex ;:i mp l es o f ch i l d i s h b ehav i o r ab ound i n Hho ' f, A fr a i d o f V i r g ini <::.

Woo l f ? The o p e n i n g mome n t s o f t he p l ay be tween Georg e and Mar tha e s t a b l i s h

a p a t te r n o f s on� t ime s c omic , occ a s s iona l ly vic ious chil dis hne s s and

g ame - p l ay i n g t h a t is rep e a t e d over and over thr o u ghout the p l ay . Mar tha

s t art s t h e g ame by t aunt ing G e o r g e and by c a l l i n g him name s ( "h'hat a

cluck you are " ) ( 3 ) , The n , s h e mak e s an announc ement that s h e knows

he won't approve of ( " We've got gue s t s " ) ( S ) . G e or g e s u l k s and whine s

l il�e an ornery boy who n e e d s a nap ( " I w i s h you'd t e l l me s ome t h ing

s om e t ime • • . I wis h you ' d s t op s prin ging t h in g s on me all the time" )

and Mar t h a trie s t o humor h i m int o p l aying the g ame w i t h her ( b y s inging

" Wh o's afraid o f Vir g inia Wo o l f ? " ) ( l l : l 2 ) . Whe n George doesn ' t r e s p ond ,

Martha ' s fe e l i n g s are hurt and s h e be c ome s angry ( " You make me puke ! ) ( l3 ) ,

NoH she pl ays the pou t i n g c h i l d ("Hhy d on't y o u want t o k i s s me ? " ) wh i l e

he t aii. e s t lt e r o l e o f parent ( i . e . , warn i n g h e r to be on h e r be s t b e havior

in fr ont of t h c, ir " c omp any" : "Ju s t don't s t ar t in on the bit ab out

the k i d " ) ( l 5 : 18 ) . 1\ 1 1 through the r e m a in d e r o f the p l ay the two a l t erna t e

p l ay i n g t he r o l e s o f parent o n e minu t e and c hil d t h e next ( i . e . n e ar t h e

e nd of t h e p l ay G e o rge p l ay s the f a t h er - f i gure w h e n he s o o t hing l y ord e r s

Nick and Honey "Home t o b e d , c h i l dren ; it ' s w a y p a s t your b e d t ime"- - t h i s

a f t e r s p e nding t h e previous s eve r a l hours be l it t l in g tMem and c a l l ing

Hcmey s u c h t hin gs as " ange l - t i t s " o r "monk e y-nipp l e s" ) ( l 2 9 : 131 ) . At

best , G e or g e and Mar t h a c an o n l y " p l ay ' gr own-up . '" At wors t , they bo t h

d e s erve a good , hard s pank in g ,

lloney plays an in t e r e s ting part in Albe e ' s s t ud y of ch i l d i s hne s s i n

Vir g i n i a Woo l f . She , l ike P e t e r , i s irri t a t in g l y i gnoran t and n a ive . Her

methods of d e a l in g with difficu l ty demon s t r a t e her immatur i t y : throwing

 20

up , avo id ing h e r prob l em s ( "I don ' t want t o know anyt h ing" ) , or us ing s e l e c-

t ive amne s i a ( " I ' ve d e c i d e d I d on ' t rememb e r any t h in g " ) ( l 78 : 2 1 1 ) . G e or g e

and Martha may have f i t s o f imm a t ur i ty , but they a r e s l i gh t l y more admirab l e

t han Honey b e c a u s e t h e ir ch i l d i s hne s s i s a p e r i o d i c c ond i t i on o f wh i c h

they are b o th awar e . lloney l ive s in a s t a t e o f s o c i a l , emo t i on a l , and

p s ycho l o g i c a l infancy unm indful of her c ond i t i o n . Honey h a s avo i d e d

any l i f e s i tu a t i on that m i gh t prove p a inful or d angerous . The r e s u l t

h a s b e en a n avo idance o f l i f e i t s e l f .

Anthony C . H i l f er h a s n o t e d one o t her e f f e c t o f ch i l d i s h b ehav ior

011 the c h arac t e r s in th i s p ar t i c u l ar p l ay . He ob s erve s that c h i l d i s hne s s

i s one f a c t or that l e a d s t o tl1e d eve l opment o f a s ad o -ma s o c h i s t i c r e l a t i on-

s h ip . A l b e e ' s portrayal of G e o r g e and Mar tha ' s marr i a g e ce r t a i n l y demon-

s tr a t e s t h e s e e l emen t s :

Mar tha p l ay s a dominan t , ma s c ul ine , s ad i s t i c r o l e ,

where a s G e or g e i s s ub ord ina t e , p a s s ive , ma s o c h i s t i c .
Now a s W i l l i am S t eke l , the author o f t h e we l l -known
t r e a t i s e S a d i s m and Ma s o ch i s m , h a s p o int e d out , the
b e h av i or o f s ad o-=;as o ch i s t s exh i b i t s a s trong e l ement
o f the c h i l d i s h . The s i ckne s s o f t h e s ad o -ma s o c h i s t
i s e s s e nt i a l l y a r e gre s s i on t o ch i l d i s hne s s . Albee ' s
charac t e r s , p e r f e c t ly f i t t in g t h i s p a t t ern , ar e a l l
c h i l dr e n and very naughty one s a t t h a t ( 12 3 ) .

Fromm r e f e r s t o s ado-ma s o c h i s m a s one o f t h e " immature f orms o f l ove "

( Ar t 15 ) . In s ad i s m , h e s ay s , "The s ad i s t i c p er s on wan t s t o e s c a p e from

h i s a l onene s s and h i s s en s e of impr i s onment b y mak i n g �nether p erson

par t and parce l of h imse lf ( Art 1 6 - 17) . Of the masochist ic person, Fromm

says he "escapes from the unbearab l e fe e l ing o f isolation • • • by mak i n g

himself par t and parce l of another person who d ir ects him , gu ides him ,

protects h im . " ( Art 1 6) , The fol lowing exchange i l l ustrates these

tendenc i es in Geor g e and Martha :

GEORGE : ( Bar e ly conta ined anger now ) You can s i t

 21

there in that chair you c a n s i t t h e r e

o f y o ur s ,
w i t h t he g in r un n i n g
your mout h , a n d you
out of
c an h u m i l i a t e me , you c an t ea r me apart ALL • . .

N I GH T . a n d t h a t ' s p e r f e c t l y a l l r i ght
• • . . •

t ha t ' s O.K • . • •

MAI\THA : YOU CAN S T AN D IT !

GEORGE : I CANNOT S TAND I T !

MARTHA : YOU CAN STAND I T ! ! YOU MARRI ED ME FOR I T ! !

(A s i l e nc e )
GEORG E : ( Q u i e t l y ) T ha t i s a d e s p er a t e ly s i ck l i e .
MARTHA : D ON ' T YOU KNO W I T , EVEN YET?
GEORG E : ( Shaking his h e ad ) Oh . . . Martha •

MARTHA : My arm h a s g o t t en t ir e d whipping you ( Wo o l f 1 5 2 - 3 ) .

It is a l a c k o f p e r s ona l c har a c t e r d e ve l o pment w h i c h l e a d s G e o r g e and

Mar t h a t o revert t o an imma t u re form of l ove . For wh i l e t h e y ar e t o o c h i l d-

ish t o h a n d l e mat u r e l ove , b o t h ar e human b e i n g s who g enu ine l y need each

ot her . S i d n e y F i nke l s t e in has de s cr ib e d t h e p r o b l em t h i s way:

T h e ir [ George and M a r t ha ' s ] b i c ker ing d o e s not c ome

cut of r e a l i z a t i on t h a t t h e y have made a " b ad
the
marr i a g e� , " and t h a t e i ther h a s f o u n d a m ore s a t i s ­
fy i n g re l a t i o n s h ip o r " t rue l ov e " e l s e w h e r e . They
are emo t i o na l l y b o und to o n e an o t h e r , t h e y f i t
t o g e th e r , and ye t t h e m a rr i a g e h a s no t g r o wn be c au s e
t h e y h a v e no t g r own a s p e op l e . O u t o f t h e aw ar e ne s s
o f t hi s l a ck i n t h e m s e l ve s t h e y a t t a c k e a c h o t h e r s o
s av a g e l y , though knowing t h a t t h e c o un t e r - t h ru s t s a r e
a l s o t r u e and w i l l s t r i k e h o m e ( 2 37) .

C l a ir e in A De l i c a t e B a l an c e i s t he r e s ident "child" at Tob i a s '

hous ehold unt i l 36 - y e ar o l d daugh t er J u l i a r e t u r n s d em a n d in g h e r r o om

,,

a f t e r h e r mo s t r e c e n t marr i a g e h a s gone b ad . " Are you home f o r ev e r ,

b a c k from t h e w or l d ? " a s k s C l a ir e , "To t h e s adne s s and r e a s s ur a n c e of

your parent s ? Have y o u c ome to t ake. m y p l ac e ? " ( 92 ) . Jul i a i s enr a g e d

to f ind t hat the r o om she cons iders to be hers is " fu l l of Harry and

Edna'' ( 5 4 ) . L ike P e t er de fending h i s b ench , Ju l i a wan t s p os s e s s i on

of her "property" ; but Harry a n d Edna h av e b e a t en her to it . " Wh a t

• , . what do t h e y want ? " she i r on i c a l l y a s k s C l a ire ( 9 1 ) . " S u c c or .

. • • C om f o r t . . • • Warm t h • • • • A spec ial room with a night l i ght ,

or the do or a j ar s o you c a n l o ok d own the hal l and see that Mommy ' s

door i s open , " C l a ir e t e l l s her ( 91- 2 ) . Like Ju l ia , C l a ire i s very

much "a m i s under s t ood l i t t l e g ir l " ( as G e orge c a l l s Martha in V i r g inia

Wo o l f ) wh o , l ik e J erry crave s a t t ent ion ( 2 2 4 ) . She gener a l l y g o e s about

g e t t ing t h e a t t ent i on o f her s i s t er , A g ne s , through me thods i d e n t i c a l

t o J erry ' s : s he in s u l t s Agne s , balan c e s a brandy g l as s on her for e h e ad

t o infur iat e Agne s , and s we e p s into t h e room w i t h an a c c ord ion around

her n e c k to make her pre s enc e known w i t h no i s e . C la i re and Jul ia bo t h

n e e d " l o oking a f t e r , " and , l e f t unguard e d , they c an g e t i n t o b i g troubl e

muc h l ik e a c o up l e o f t o dd l er s p l aying und er the s ink .

The Daughter in A l l Over i s a l mo s t i d e n t i c a l to Julia exc ept s h e

is more s p i t e fu l , more s hr i l l . There i s a b i t t e r hatred be twe e n h e r

and h e r mother wh i c h i s dramat i c a l l y demon s t r a t e d b y a n e x c h ange of

s l ap s acr o s s the f a c e by the two ne ar the be g inn ing of the p l ay after

t he two have hurt e ac h o t he r w i t h t h e ir word s . The only c ont a c t the

two make a t t h i s mournfu l t ime is a s l ap that is hard enough t o make

the po int bu t not f or c e f u l enough to wake the two from t h e i r s t a t e of

" s l e ep . " " Do e s anyone l ove me ? " d emand s Daught e r a t the end o f t h e

f ir s t a c t ( 51 ) . When s h e doe s n ' t g e t t h e an swer s he want s , s h e g o e s

d own s t a i r s t o l e t repor t e r s and pho t o graphers c o nverge � n t h e fam i l y

i n t h e bedroom o f the dying man . Whe n h e r mo t h e r ins inutat e s that s h e

enj oys the p a i n t h a t h e r hus band ( who abu s e s her phys i c a l l y ) h a s infl i c t e d

o n h e r , t h e Daugh t er ' s r e s p ons e g ive s ins i gh t i n t o h e r vind i c t ive , c h i l d i s h

nature :

THE DAUGHTER: I ' m not your u s ual mas o ch i s t , in

s p i t e of what � [ re ferr ing t o her mo ther ] th inks .
I me an , a broken r ib r e a l l y h ur t s , and everybody
knw s wha t a b l a c k eye on a l ady means . I d on ' t
 23

fancy any o f t h a t , but I do c ar e an awful l ot

about t h e g u i l t I can produce in t hos e that do
t h e hur t ing ( A l l Over 6 2 ) .

L ike Jerry , C l a ir e , Jul i a , and other s , the Daught e r w i l l accep t at tent ion

in any form t h a t it hap p e n s to c ome . Love i s what each actual ly needs ,

of cours e , but none knows how t o g o about g e t t i n g i t . Becau s e e a c h is

f ix a t e d in t h e infant i l e s t a g e o f wa i t ing t o b e l oved , none is ab l e to

a c h i eve the l ove e a ch s e ek s . Ea c h b e l i e ve s t h a t he or s h e i s " ent i t l ed "

t o l ov e , j u s t as e a c h " ha s r i gh t s t o " s ome phy s i c a l p i e c e o f prop erty ,

As Fr omm s ay s , " I nf ant i l e l ove fo l l ow s t h e princ ip l e : " I l ove b e c au s e

.I_ � l oved . " Mature l ov e f o l l ow s the pr inc ip l e : " I am l ov e d b e c au s e I

l ov e " " ( Ar t J !i ) . Wh i l e e a ch char a c t er wa i t s for l ove to c ome w i t h ou t

ever g i v i n g i t , the cyc l i c a l d i l emma c ont inue s ; e ac h grows o l der phys i c a l ly

wh i l e he or s h e s e em s t o r e gr e s s further emo t ional l y . " T ime happens , "

as A gne s s ay s , and l ove never c om e s ( B a l ance 1 6 4 ) .

In t l 1 e f ir s t two s e c t i on s , we have s e en how Al b e e ' s char a c t e r s l e t

l ove s l ip by due t o p a s s iv i t y o r imma t ur i t y . I n the next s e c t i on , we

will e x am i n e ch ar a c t e r s who ar e m o re a g gr e s s ive in t h e ir que s t f or love

but who are r o u t ine l y thwar t e d by the f a c t t h a t they d on ' t know exactly

w!iat they are l oo k i n g f or .

;
 24

I II . The Fa i lure o f Paren t a l Love

THE WI FE : Wha t i s it i f you k i l l your daugh t e r ?

I t ' s matr i c id e iY- s he k i l l s you , and infant i c id e
i f you d o h e r i n when s he ' s a t o t , bu t wha t i f
s he ' s a l l grown u p and be g inn ing t o wr ink l e?
Ju s t i f i abl e hom i c ide , I s uppo s e ( A l l Over 9 5 ) .

THE DAUGHTER [ To THE WI FE ] : You make me a s s i ck

a s I make you ( A l l Over 8 3 ) .

The r e are many p e op l e who have never s e en a l oving

p e r s on
• • • Wh i l e we t e ac h knowl e d g e [ in our
•

educ a t i onal s y s t em ] , we are l o s ing t h a t t e a c h ing

wh i c h i s the mo s t impor t ant one for human d e ve l op­
ment : the t e a c h ing wh i c h c an only be g iven by the
pr e s ence o f a matur e , l oving per s on ( Art 9 8 ) .

Thus far w e have n o t e d the n e g a t ive per s ona l i ty tra i t s wh i c h A l b e e ' s

charac t e r s r o u t ine l y p o s s e s s and how s uch f l aws s t and in the way o f

t h e a t t a inment o f l ove . W e have f ound t h a t , typ i c a l l y , t h e char a c t er s

c an b e d e s c r i b e d by us ing a t l e a s t o n e of t h e f o l l owing adj e c t ive s :

du l l , l azy , c ompl ac ent , i n s e c ur e , ins e n s i t ive , hyp e r s en s i t ive , s e l f -

d e c e iv ing , pe t ty , f ou l -mouth e d , rude , drunk , i gnorant , weak , or wa s t e fu l .

No ma t t e r wh i c h you c h o o s e , o f cours e , you end up w i t h an uns ympath e t i c

c h ar a c ter . I f s uch i s t h e c a s e , then why d o A l b e e ' s char a c t e r s c on s i s -

t e n t l y evoke t h e s ympathy ( and even empathy ) o f the aud ience?

The f a c t is t h a t mo s t o f A l b e e ' s chara c t e r s are no t ent i r e l y to

b l ame for the ir pers ona l s h or t c oming s . I f they are l e s s than perf e c t ,

l e s s than l ovab l e , l e s s than l ovin g , i t i s b e c au s e thef are t h e produc t s

o f a s e l f -perpe t u a t ing cyc l e c r e a t e d by and c on s i s t ing o f unl oved , un-

l ov i n g parent s who produ c e unl ove d , un l oving c h i l dren who , in turn ,

grow up t o b e c ome unloving parent s , e t c . A s Fromm has s t a ted , "Love

is a power wh i c h produ c e s l ove ; impo t e n c e is the inabi l i ty to produce

l ove " ( Art 2 1 ) . Th e d r ama o f Edward Albe e i s fu l l o f imp o t e nt parent s

who s e pro s pe c t s o f ever produc ing anyt h ing more t h an impot ent c h i l dren
 25

and grand c h i l dr e n are v e ry l i m it e d .

Th i s s e c t i on w i l l examine t h e t a i l ur e o f p ar e n t a l love in A l b e e ' s

p l ay s . Spe c ifically, I wil l d i s cus s such i s sues as the imp o r t a n c e of

p ar e n t a l l ove , the rami f i c a t io ns o f f a i l e d parent a l love , and the p s ycho-

l o g i c a l r e a s on s wh i c h l i e b e h ind t h e f a i lure o f p arental l ove . As we

s l 1a l l see , Al b e e a l mo s t always inc l ud e s expo s i t i on on the ch i l dh o o d

of his ma i n charac t e r , a n d t h i s i n f orma t i on i s o f t e n a key t o the u nd er -

s t and ing o f t h a t i n d i v i d u a l ' s ac t i on s . The c a r e t h a t go e s i n t o the

dramat i z a t i o n s o f f a i l e d p ar e n t a l l ove s hows t h a t A l b e e h a s a c l e ar

und er s t and ine o f t h e s c o p e and s er i ou s ne s s o f t h e prob l em a s we l l a s

a bel ief that such a f a i l ur e h a s l on g - t erm and o f t e n irrever s i b l e and

i r r e p ar ab l e e f f e cts o n m ore than j us t one ind ividual .

Le t u s f i r s t l ook a t Er i ch Fromm ' s d e f in i t i on of the " ideal type s "

o f b o t h "mother l y " and " f a t h e r l y " l o v e . Motherly l ove means

_! � l oved for what _! �' or perhap s more a c c ur at e l y ,

I a m l oved b e c au s e I am . Th i s exper i en c e o f b e in g
loved by mother i s a p a s s ive one . There is n o t h i n g
I have t o do i n o r d e r t o b e loved--mother ' s love i s
unc o nd i t i onal . A l l I h av e t o d o i s t o b e - - t o be her
c h i l d ( Art 33) .

F a t h e r l y l ove is cond it o nal l ove . I t s princ ip l e

is " I l ove you becau s e you f ulfi l l my expectations ,
b e c a u s e you do your duty , beca u s e you are like me"
( Ar t 36 ) ,

Fr omm emph a s i z e s that both k i nd s of love h ave t he i r n e goe. t ive a s p e c t s :

The r e i s a ne g ative s ide • • • to the unconditional

q u a l ity of mothe r ' s love . Not only doe s it not
n e e d t o be des erved--it a l s o cannot be acquired ,
produced , control led . I f it is there , it is like a
ble s s in g ; if it is not there , it i s as if all
bea u t y h a d gone out of l i f e -- and there i s n o th ing I
c an do to cre a t e i t ( Art 33).

The ne g ativ e a s pect of f a t he r l y l ove , s ay s Fromm , i s that it h a s to be

e arned and can , the refore , be los t ( Art 3 6 ) .

 26

A c c ord i n g t o Fromm , every child i d e a l l y f o l l ow s a pro gr e s s ion from

motherly l ove ( wh i c h mak e s h im f e e l wor thwh i l e , good , l ovab l e ) t o a

f e e l ing o f s e c ur i ty and a n e e d t o produce l ove t o mak e o t h e r s happy ,

p l e a s e d , proud ( fatherly l ove ) . " Even t ua l ly , " c on c l ud e s Fromm , " the

mature p er s on h a s [ t o ] c ome t o t h e p o in t where h e is his own mother

and his own f a t h e r " ( Ar t 37) .

I n A l b e e ' s p l ays , i t i s not unu s u a l t o f ind charac t e r s who have n o t

d eve l op e d a s en s e o f s e l f-wo r t h a n d s e cur ity b e c au s e t h e y have no t b e en

l oved ( e i ther b y mo ther or f a t h e r or b o t h ) dur ing the ir c h i l dhood years .

As adu l t s , t h e y are doomed t o a l ove l e s s l i f e s in c e they have n ever known

uncond i t i onal l ove nor l ove for one ' s a c c omp l i s hment s ; and , c o n s e quent l y ,

t h e y l a ck t h e und er s t and ing or ab i l i t y t o l ove anyone e l s e . Unab l e t o

b r e ak out o f the cyc l e , they exp end t h e ir ener g i e s on a t t emp t s t o f ind

" s urr o g a t e p a r e n t s " who w i l l g iv e them the l ove that they fa i l e d to r e c e ive

from the ir r e a l parent s . The char a c t e r s e i t her r e p e a t the mi s t ake s o f

t h e i r p ar e n t s ( w i thout l e arn i n g from t h e ir m i s t ak e s ) or e n g a g e in s ome

d e s truc t iv e r e l a t i on s h i p wh i c h they f e e l f o r c e d t o a c c e p t in p l ac e o f l ove .

Though t h e y are almo s t a lways awar e t h a t t h e y are not invo lved in a r e l a-

t i ons h ip o f l ove , they a l s o b e l i eve t h a t a d e s truc t ive r e l a t i o n s h ip i s

b e t t er than n o r e l a t i on s h ip a t a l l . Wha t A l b e e ' s charac t e r s f e ar more

t h an anyth in g e l s e is to b e t r e a t e d w i t h t o t a l ind i f f e�enc e . For them i t

i s b e t t e r t o b e h a t e d than t o b e i gnor e d .

To und er s t and the d e s p e r a t e d i l emma t h a t l e ad s Jerry t o P e t er ' s

b en c h ( and s u b s equent l y , t o s u i c i d e ) , one n e e d only l ook a t t h e infor-

mat i o n A l b e e s upp l i e s about J erry ' s home l i f e :

good o l d Mom w a l k e d out on good o l d P o p whe n I

was t e n and a h a l f y e ar s o l d ; s h e emb arke d on
an adul t erous t urn of our s ou thern s t a t e s • • •

a j ourney o f a y e ar ' s dur a t ion • and her mo s t

• •
 27

c o n s t an t c o mp a n i o n , among o t h e r s , a mon g many

• •

others • wa s a Mr . B arl e yc o rn .
• • At l eas t ,
t h a t ' s wh a t g o o d o l d Pop t o l d me a f t e r h e we n t
d o wn • c am e b a c k
• • b r oug h t her b o d y north .
• • •

We ' d r e c e ived t h e n ew s b e tw e e n C hr i s tma s and New

Ye ar ' s , you s e e , that g o od o l d Mom had p a r t e d w it h
the g h o s t in s ome dump in A l a b a m a . At any • • •

r a t e , good o l d Pop c e l e b r a t e d the New Ye ar for a n

even two we e k s and t h e n s l ap p e d i nt o the front o f
a s omewhat moving c i ty omn ib u s , w h i c h s or t of
c l e an e d t h i n g s out f ami ly-w i s e ( Z o o S t ory 31 ) .

The e mo t i o n a l s c ar s that Jerry b e a r s a s a r e s ul t o f a l ack o f p ar e nt a l

l ove have l e f t h im w i t h , among o t h e r t h in g s , a l a ck o f " l ove for l i f e . "

W i thout any l ove from h i s mother , J e rry ' s s en s e o f s e l f-worth i s non-

e x i s t ent . He h a s no t l e arned how t o be happy or t o l ove h i s own l i f e ,

and t h i s a l l ow s ( if not promp t s ) h im to k i l l h i m s e l f whe n he i s r e j e c t e d

by b o t h h i s p ar e n t s , t h e d o g , Peter , and , u n d ou b t e d l y , many o t h e r s . A f t er

t e l l ing Pe t e r the s ad d e t a i l s of his " orphane d " s t a t u s a s a c h i l d , he add s ,

" But t ha t w a s a l on g t ime a g o , and I h av e no f e e l ing about any o f i t t h a t

I c a r e t o adm i t to mys e l f " ( 32 ) . S t i l l , the e f f e c t s of the p a s t l i n g e r

and J e rry is s imp l y un a b l e t o ove r c om e o d d s wh i ch , through no f au l t o f h i s

own , are overw h e l m i n g l y s t a c ke d a g a i n s t h im . They cyc l i c a l na ture o f

failed p arent a l l ove i s evident in J e rry ' s remarks ab out h i s s exua l

encoun t e r s w i t h " th e l ittle l ad i e s , " wh i c h w e h ave a l r e ady d i s cus s e d .

A r e p e t it ion o f h i s mother ' s s e ar c h for un i on t hrough the s exua l or ga sm

( though , in J e rry ' s c a s e , the s e ar c h w a s c onduc t e d in i he name o f l ove ) ,

l e ave s h i m v i c t i m i z e d and m o r e hop e l e s s and d e s p ondent than ever . As

Nevl in Vo s h a s s t a t e d , " in the r e l a t i o n s h ip of p arent s and c h i l dren ,

Albee portrays the l a ck of l ove wh i c h l e ad s t o d e at h " ( 83 ) . J erry ' s

suic ide in C e n tr al P ark i s the mo s t g r a p h i c i l l u s tra t i on of a s yndrome o f

inlH� r i t e d s P l f - h a tr e d , f e ar , a n d d i s g u s t w i t h l ife that runs t h r o u gh m a ny

of Albee ' s p l ay s .
 28

In A De l i c a t e B a l anc e , A gne s refers t o her ' ' p o o r p ar e n t s , in the ir

s e p ar a t e h e ave n s ' ' ( 5 6 ) . From such a s t at ement , we can infer t h a t he r

pre s ent r e l at ionship with Tob i a s probab ly paral l e l s the mar i t a l arran g e -

m e n t o f her p arent s whe n they were al ive . Tob i a s and Agne s are virtual l y

s tran g er s , t a l k in g around the i s s u e s a n d n e v e r r e a l l y ge t t i n g a t the

real confl i c t s wh i c h s ep ar a t e them from h a p p in e s s and from one anoth e r .

Tob i a s is p a s s ive , quie t , and a g r e e ab l e wh i l e Ag n e s is analyt i c a l , out-

s p oken , �nd s e l f-r i g h t e o u s . The c oup l e ' s r e l a t ions h i p is based on an

o n g o i n g c o op e r a t i on and an a c c e p t an c e o f one another ' s f au l t s ( wh i l e

e a c h b l i s s fu l l y i gn o re s his or h e r own s h ort c o m i n g s ) . Agne s k e e p s the

b a l an c e from t ipp ing by ma i n t a in in g d e c o r um a n d an a r t i f i c i a l " or d e r " in

a hou s e h o l d who s e i nhab i t a n t s n e e d to air the ir gr i evan c e s onc e a n d for

all and then work a c t ive l y t oward f ind ing a p e rmanent s o l ut i o n to t h e ir

prob l ems . Re s entment and r eb e l l ion bubb l e d an g e r ou s l y j u s t b en e a t h the

s ur f a c e o f the ir marr i a g e , and the ven e er o f control is marre d by

s cr a t ch e s of ang e r and hatred . Wh i l e A gn e s p e rp e tu a t e s the prob l ems o f

her p ar e n t s by k e e p ing h er s e l f i s o l a t e d from her f am i l y , s he affe c t s a l l

t ho s e around her i n a n e g a t ive way- - e s p e c i a l ly Jul i a .

A f t e r the f a i l ur e o f her four t h marr ia g e , Jul i a r e turns home t o a

p l a c e whe r e s h e i s n o t want e d . Tob i a s i s typ i c a l ly c l ue l e s s a s he

d i s c overs t h a t his d au gh t er is r e t urning home , wh i l e Agne s i s , a t b e s t ,

amb ival ent ab out her daugh t e r ' s arr ival . The f o l l owing exchang e s hows

t h a t , al though A gn e s f e e l s ob l i g a t e d to h e l p Jul i a , her obv i o u s irr i t at ion

a t the inc onve n i e n c e o f Jul i a ' s home c oming make s i t c l e ar that s h e is

l ac k i n g in motherly l ove :

AGNES : Tob i a s , you w i l l b e unhappy t o know i t ,

I s upp o s e , or o f mixed emo t i ons , c e rt a inly , but
Jul i a is c om i n g home , She is l e aving Dou g l a s ,
•

wh i c h i s no s urpr i s e t o me .
 29

TO B I A S : B u t , wasn't J ul i a h ap p y ? You d i dn ' t tell

me any t h i n g about • •

AGN E S : If J u l ia w e r e h a ppy, she would not be coming

h om e . ! don ' t want h e r h e r e , G o d kn o w s . I mean she ' s
w e l come , o f course . . • • • . • it i s h e r home , we
are h e r p a r e nts , th e two of us, and we have our obli­
g a t i o n s to h e r , and I h ave r e a c h ed an age, Tob i as, wh e n
I H i s h we we n � a l ways alone, you and I, without
h an g e r s - on •or anyone ( B alance 3 0 - 1 ) .
. •

A gnes knows that Jul i a w i l l bring c h aos and disorder into h e r str i ng e nt

hous ehold and she does no t want t o d e a l w ith it . When Julia a t t emp t s to

talk o u t h e r p r ob l e m s w i t h l i e r p ar e nts ( an a c t wh ich would no doubt bene f it

her great l y ) , she is s hu t off by h e r moth e r, who t e l l s h e r "You n e edn ' t

make a c i rcu s out of it" ( 7 5 ) . The p e rsp ect ive t h a t Jul i a mig h t well h ave

ga ined from such a d i s cu s s i o n is lost . Jul i a c on t i nu e s to b e m i s unde r s t o od

and unh appy wh i le Agnes is torn b etwe e n m e e t i n g h e r obligation t o a

d a u g h t e r whom she is unabl e t o l ove and ma inta i n ing ord e r in an a t t e mp t to

comp e nsate for the ab s e n c e of l o ve .

Jul ia ' s r e gul a r l y sch eduled ba d marr i a g e s are a direct result of the

way s he was b r o ug h t up . In a house wh e r e ord e r , p e ace, and quiet reign e d

sup r e m e , J u l i a gr e w up with 1 it 1 e or no i n s i gh t int o th e true f e e l ings

o f h e r p ar e n t s . F r o mm e x p l a i ns t h e e f f e cts o f th i s k ind o f

n e ur o t i c disturb ance in love wh ich i s b a s e d on a

d i f f e r e n t k ind of p arental situation, occurr ing
when p ar e n t s do n o t l ove e ac h o ther , but a r e too
res trained to q u a rr e l or i nd i cate any s i g n s of d i s -
s a t i s f a c t i o n ou t w ar d ly .
11
At the same time, remote -
ne s s make s t h e m a l s o un s p ont ane o u s in t he i r r e l a t i on­
s h ip to the ir ch i l d r e n. Wh at a l it t l e g ir l e xp e ri­
e nc e s is an a t m o s p h e r e of " corr e c t n e s s , " b u t one
wh i c h n e v e r p e rm i ts a close c o ntact with e ith e r
fa t h e r o r mot h e r, and h e n c e l e aves th e gir l puz z l ed
and afraid . She is n e v e r s ur e o f what th e p arents
fee l or think ; th e r e is always an e l e m e nt of th e
unknown, t h e my s t e r i ou s , in the a t mosp h e r e ( Art 82 - 3 ) .

Desp e rate for f e e dback ( and a subs e q u e nt e n d to t h e " n o t -know i n g " ) , Jul i a

rushe s i n t o on e marr i ag e aft e r t h e o t h e r . In an a tt e mpt t o a c hieve some

 30

out s id e r e s p ons e ( even i f i t i s cons i s tently ne g a t iv e ) and t o e s c ap e from

her unl o v i n g p ar e n t s , Jul i a marr i e s men whom s he d o e s n ' t l ove . S h e s ay s

she l e f t h e r l a t e s t husb and , Doug , b e c au s e he i s " a g a i n s t everything ! "

( B a l an c e 7 4 ) . H i s out s p okene s s i s , none t he l e s s , probab l y th e ve r y t h i n g

a b o u t him t h a t init ial ly attracted her . Jul i a tells Tob i a s that , wh e n

she was a child , she viewed h im a s a "very n i c e but ine f f e c t u a l , e s s ent i a l ,

but n o t -r e a l ly-thought - o f , gray • • • nonem in e nc e " ( 6 3 -4 ) . Her lates t

marr i a g e was , p e r h ap s , a reb e l l i on aga in s t such t e rm i n a l a gr e e ab i l i t y .

Jul i a does not kn o w wh a t l ov e r e a l ly i s ; however , she is c e r t a in t h a t

h e r p ar e n t s ' marr i a g e is a l ove l e s s one . She c on s equent l y s t r i ve s for

the exac t opp o s t i c . Fronun c• xp l a i n s that grow i n c up in an unemo t i onal

a tm o s p h e r e of imp o s e d ord er c an l e ad a girl t o b e l i ev e t h a t ma s o c h i s t i c

t e nd e n c i e s ar e " the o n l y way t o e xp e r i e n c e in t en s e e x c i t emen t " :

O f t e n s u c h wom e n w ou l d p r e f e r h a v i n g the h u s b a n d m a k e
a s c ene and s h o u t , t o h i s m a i n t a i n i n g a more norma l
and s en s i b l e b e h av i o r , b e c a u s e at l e a s t i t wou l d t ake
away t h e b u rd e n o f t e n s i o n and f e ar f r om t h e m ; n o t s o
r ar e l y t h e y u n c on s c i o u s l y p r ovoke s u c h b e h av i or , i n
o r d e r t o e n d t h e t o rme n t i n g s u s p e n s e o f a f f e c t ive
n e u t r a l i ty ( Ar t 83) .

S in c e J u l i a h a s ne v e r w i t ne s s e d a l o v in g r e l a t i o ns h i p and s h e ,

h er s e l f , has never felt l ov e d by h e r p ar e n t s , she i s an a l ien t o t h e wa y s

of l ov e . Though one c an b e s ymp a t h e t i c to Agne s ' annoyan c e with Jul i a ' s

p e r e n1 1 i a l b a d marr i a g e s , it i s a l s o hard to hold Jul i � e x c l u s i ve l y

r e s p o n s ib l e f o r b e i n g c o mp l e t e l y unfam i l i ar w i t h a s ub j e c t that is so

t o t a l l y f o r e i gn t o her . I f lo v e is , in f a c t , " a power wh i c h p r o d u c e s

l ove , " then J u l i a c anno t b e e xp e c t e d t o produc e a pr od u c t wh e n s h e has

n o a c c e s s t o the n e c e s s ary r aw mat e r i a l s , no c o n c e p t of the a s s emb l y

p r o c e s s , a n d no i d e a o f wha t the f i n i s h e d produ c t ought t o b e l ike .

As previ ou s ly n o t e d , t h e Daughter in All Over i s very muc h l ike Jul i a .

 31

I n s tudy ing the Daugh t e r ' s r e l a t ionsh ip w i t h her p arent s , fur t h e r

s im i l ar i t i e s c an b e s e e n in the c h i ldhood c ir c ums t anc e s o f t h e two .

T h e Daugh t e r ' s parent s were s eparated a f t er thirty ye ar s o f marr i a g e , whe n

h e r f a ther ab andoned h i s f am i l y t o b e w i t h the M i s tre s s . The W i f e was

l e f t b eh ind with the S on , the Daught er , and f e e l ings of int e n s e b i t t er­

ne s s , anx i e ty , and gu i l t s inc e she pr iva t e ly wondered i f she wa s s omehow

r e s p ons ib l e for dr iving her husb and away . The anger and r e s e ntment that

s he f e l t was t aken out on t h e two c h i l dren . S on and Daught er grew up in

a hous e where the mother proj e c t e d her s e l f-hatred on to her c h i l dren

and where the 7ather was more o f a s ymh o l than a real p er s on . Son and

Daugh t er were l i t t l e more than prop s ar ound the hous e wh i c h t h e ir f a ther

v i s i t e d a t Chr i s tma s ( or whenever he f e l t ob l i g a t e d ) . T o g e t he r , the

W i f e , Son , and Daughter l o s t the ir own ident i t i e s and d e f ined t h e ir

ind ividual e x i s t e nc e s only in t erms o f the ir r e l a t ions h ip to the ab s ent

f a ther / h u s b and .

Jul i a and the S on and Daugh t e r exper ienc e d s im i l ar c h i l dhood s .

The W i fe , l ike Agne s , w a s "ruler o f the r oo s t " - - a p o s i t ion she g a ined

by d e faul t , n o t cho i c e . B o t h Tob i a s and the Man are b ackground f i gure s

i n the ir own home s : Tob i a s b e c au s e h e i s t o o p a s s ive , and t h e Man b e c a u s e

he i s t o o b u s y b e in g s u c c e s s fu l i n t h e out s ide wor l d . Thirty y e a r s

a f t e r he marr i e d the W i f e , the M a n abandoned her . I n f he meant ime ,

the W i f e was l e f t t o ana l y z e her l o s s and t o p un i s h her c h i l d r e n for

wha t she c on s i d e r e d t o be her own ina d e quac i e s . B e c au s e her ident ity

wa s so cont ingent on the p r e s ence o f h e r hu s b and , the Wife d id not f e e l

s e cure enough t o p ur s u e a re l at i on s h i p w i t h anyone e l s e ( inc l ud ing the

B e s t Fr i end with whom s h e had a b r i e f a f f a ir ) . Her inab i l i ty t o g ive

her c h i ldren the motherly l ove they n e e d e d c a u s e d them to grow up hat ing
 32

thems e lve s and l i f e , i t s e l f , The Son f e e l s hope l e s s ly inad e q u a t e and the

Daughter s e t t l e s for a s e l f -d e s truc t ive marr i a g e b e c au s e s h e f e e l s un-

wor thy of l ove but in n e e d of a t t en t i on . I n A l l Over , A lb e e thus s u c c e s s -

fu l ly i l l u s tr a t e s how " Th e s ins o f t h e fathers are v i s i t e d upon the

c h i l d r en . "

The r e l a t i on s h ip b e tween the W i f e and the Man i s s i gn i f i c ant b e c au s e

i t i s the c l e ar e s t examp l e o f the form o f " p s e ud o - l ove " o n wh i c h a l l

of the f am i l y r e l a t i on s h i p s are b a s ed- -what Fromm cal l s " idol atrous

l ove " :

I f a p e r s on h a s not reached t h e l eve l when he h a s

a s en s e o f ident i t y , o f I -ne s s r o o t e d in t h e pro­
duc t ive unf o l d ing o f h i s p owe r s , he t end s t o " id o l ­
i z e " t h e l oved p e r s on . . I n t h e proc e s s h e
• •

depr ive s h ime l f o f a l l s en s e o f s tr e n g t h , l o s e s

hims e l f in t h e l oved one in s t e a d o f f ind ing h ims e l f
( Ar t 8 3 ) .

The W i f e ' s c omment s ab out h e r hu s b and would s e em t o ind i c a t e t h a t s h e

idol i z e s h im . Throughout the p l ay , s h e r ep e a t s the " t i t l e " o f a s t ory

wh i c h k e e p s p opp ing into her he ad - - " The l i t t l e g irl I was when he c ame

to m e " - - an a c c ount of how s he f e l l in l ove with her husb and . The aud i enc e

i s g iven the s trong impr e s s ion that s h e f e l l in l ove w i t h an image rather

t h an a man . S h e t e l l s the M i s tr e s s t h a t she wa s wa i t ing " For Pr inc e

Charm ing ! " when

h e c ame a l ong , done w i t h the un iver s i ty , m i s t ing

the war in Franc e , twenty-four , a l r e ady s t ar t e d
on h i s fortun e - - j u s t b e gun , b u t s tr a i gh t ahe ad ,
and c l e ar . We me t a t my r i c h unc l e ' s hous e , where
he had c ome to d i s c u s s a propo s it i on , and h e made
me feel twe lve a g a in , or youn g e r , and • • c om­
•

for t ab l e , as if he were an o l d e r brother , though

• • •d i fferent ; very d i fferent . I had never f e l t
thr e a t ened by boys , b u t he wa s a man , and I fe l t
s e cure ( Al l Over 10 4 ) .
-- ---

I t wa s an ima g e o f s e cur ity t h a t mo s t a t t r a c t e d the W i f e t o the

Man , and h e d id provide her w i t h a s e n s e of s e c ur i ty t emp orar i l y . Unfor-

 33

t un a t e l y , s e c ur i t y c anno t c ome about by m e r e l y b e ing in the pre s ence

o f s omeone wh o i s s e cure . The hl i f e h a s f a i l ed t o deve l op a s ens e o f

p e r s ona l s e c ur i t y f ir s t and wi l l , thus , never b e s e c ur e in her r e l a t i on-

ships with anyone else . She tel l s the B e s t Fr iend that by d ivorc ing

his wife he ab andone d and cons equent l y "mur d e r e d " her (!!-..!. Over 32 ) .

"There was no k i l l ing th e r e , " s ays the Be s t Fr i e n d , and t h e W i f e answer s ,

"Jus t • • • d ivo r c e " (32) . Th i s pl a in l y s hows that t h e W i f e b e l i ev e s

,

t h a t ab andonment--whe ther i t i s phy s i c a l or e m o t i o n a l - - i s equal t o murd er ,

y e t s h e d o e s n o t s e e that the r e s ul t in g " d e a th " is a s e l f- imp o s ed , avo i d ab l e

one . She fa i l s t o n � a l i z e t h a t h e r own emo t ional ab andonme n t of her

c h i l dren i s mu c h c l o s er t o murder in the s ens e t h a t a s the i r rr� ther

she in in a un ique p o s i t i or1 t o g ive them the s e c u r i t y and love �hey

will need t o be product ive i n l i f e . I n s t e ad s h e r id i c u l e s them c a l l ing

them " f a i l ur e s " and perp e tu a t ing the l ove l e s s cyc l e :

T H E W I FE [ To THE SON ] : We l l I c an ' t e xp e c t y o u

• • •

to be the s on of your f a ther a n d b e much : i t ' s too

gr e a t a burden ; but t o b e s o l i t t l e i s (Dis­ • • •

m i s s ing h im wi t h a r, e s t u r e , p a c e s a l i t t l e ) [ To TILE
S O N and THE DAUGHTER ] You ' ve n e i t her of you had
ch i l dren , thank God , c h i l dr e n that I ' ve known o f .
( H a r s h ) I hop e you never marry e i ti1'e'r0f you !
• • •

( S o f t er , i f no gent l er ) Le t t h e l in e e nd whe r e i t
is • at i t s z e n i t h ( 80) .
• •

The W i f e f a i l s t o s e e t h a t a t t h i s p o i n t her f am i ly h a s a c t ua l l y

h i t rock b o t t om , and e a c h is too thoroughly i gnorant o f t h e ways of

l ove t o r i s e u p and conquer s epar a t ene s s and h a t r e d .

Mar t h a ' s f a i l ur e to a t t a in the l o ve of her p arents i s t h e key t o

und e r s t anding t h e puz z l ing prob l ems i n Wh o ' s A fr a i d o f V i rg i n i a Woo l f ?

Sp e c i f i c a l ly , Mar t h a ' s p e r s o n a l unhapp ine s s , h e r subcons c i ous f e e l ings

o f f a i l ur e a s a daugh t e r and a s a wife ( wh i c h s h e proj e c t s on t o G e or g e ) ,

her in t e n s e d e s ire for a c h i l d and her s ub s equent c r e a t i on of an ima g i -

 34

nary " s on , " and her inab i l ity t o l ove h er s e l f ( or anyone e l s e ) are a l l

d ir e c t r e s ul t s o f t h e f a i lure of parental l ove . The c au s e s and e f f e c t s

o f Har tha ' s l ove l e s s c h i ldhood a r e s o c omp l ex and s o c omp l i c a t e d t h a t a

very l engthy analys i s would b e r e q u i r e d t o ful l y examine them . For

the purp o s e o f the pre s ent s tudy , howeve r , I wi l l s ummar i z e the c au s e s

and e ff e c t o f f a i l e d parental l ove a s they are drama t i z e d i n t h e p l ay .

Mar t h a ' s mother d i e d when s h e w a s very youn g , depriv in g her o f

m o t h e r l y l ove . lier father s ub s equent l y marr i e d a r i c h , o l der woman

who s o on d i e d , l e aving h im w i t h the money and s t atus he n e e d e d to b e c ome

the pre s i d ent of the c o l l e ge whe r e h e t aught . Martha was s en t away

to a b oarding s ch o o l whe r e s h e woul d b e out of her f a t her ' s way . Depr ived

o f a mother and d e t ached from her father ( who was and is d e vo t e d only t o

h i s c o l l e g e ) , Mar t h a grew u p a l one--w i thout any d emon s trab l e p ar e n t a l

a t t ent ion or l ove . S h e d id not b l ame h e r f a t h e r for l e aving h e r , but

s h e did c ome t o s ub cons c i ous l y th ink o f her s e l f a s unl ovab l e a s a r e s u l t

o f h e r ab and onment . T h e l e s s s h e l oved h e r s e l f , i t s e ems , t h e mor e

s h e t o l d h er s e l f h o w muc h s h e l oved h e r f a ther . Her d e s cr ip t ion o f h im

t o N i c k and Honey s hows her f e e l ing s o f p r i d e in h im ;

MARTHA : Mommy d i e s e ar l y , s e e , and I s or t o f grew

up w i t h Daddy . ( Pau s e--th inks ) • I went away to
s ch o o l and s tu f f , b ut I more or l e s s grew up with h im .
J e s u s , I admired that guy ! I worshipp e d h i m I• •

ab s o l u t e l y wor s h ipped h im . I s t i l l do . And1 he was

pre t ty fond of me , t o o • you know? We had a r e a l
• •

• • • rapport going • • a r e a l rapport ( Wool f 7 7 ) .

•

Even in t h i s s p e e c h , Martha g ive s c lu e s that , at l e a s t on the sub-

c on s c ious l eve l , she r e a l i z e s that Daddy s h ippe d her off t o s chool to b e

r id o f her . G e or g e c onf irms t h i s l a t er i n t h e p l ay , of c ours e , whe n h e

t e l l s h i s gue s t s t h a t Mar tha ' s father i s a man "who d o e sn ' t g ive a damn

whe ther s h e l ive s or d ie s , who couldn ' t c ar e l e s s what happ e n s to h i s only

 35

daugh t e r " ( Wo o l f 2 2 5 ) . Martha s ays s h e e stablished " a re al r ap p or t "

w i t h her f a t h e r , b u t s u c h a re l at i on s h ip c ould hard l y rep l ac e one o f true

f a t h e r l y l ove . L ike the Wife in A l l �' Martha id o l i z e s h e r father

s in c e s h e h a s no id e n t i ty out s id e o f her r e l a t i on s h ip t o h im and to Geor g e

( whom s h e c on s id e r s " a f l o p " ) ( 1 8 9 ) . S h e tr i e s two r o u te s in her c on s t an t

e f fort t o please her father ( and , id e a l l y , t o b e grant e d f a t h e r l y l o v e

and approval ) : she a t t emp t s t o b e s u cc e s s f ul ( in o t her word s , t o marry

an amb i t i ou s , in t e l l i g e n t , p e r s onab l e profe s s or who wi l l ul t im a t e ly t ak e

over as c o l l e g e pre s ident ) and s h e tr i e s t o b e c o m e a mo t h e r ( thus prov i d i n g

Dad dy with a g r and s o n w h o wo u l d make r i gh t a l l her ivrongs as a d. a u g h t �� r

as v.; e l l as al l h e r h u s b and ' s inad equa c i e s a s a s on-- in- l aw and f a c u l ty

memb e r ) , h11en i t b e c om e s app arent t o h e r t h a t s h e w i l l no t b e s u c c e s s fu l

a t e i t her o f the s e route s , M a r th a proj e c t s h e r s u b c on s c ious f e e l i n g s o f

r e s e ntment and her f e e l ings of f a i l ure on t o G e or g e . S h e wan t s t o t ur n

her h u s b and into a c opy o f her f a t he r f or two r e a s on s : ( 1 ) s o s h e c an

r e c e ive from h im t h e f a t h e r l y l ove that s h e m i s s ed dur ing her c h i l dhood ,

and ( 2 ) s o s h e c an vent the anger that s h e h arb or s from her l ove l e s s

ch i l dhood o n t o G e or g e , her s urro g a t e father , s in c e s h e i s a fr a i d t o ye l l

a t her r e a l f a t h e r , the true s ourc e o f h e r r e s entme n t and ang e r . Fromm

exp l a i n s Mar t h a ' s neuro t i c r e l a t i on s h ip w i t h G e o r g e when he p o int s out

that

The b a s i c c o nd i t i o n for neuro t i c l ove l i e s in t h e

fact t h a t one or b o t h o f t h e " l ov e r s " h a v e rema ined
a t t a c h e d t o the f i gur e o f a p ar e n t , and t r an s f e r
f e e l i n g s , e xp e c t at i o n s and f e ar s one onc e h ad
t oward f ather or mother t o t h e l ov e d p e r s on in
adu l t l i fe (�r t 79) .

Having r e c e ived no f e e db ack from her father a s s h e grew up ( as ide

from h i s u t t e r d i s approval o f her f i r s t m arr i a ge ) , Mar tha now l ooks to

G e or g e f o r c o n s t an t aff irma t ion and approva l . On the s ub c ons c ious l e ve l ,

 36

s h e wan t s h i m t o b e the father she n e ve r had , but G e or g e s i mp l y d o e s not

want the r e s p on s i b i l i t y o f s uch a ro l e . G e or g e i s , furthermor e , unab l e

to ins t i l l i n M a r t h a t h e s ecur i t y t h a t s h e ne e d s s inc e he i s a t l e a s t as

i n s c; c ure as she is . T o g e ther , by cr e a t in g a n i m a g inary " s on , " t h e two

un i t e to a t t e mp t to d e f e n d thems e lve s a g a in s t the i n s e c ur i ty and imp o t e n c e

that tll e y b o t h have been made to feel . But Frorrun s e e s t h i s type of d e s ire

for a child as a f o rm o f p r o j e c t i o n- - t h e p r o j e c t i o n o f o n e ' s o w n p r o b l em s

on t o the ch i l dren :

F i r s t of s u ch p r o j e c t i o n t ake s p l a c e n o t in­
all
fr e q u e n t l yin the w i s h for c h i l dren . I n s uch
c a s e s t h e w i s h for c h i l dren is pr i mar i l y d e t er ­
m i n e d b y p r o j e c t i n g one ' s own prob l em s o f e x i s ­
t e n c e on t h a t o f t h e c h i l dren . When a p er s o n
f e e l s t h a t he has not b e en ab l e t o make s en s e of
his own l i fe , h e t r i e s t o make s en s e o f i t i n
t erms o f the l i fe o f h i s c h i l dr e n ( Ar t 8 5 ) .

In G e or g e and Mar t h a ' s c a s e , h owev er , the c h i l d only c au s e s fur t h e r c on-

f l i c t and ins e cur i ty . For " h e " d o e s not r e a l ly ex i s t , and yet Martha ' s

d e s ire t o h ave a s on i s s o intense t ha t she has troub le k e ep i n g rea l i ty

s eparate from i l l u s i on . Her r e nd i t i o n o f " Our S on" demonstrates that

the c h i l d d o e s n o t solve the prob lems of h is parents ; instead , he

inher i t s them . For instanc e , when Mar tha descr ibes the b oy ' s room and

" the b ow and arrow h e k e p t under h is b ed , , " G e o r g e asks her "Why ?

"
Why , Mar t h a ? " and s h e r e p l i e s , " f or fear • for fear of • George
I

e mpha s i z e s her r e s p on s e by add ing " For f e ar . Ju s t that : f or f e ar" ( Wo o l f

219 ) . I{a ther t han b an i s h in g the f e ar i n the ir l ive s , G e o r g e and Martha ' s

" s on" rep e a t s i t in h i s own l ife . The two have n o t i mprove d the ir l ive s

by h aving a c h i l d but , ins t e ad , have p a s s e d the ir unhapp ine s s on t o

s t i l l ano ther ind ividua l .

Eventual ly t h e child is used not a s a r e f u g e but a s a weapon for the

c oup l e t o use against one ano ther . The imag inary s on s oon bec omes o ne
 37

more in a s e t o f " b e an b a g s " that the c oup l e t o s s e s b a c k and forth a t

o n e another in t ime s o f mu tual s e l f-hatred and s hame . A s Fromm t e l l s

u s , when one proj e c t s one ' s o wn pr o b l ems o n t o t h e ch i l d

one i s bound t o f a i l w i t h in one s e l f and f o r t h e

c h i l dren . The f ormer b e c au s e the prob l em o f
e x i s t e n c e c an on ly b e s o lved by e a c h o n e o n l y f o r
h im s e l f , a n d not by proxy ; the l a t t er b e c au s e one
l a c k s in the very qual i t i e s wh ich one n e e d s t o
gu i d e the c h i l dr e n in t h e i r own s e ar c h for an
a n s w e r ( Art 8 5 - 6 ) .

B e c a u s e M ar t h a ' s father f a i l e d t o g ive her the l ov e s he requir e s to grow

into a l o v in g adu l t , s h e is unab l e to g r ow a s a human b e in g . Wi thout the

c ap a c i ty t o l ove , s h e c an never p r o d u c e l ove within h er s e l f or in h er

r e l a t ions h i p s w i t h o t h e r s . In a p l ay wh i c h s eems so t hr o u g h l y devo id o f

hope , thc· r e L> s t i l l the s l i gh t e s t p o s s i b l i t y th a t Mn.r t h a a n d G e o r g e may

f i nd a way to l ov e th ems e lve s and one ano t he r . Though l ove s e ems a l ong

way from e ither ' s gr a s p a t t h e end o f the p l ay , one knows t h a t the two

h ave a t l e a s t e l i m i n a t e d the i l l u s ions of " p s eudo- l ove " t o l i gh t e n the ir

l o ad as they cont inue the ir que s t for " the real t h i n g . "
 38

IV . The Inab i l ity t o Love One s e l f

NICK : Everyb ody ' s a f l op t o you ! Your hu s b and ' s

a f l op , I ' m a f l op • • • •

MARTHA : You ' r e a l l f l op s . I am the Earth Mothe r ,

and you ' re a l l f l op s . ( More or l e s s t o her s e l f ) I
d i s gu s t me ( Woo l f 1 8 9 ) . �� � �� �

CHARL I E : COGITO ! ERGO ! SUM ! I TH INK : THERE­

FORE , I AM ! ! ( S e a s c ap e 108 ) .

Love for and und er s t and ing o f one ' s own s e l f c an­
not be s ep ar a t e d from r e s p e c t and l ove and under­
s t and i n g f or ano the r ind ividua l . The l ove for my
own s e l f i s ins e p ar ab l y c onne c t e d w i t h the l ove
for any other b e ing ( Art 49 ) .

The previous s e c t ions o f th i s s tudy have e ach d emon s t r a t e d that , for

one r e a s on or a n o th e r , the c h ar a c t e r s in the p l ays of Edward A lb e e fail to

l ov e e ach other and , more imp or t an t l y , do n o t l ove thems e lve s . Whe ther

the que s t for l ove is ab a nd o n e d ( b e c au s e it r e q u i r e s effort and p o s s ib l y

p a i n ) , s id e tr a c ked ( by an i n ab i l i t y t o know tlw wa y s and / or m e an s of

l ove ) , or m i s g u ide d ( by the pur s u i t o f var i ous f orms o f " p s eudo-l ove " ) ,

t h e char a c t e r s e a c h rema i n t o t a l l y a l one and unhappy s in c e they d o not

pos sess a bas ic s e n s e o f l ove for s e l f wh i c h woul d s u s t a i n them , even in

t ime s of i s o l a t i on from o t h e r s . The char a c t e r s ' que s t f or l ove i s , more

a c curat e l y , a s e ar c h for s e l f- l ove : for , a s Er i c h Fromm t e l l s u s , "An

a t t i tude o f l ove t oward thems e lve s w i l l b e f ound in a l l tho s e who are

c a p ab l e o f l oving o ther s " ( Art S O ) .

S ome cr i t i c s have cons i s t ent l y m i s d i agno s e d the prob l em o f A l b e e ' s

c h ar a c t e r s t o b e the inab i l i t y t o f ind a s u i t ab l e , w i l l ing obj e c t of l ove .

George We l l warth , for examp l e , s ay s The Z oo S t ory

is about the maddening e f f e c t that the enfor c e d

l on e l ine s s of the human cond i t i on h a s on t h e
p er s on who i s c ur s e d ( for i n o u r s o c i e ty i t un­
doub t ed l y is a cur s e ) w i t h an inf ini t e c a p a c i t y
t o l ove ( 3 2 2 ) .
 39

A close ex a m i n a t i on o f the play u s ing Fromm ' s ins i ght on love s h ows that

Jerry ha s � " an infin i te c apac i ty for love" ( a s Wellwar th h a s s u g gested )

but an i n ab i l i t y t o love a t all . We have already seen tha t Jerry was

ab andoned by h i s p arents when he was only a child . Con s e quenl ty , he fa iled

to d e v e l op a love for l ife or a love for h imself--both of wh i c h a r e requ ired ,

a c c ord ing t o Fromm , before one c an love an o ther . We are g iven further in-

s i ght into Jerry ' s faulty view of love in h i s d e s cr i p t i o n of wha t he con-

s i der s to be h i s only exper ience w ith love :

for a w e e k and a half , when I was f ifteen and • • •

I h ang myh e ad in s hame tha t puberty wa s late • • •

I was a h-o-m-o- s -e-x-u-a-1 . I mean , I was queer .

• • • And for tho s e eleven days , I met a t lea s t
•

twi ce a day w ith the park s uper intend ant ' s s on • •

• a Greek boy , whos e b irthday wa s the s ame a s m i n e ,

e xc e p t he wa s a year older . I th ink I was very
much in love maybe j us t w i th sex ( Zoo � tory 3 3 ) .
• • •

Jerry rea l i ze s th at the exper ience wa s prob ab ly b a sed mos tly on phy s i c al

a t trac tion- -not l ove . Fronun ' s des cr i p t ion of love further contrad i c ts

any impl i c at ion that Jerry ' s relat ionship w i th the Greek boy const i tuted

l ove :

I f a per s on love s only one other per son and i s in­

d ifferent to the re s t of h i s fellow men , h i s love
i s not love but a s ymb iot i c attachment , or an
enl ar ged egot i s m ( Art 3 9 ) .

Jerry doe s not reach out to any of the p a the t i c, unloved peop le w i th

whom he s hare s the b o ar d in g hous e . He h a s " l ov e d " o n ly one per s on-- the

Greek b oy - - and , by Fromm ' s d e f in t i o n , he has con s eque ntly never l ov e d at

all .

In Mary M . N i l an ' s art i c l e on The � S tory , she s u gge s t s that J erry

is only c apable of loving h imself and i s , thu s , i n c a p ab l e of l o vi n g any-

one . She s ay s of Jerry :

Only once , he tell s u s , was he able to s u s tain a

rel a t ion s h ip for any dur a tion and then only an
 a d o l e s c e n t 1 1 o mo s e xu a l one . S uch a r e l a t i o n s h ip
tends to sugge s t t he a t tract ion of a "mirror ima r, e " ;
moreover , s in c e t h e p ark s u p e r i n t endant ' s s on ' s
" b i r t h d ay w a s ttw s ame , " the t w o wou l d s e em to be
s � nb o l i c twins . T h i s i nd i c a t e s a n e g o t i s t i c a l u n i o n
i n wh i c h t h e ind ividual s invo l v e d i d e n t i fy t h e m s e l v e s
w ith e ach other , me r e l y e n l ar g in g the s in g l e ind i v i ­
dua l into two ( 5 6- 7 ) .

What N i l an s ay s is true t o a p o int . J e rry ' s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e Gr e e k

b oy may , inde e d , s u gge s t J e rry ' s attract ion t o a "mirror ima g e " o f h im s e l f .

Howeve r , N i l an f a i l s t o note a c omm e n t t h a t J erry make s l a t e r i n t h e p l ay

wh i c h s h ows that the face he sees whe n he l ooks i n t o a m irror is not the

face o f a p er s on h e l ove s . He e xp l a i n s t o P e t e r that

A p e r s on h a s t o have s o m e way o f d e a l i n g with

S OMETH I NG . If n o t w i t h p e op l e • if not
w i t h p e op l e . • • S OMETH I NG . Wi th a bed, w i th
a c o c kr o a c h , w i t h a m i rror • . • no , that ' s too
hard , that ' s one of the last s teps ( Zo o S t ory 42) .

J erry ' s r e ve l a t i on a b o u t h im s e l f in th i s p a s s ag e g iv e s mu c h i n s i gh t

i n t o his real ab i l i t y t o l ove . J e rry c orre c t l y b e l i e v e s that the l ove of

self is one of t h e mo s t d iff icul t steps in the pro c e s s o f a c h i eving l ove .

He a l s o r e ve a l s that he incorre c t l y views s e l f - l ove t o b l� " on e of the last

s teps , " wh e n it is , i n f a c t the in i t i a l s t ep . J e rry d o e s �o t p o s s e s s an

" in f i n i t e c ap a c i ty t o l ove " as H e l lwar t h s u g r, e s t s , but instead , � �-

plete inab i l i t y to l ov e h im s e l f - - and t h u s � inab i l i t y � l ove anyone else .

Albee ' s c h ar a c t e r s in A De l icate B a l an c e u s e the m i r r or r e f e r e n c e to

"

s how t h e i r r e a l izat ion t h a t the ir f a i l ur e to l ove others s t ems from the ir

f a i lure to l ov e t h e m s e l ve s . N e ar the e n d o f the p l ay , Edna r e a l i z e s that

her i n c onven i e n t s t ay a t h e r "b e s t fr i end s ' " hou s e h a s r e ve a l e d less to

her ab o u t a b ou t the ir n a t ur e and more ab o u t h e r own :

EDNA : We mu s t n ' t pre s s out luck , mu s t w e : test .

( Paus e . S l i gh t smil e ) It ' s s ad t o c ome t o the end
of it , i sn ' t i t ; �l y the e nd ; so mu c h mor e o f it
gone by • • • t h an l e ft , an d s t i l l n o t know-- s t i l l
 not i:l av e l e ar ned •t h l� boundarie s , what we may
• •

no t do • • •not ask, for f e ar of l ooking in a mirror

( B a l an c e 1 6 3-4 ) .

Edn a ' s poi Gnan t r e a l i z a t i on is use d by Albee to i l lu s trate that he, l i ke

Er i c h Fro nun , b e l i e ve s in the need for s e l f- l ove as a prerequi s i te for

l ov i n G o t h e r s . In a moments of sel f-understand ing, Agnes t e l l s us that

" hie s e e ourse lves repeated by those we br ing int o it all , e ither by

m irror or r e j e c t i on , honor or faul t" ( 8 2 ) . She is gradually aware that

Jul i a ' s f a ilures are mere repetitions of her own in a cycle which never

e n d s onc e i t has been se t into mot i on , C l aire ' s respons e to Tobias ' s e l f-

ana lyt i c a l "If we do not l ove someone • never have loved someone . . . II

s hows a chara cter istic emphas i s on t he l ove o f others ( instead of a con-

c e ntra t ion on the love of sel f ) :

CLA IRE : Oh , stop it ! " Love " is not the problem .

You l ove Agnes and A gnes l oves Jul i a and Julia
loves me and I l ove you . Ne a l l love each o ther ,
yes we do. We l ove each other ( 3 7 ) .

Th e truth of the matter is tacit in C l a ir e ' s s ummation . A gnes does not

l o v e A gne s , Jul i G. d oes not love Jul i a , C l a ir e d o e s no t l ove C l aire, etc.

I na s much a s e a ch f a i l s to love himse l f ( or her s e l f ) , none is able to

l ove anyone e l s e unt i l se l f-l ove is a c h i eved .

In A l l Over , the Wife and the D au g h t e r exc hange nume r o u s remarks

which s h ow the ir mutual se l f-hatred . At one po int , howeve r , the Wife goes
I

bene a t h the s urface and points out the c auses for her l a c k of love for the

D a u g h t er :

THE W I FE [ To THE DAUGHTER ] : T h a t is probab ly what

I h ave c ome t o l ove you so l i t t le f o r - - t h a t � love
your s e l f so lit l e . Don ' t ever tel l me how to make
a l i fe , or anyone who does t h i n g s out of l ove , or
e v e n a f fection ( 4 4 ) .

Onc e aga i n , the Wife b l ames her Daugh t e r for a f a i l ur e for wh i c h she , as

the gir l ' s mo ther, is at least partia l ly t o b l ame . Had the Wife l oved
hers e l f enough to in st i l l in h e r D au g h t e r a s ens e of s e l f - l ove , the girl ' s

l i fe m i gh t w e l l have been d i fferent . I t i s "All over" for e a c h of the

c h ar a c t e r s pr imar i ly b e c au s e none has d eve l oped a v i t a l l ove of self .

Without s e l f - l ove , they c a nn o t l ove one another and their s ep ar a t e ne s s

s e em s e t erna l . To avo i d any further w a s t e of t ime , e ach mus t make the

f i r s t move to defeat "the s ins o f the f a t h e r " by e arne s t ly s e a r c h i n g for

a s e l f- l ove wh i c h c an be put in p l a c e o f the l ove already l os t . O t her-

wise , the p o s s ib i l i t i e s for o ne ' s h ap p i n e s s are all d e t ermined by one ' s

pare n t s during c h i l dhood and , h e nc e , t ho s e who e x p e r i ence a l ove l e s s c h i ld-

h o o d may as we. 1 1 l i e down a n d die dur i n g a d o l e s c e nc e . Alb e e and Fromm

do n o t want Man to was t e his t ime b e c au s e of " the s i ns of the fathers . "

O n e mus t l e a.E.:: from the m i s t ak e s of the pas t , not 1 ive thc�m .

Thom a s E. Porter has s a id that " the ' c o nve n t i on ' that i s b e ing

a t t a cl<; e d i n V i r 12.in i 3;, I\o o l E i s tho not ion U ·: a t we c an exp e c t s a l v a t o n from

w i t ho u t ' ' ( 2 4 5 ) . For G e o r g e a nd M ar t h a c ann o t r e l y on each other to g ive

t hem the l ove t h e y n e ed . Tbey mu s t l ov e t h e m s e l w; s f i r s t_ , and t h e l ove

of others wi l l , mo s t a s s ur e d l y , f o l l o w n a t ur a l l y . M a r t h a. mu s t face the

f act that s lw is a " flop" and work to c h an g e tho s e things ab o u t h e r s e l f

that she doe sn ' t l i ke . She is s e n s i t iv e , c omp a s s i ona t e , and a l ive . She

pos sesses all t h e ne c e s s a ry q u a l i t i e s to defeat s e l f- h a t r e d if s h e wou l d

only make the effort and app l y wh a t s he has . S h e n e e d 6ny g ive hers e l f

c r e d i t f o r h e r p o s i t ive at tribut e s t o re c e ive cred i t from o t h e r s . Ult i -

mat e l y , s h e mu s t real ize that the cre d i t o f o thers is inc i d en t a l and

unne c e s s ary s o l on g as she l ove s hers e l f .

In c o n c l u d ins , let us l o ok at one A l b e e p l ay whe r e the charac t ers d o

d o s ome t h i n g r i gh t , whe r e t h e y re s p ond p o s i t ive l y r a ther than n e g a t ive l y

to the cha l l en e e s of l ove . In Albee ' s S e a s c ap e b e c a u s e t h e ir a t t i t ud e s

are sel f - c ont a i ned , Ch ar l i e and Nancy s u c c e e d in l i f e and in l ove wh ere

the other char a c t e r s r o u t in e l y fa i l . Nancy i s " awake " and bur s t i n g w i t h

l i f e a s s h e c o n s i d e r s t h e t ime s he h a s l e f t . As s h e gaz e s out at the sea,

she concentra t e s on the p a s t o ril y l on g enough t o conf irm the fact t h at s he

ha s b e e n s u c c e s s ful in l i f e t hu s far , and t h a t the future prom i s e s to be

as c h a l l e n g i n g and r e w ard i n g a s th e pas t . S h e h a s b e en a good mo ther t o

he r c h i l dr e n , a f a i t h fu l w i f e , a c o m p a s s i o n a t e l over , and a n ener g e t i c

p artner f o r Charl i e . Th e r e f or e , wh e n he take s a step t oward r e tr e a t an d

a " g i vinr, up" on l i f e , Nancy j erk s h i m up b y the c o l l ar and d e n i e s h i m a

f i g u r a t iv e death , For C h ar l i e and Nan cy d o l ove t h e m s e l v e s and they are

c o n s e q u e n t l y ab l e t o l ove l i fe and one another . The p a in of consc iousne s s

wh i ch i nvar i a b l y a c c omp an i e s the prom i s e of l ove has not fr i gh t ened the

two a way from " d angerous invo lvement . " In s t e a d , the tHo h a v e d e lved into

the unk nown to f ind that l if e i s ful l er , more m e an i n g fu l , mor e wor t hwh i l e

b e c au s e b o t h have h a d t h e c o ur a g e t o f a c e i t unguard e d . The c h i l d l ike

inno c en c e o f the two is a fr e s h way of t h inking as opp o s e d t o an immature

way o f a c t i n g . The ir c h i l d l ike appr o a c h a l l ows t he m to "See Everything

Twi c e ! " and to ma int a in a v i s i o n of the future wh i c h is , a t o nc e ,

r e a l i s t i c �nd p r om i s i n g ( S e a s c ap e 10) .

Nancy ' s l ov e of h er s e l f and her l i f e d oe s , in f a c t , p r o d u c e more l ove �

and b e c au s e o f t hat l ove , Char l i e is ab l e to s hake o f f , h i s t emp orary

" s lumb e r " to s t a n d s ho u l d er to s houlder w i t h h i s w i f e i n an a t t emp t to

e xp l a i n t h e p uz z l e s o f t h e wor l d t o Le s l i e and S ar a h . "I TH I NK : THERE FORE ,

I AM , " he tel l s Le s l i e , t h e r e b y d e c i d in g to s t ay a l ive , happy , l oving ,

and , consequen t l y , l ove d .

The f in a l l ine o f A l b e e ' s S e a s c ap e is a c h a l l e nge to a l l of t h e

c h ar a c t e r s who p e op l e his p l ay s and all t h e a ud i e n c e s who fill the t he a t e r s

wl11 � n� h i s drama are performe d . " B e g i n , " s ays Le s l i e the L i z ard , a s k ing

for t h e " d angerous invo lvement " that i s r e q u ired i f l ove is ever to be

f o und . Thank s t o s uch adv i c e in the d r ama of Edward Albe e , t ho s e who

l e ave h i s p l ay s are c l o s er t o own ing the e q u i pme nt ne c e s s ary to l ive

f u l l an d r e w ar d ing l ive s .

i
 Not e s

l
A l b e e q u o t e d in " A l b e e : Odd Man In on Broadway , " News w e e k 4 Feb .

1963 : 50 .

')
"-
For mor e d e t a i l e d ana l y s i s o f c h i l d i s hne s s , immature b e hav i or , and

game - p l ay i n g in Who ' s Afr a i d of V ir g in i a Woo l f ? see C h ar l e n e M . T ay l or ,

" C om i n g o f A g e i n New C a r t h a g e : Albee ' s Gr own - up C h i ldren , " Educ a t i on al

T h e a t e r J o ur n a l 25 ( Mar c h 1 9 7 3 ) : 5 3 - 6 5 ; Lou i s Paul , " A G ame Ana l y s i s of

Albee ' s Wh o ' s Afr a i� o f y i r g i n i a Woo l f ? : The C or e of Gr i e f , " Lit erature

;ind P s ycho l o gy 17 ( 1967 ) : L1 7 - 5 1 ; A n t h o ny C . H i l fer , "George and M ar t h a :

S ad , Sad , Sad , 1' in S e v e n C o n t emp o r a ry A u t h o r s , ed . Thoma s ll , Wh itb r e ad

( Au s t in : U o f Texa s P, 1968) 119-39 ; and , J oy Flas ch , " G am e s P e op l e P l ay

in Hho ' s Afr a i d o f V i r g i n i a Wo o l f ? " Modern Drama 10 ( De c . 1967 ): 2 80- 8 .

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