Conflict And Rebellion In Urban Public Space In The Zoo Story And Dutchman

Since the publication of Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space,space has no longer been considered as a simple geographical term.It has been endowed with deep cultural meanings.As the main form of spatial representation,public space is full of conflicts from various social relationships.Edward Albee(1928—2016)and Amiri Baraka(1934—2014),the contemporary American playwrights,respectively in The Zoo Story(1959)and Dutchman(1964)set the stories in the urban public space and focus on the conflicts between different classes or ethnic races.The story in The Zoo Story takes place in New York City’s Central Park,revolving around the conflict between the middle class and the lower class,and the latter’s rebellion as well.Dutchman is set in the urban subway coach,presenting the conflict between black and white races,and the rebellion of the black as well.Mainly based on the space theories of Henri Lefebvre and David Harvey,this thesis attempts to explore the cultural implications in these two plays.This thesis tries to elaborate the idea that urban public space,seemingly shared by all the city residents,is full of intricate conflicts between different classes and races.The public space is enveloped with power discourse,and the rebellion of the underprivileged groups is doomed to failure.Albee and Baraka tactically employ the public space to present profound social issues beyond the limited space on stage,which makes for the audience’s realization of the essence of modern cities and the living condition of people from different classes and different races.