Peter Character Analysis in The Zoo Story

Peter is middle-aged, upper-middle class, and seemingly “normal” in every way: Albee writes in the stage directions that he is “neither fat nor gaunt, neither homely nor handsome.” He lives in a nice apartment on the Upper East Side of New York with his wife and two daughters, and he works as a textbook publisher, a profession that fits with his seeming belief that things can generally be simply or easily explained. After being approached by Jerry, Peter initially keeps calm, in part because Peter seems to believe that frightening and confusing things happen only in books, and never in real life. But while Peter begins the play as a model of reasoned politeness, Jerry’s provocations eventually push Peter to give in to his own “animal” instincts: he becomes passionate, irrational and even violent, eventually engaging in a physical fight over a park bench. Peter’s trajectory therefore suggests, on the one hand, that humans are not so different from animals, and on the other that even the most apparently average people are full of surprises—so no one can be put in a box, “pigeonholed,” or be so easily or simply explained.

Peter Quotes in The Zoo Story

The The Zoo Story quotes below are all either spoken by Peter or refer to Peter. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

JERRY: I’ve been to the zoo (PETER doesn’t notice). I said I’ve been to the zoo. MISTER, I SAID I’VE BEEN TO THE ZOO!

Related Characters: Peter (speaker), Jerry (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Zoo

Page Number and Citation: 12

Explanation and Analysis:

With this line—the very first thing spoken in the play—Jerry begins his conversation with Peter, who has been peacefully reading on a park bench. This quote is important because it introduces the zoo, the play’s titular (and most important) motif. New York City’s Central Park Zoo, where Jerry has just come from, would normally connote civilization and middle-class leisure: zoos are humans’ ultimate triumph over animals, and attending the zoo requires money, free time, and aesthetic appreciation. Yet Jerry’s talk of the zoo is distinctly uncivilized: he rudely interrupts Peter—a stranger in the park—and he begins to shout when Peter Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ips

JERRY: I don’t talk to many people—except to say like: give me a beer, or where’s the john, or what time does the feature go on, or keep your hands to yourself, buddy. You know—things like that.

PETER: I must say I don’t…

JERRY: But every once in a while I like to talk to somebody, really talk; like to get to know somebody, know all about him.

PETER (lightly laughing, still a little uncomfortable): And am I the guinea pig for today?

Related Characters: Jerry (speaker), Peter (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 17

Explanation and Analysis:

After asking Peter a series of insultingly personal questions, mostly about his family life, Jerry tries to explain why he is so inquisitive. In the first section of this dialogue, Jerry seems to confess that he feels alienated by modern, urban life: his interactions at bars and movies are transactional and lack substance. Jerry’s (apparently frequent) experience of being told to keep his “hands to himself” is especially salient, as it implies that he is often overly physical—or inappropriately sexual—with the other New Yorkers he encounters. In the second section of this exchange, however, Jerry makes clear that his interaction Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaq

JERRY: Do you know what I did before I went to the zoo today? I walked all the way up Fifth Avenue from Washington Square; all the way.

PETER: Oh; you live in the Village! (This seems to enlighten PETER)

JERRY: No, I don’t. I took the subway down to the Village so I could walk all the way up Fifth Avenue to the zoo. It’s one of those things a person has to do; sometimes a person has to go a very long distance out of his way in order to come back a short distance correctly.

PETER (almost pouting): Oh, I thought you lived in the Village.

JERRY: What were you trying to do? Make sense out of things? Bring order? The old pigeonhole bit?

Related Characters: Peter (speaker), Jerry (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 21

Explanation and Analysis:

After a brief moment of tension between the two men, Jerry changes the subject by telling Peter about his journey to the zoo. Perhaps more than any other section of the play, this exchange highlights the difference between the two men’s epistemologies (their ways of gaining knowledge). Peter, textbook publisher that he is, thinks categorically: he is excited to “pigeonhole” Jerry based on his first impressions, and he finds himself disappointed when Jerry defies his stereotypes. Peter “brings order” to the world by separating things—and people—into their appropriate box. Jerry, on the other hand, adamantly refuses such neat thinking. Rather, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempo

JERRY: What I wanted to get at is the value difference between pornographic playing cards when you’re a kid, and pornographic playing cards when you’re older. It’s that when you’re a kid you use the cards as a substitute for a real experience, and when you’re older you use real experience as a substitute for the fantasy.

Related Characters: Jerry (speaker), Peter (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 27

Explanation and Analysis:

After Jerry reveals that he keeps a deck of pornographic cards in his apartment, Peter sees an opportunity to bond and recalls his own childhood experience with the nude pictures. But Jerry, despite being sexually active, now finds these cards (and the “fantasy” they enable) more desirable than the “real experience” of sex. Interestingly, Jerry uses the language of economics to compare Peter’s childhood experience with the cards to his own adult one: Jerry believes the cards possess a higher “value” to an adult because he has experienced, and been disillusioned with, the physical act of sex. This passage displays Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto volup

PETER: It’s so…unthinkable. I find it hard to believe that people such as that really are.

JERRY (Lightly mocking): It’s for reading about, isn’t it?

PETER (Seriously): Yes.

JERRY: And fact is better left to fiction.

Related Characters: Jerry (speaker), Peter (speaker)

Related Symbols: Books and Reading

Page Number and Citation: 29

Explanation and Analysis:

Having listened to Jerry describe the lustful landlady, Peter is horrified to contemplate that this woman really exists. In fact, this is one of the first moments in which Peter and Jerry share an emotional response: both of them are revolted by female lust, which further hints that both men are insecure—albeit in slightly different ways—about their own confused sexual desire. Of more importance, though, is Jerry’s joke—“it’s for reading about, isn’t it?”—which Peter takes seriously. Peter, who lives a sheltered life, is only willing to encounter troubled people in books, where they become (like animals in a zoo) packaged Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus

PETER: (As JERRY tickles) Oh, hee, hee, hee. I must go. I . . .hee, hee, hee. After all, stop, stop, hee, hee, hee, after all, the parakeets will be getting dinner ready soon. Hee, hee. And the cats are setting the table. Stop, stop, and, and . . . (PETER is beside himself now) . . . and we’re having . . . hee, hee . . . uh . . . ho, ho, ho.

Related Characters: Peter (speaker), Jerry (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 38

Explanation and Analysis:

Unsettled by Jerry’s stories and looking for an excuse to leave the park, Peter is stopped in his tracks when Jerry begins to tickle him. In his laughter, Peter begins to imagine a role-reversal in his home, in which the animals engage in what would seem to be quintessentially human activities (cooking, “setting the table”). This absurd joke highlights that human behavior, when viewed in the same way we might view animal behavior, appears equally foreign and maybe even nonsensical. It is especially interesting that it is Peter, and not Jerry, who makes this joke—all throughout the play, Peter has Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur labor

JERRY: You have everything in the world you want; you’ve told me about your home, and your family, and your own little zoo. You have everything, and now you want this bench. Are these the things men fight for? Tell me, Peter, is this bench, this iron and this wood, is this your honor? Is this the thing in the world you’d fight for? Can you think of anything more absurd?

Related Characters: Jerry (speaker), Peter (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Bench

Page Number and Citation: 44

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerry, having almost pushed Peter off the bench, struggles to understand Peter’s sudden, uncharacteristic rage. First, this line showcases the connection between the two men’s violence and their insecurity around masculinity. Jerry specifies that this is the kind of thing “men fight for,” highlighting how gender roles create largely pointless codes of “honor” that then lead to conflict. The phrase “iron and wood,” with its phallic undertones, further shows that the bench has become a symbol of masculinity. But if the bench poses a question about manhood, it also incites a fight over territory, bringing the men into completely animalistic Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laborio

JERRY: And Peter, I’ll tell you something now; you’re not really a vegetable; it’s all right, you’re an animal. You’re an animal, too.

Related Characters: Jerry (speaker), Peter (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 49

Explanation and Analysis:

As Jerry dies, he devotes his final breaths to thanking Peter for their strange interaction. Using categories like those in the game Twenty Questions (animal, mineral, vegetable), Jerry declares that Peter is an “animal” because he has been willing to fight for something. The word “too” here is important and ambiguous: Jerry might be implying that Jerry and Peter are both animals, or he might be implying that Peter, in addition to being a husband and father and publisher, is also a man of instinct. In other words, two major themes of the novel are joined by this word “too”: Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis

Peter Character Timeline in The Zoo Story

The timeline below shows where the character Peter appears in The Zoo Story. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Civilization and Humans vs. Instinct and Animals Theme Icon

Simple Categorization vs. Messy Reality Theme Icon

Peter, a middle-aged man who is apparently average in every way—“neither fat nor gaunt, neither handsome... (full context)

Jerry tells Peter that he has “been to the zoo.” Not understanding that Jerry is speaking to him,... (full context)

Masculinity, Insecurity, and Violence Theme Icon

Peter prepares a pipe, prompting Jerry to mention all the different kinds of cancer that smoking... (full context)

Even though he’s aware that Peter would rather read, Jerry presses Peter to have a conversation with him. Once again, Jerry... (full context)

Jerry now presses Peter for information about himself. Peter reveals that he is married and has two daughters. Jerry... (full context)

Jerry wants to continue asking Peter questions; while he doesn’t talk to a lot of people, every so often he likes... (full context)

When Jerry asks about Peter’s pets, he learns that Peter—who loves dogs—has two cats because that is what his wife... (full context)

Jerry asks Peter what he does for a living, and Peter replies that he works as a textbook... (full context)

Peter again asks about the zoo, but Jerry seems confused by the reference. Out of nowhere,... (full context)

Beginning to slowly pace the stage, Jerry tells Peter that, before going to the zoo, he walked all the way uptown from Washington Square.... (full context)

In a long monologue, Jerry accuses Peter of trying to “pigeonhole” him. He explains that he actually lives on the top floor... (full context)

...many of which are asking him to reply or to come somewhere. He also informs Peter that he has two empty picture frames because he doesn’t have “anyone to put in... (full context)

Peter suggests Jerry might put pictures of his parents or “a girlfriend” in the frames—but Jerry... (full context)

Jerry asks Peter his name, and the two men introduce themselves for the first time in the play.... (full context)

After hearing Jerry’s description of his life, Peter declares that it “it seems perfectly simple to me.” Jerry then accuses Peter of wanting... (full context)

Jerry again mentions his pornographic playing cards. Peter jokes that he himself is familiar with the cards from his youth, prompting Jerry to... (full context)

Jerry brings the zoo up again, and Peter is enthusiastic to hear about what happened there (though he is embarrassed by his own... (full context)

Repulsed by Jerry’s description of the landlady, Peter muses that it’s “hard to believe” people like that really exist. Mockingly, Jerry suggests that,... (full context)

...roomers do not experience this because “it had to do only with me.” Jerry tells Peter that he had formed a plan: he would try befriending the dog, and if that... (full context)

...with fervor, “making sounds in his throat like a woman,” a memory Jerry reenacts for Peter. Jerry recalls that when the dog finished the meat, he smiled, which Jerry found “gratifying”—until... (full context)

When Jerry announces that he attempted to murder the dog, Peter is horrified—but Jerry tells he can calm down, since the attempt failed. Jerry bought a... (full context)

...accused Jerry of wanting the dog to die. Jerry denied it, and he explains to Peter that his denial was true: he actually did not want the dog to die, because... (full context)

Jerry informs Peter that the dog eventually recovered and the landlady went back to drinking. To Peter’s scoffing... (full context)

...that “both had been unsuccessful by themselves,” Jerry wanted to be “understood” by the dog. Peter is “hypnotized” by this part of the story. (full context)

Jerry becomes agitated and tells Peter, “if you can’t deal with people, you have to make a start somewhere.” Jerry wonders... (full context)

Jerry tells Peter that he believes that the building’s entrance hall, with the dog—“man’s best friend”—was the best... (full context)

...monologue, Jerry sits down—for the first time in the entire play—on the same bench as Peter. (full context)

A “suddenly cheerful” Jerry asks Peter if Peter thinks he could sell the story of the dog to Reader’s Digest. Peter,... (full context)

Peter says he does not want to hear any more about the landlady or her dog.... (full context)

Jokingly, Jerry suggests that Peter does not know what to make of him; Peter jokes back that “we get all... (full context)

Peter checks his watch and moves to get up from the bench as he starts to... (full context)

Now very calm, Jerry asks Peter if he wants to hear about what happened at the zoo. Peter, coming out of... (full context)

Peter moves over, and Jerry continues to describe the zoo. But every few sentences, Jerry pokes... (full context)

Peter asks Jerry why he is behaving like this, and Jerry declares “I’m crazy, you bastard.”... (full context)

Jerry insists that he wants the bench, and he scoffs when Peter tries to argue that people cannot get everything they want. Jerry calls Peter a “vegetable”... (full context)

Jerry tells Peter to “give me my bench,” but Peter yells back that it is “MY BENCH.” When... (full context)

Jerry threatens Peter, telling him that he will never again be able to sit on his “precious bench.”... (full context)

Jerry asks Peter why he cares about the bench, since he already has “everything in the world you... (full context)

Jerry accuses Peter of not having any idea about “what other people need.” Peter insists that Jerry does... (full context)

Still sitting on the bench, Jerry muses that Peter has a “certain dignity” about him. Jerry then rises, agreeing to fight for the bench... (full context)

Horrified, Peter does not want to pick up the knife. Jerry grabs Peter by the collar, standing... (full context)

Jerry says “So be it!” and then runs onto the knife that Peter is now holding, impaling himself. In great pain, Jerry screams with “the sound of an... (full context)

As he dies, Jerry calmly thanks Peter and expresses his relief that he did not drive Peter away. Jerry finally tells Peter... (full context)

Jerry warns Peter that he should leave before anyone comes and sees Peter with the knife. Peter, who... (full context)

With great effort, Jerry uses his handkerchief to wipe Peter’s fingerprints off the switchblade. Jerry encourages Peter to run, and he reminds him to take... (full context)

Peter Character Analysis

Peter Quotes in The Zoo Story

The Zoo Story Quotes

Peter Character Timeline in The Zoo Story