Historical Context
The Sixties: A Decade of Transformation
The 1960s unfolded as a tempest of sweeping change across America. This vibrant era kicked off with the election of John F. Kennedy, whose youthful vigor and aspirational vision captured the nation’s imagination, as he became the youngest president in history. However, after his tragic assassination, it was Lyndon Johnson who stepped into the presidency, driving forward significant reforms in tax legislation, civil rights, and the battle against poverty. By the mid-sixties, landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act had been enacted, dismantling barriers of discrimination and igniting a wave of African American voter registration across the South.
A cultural uprising brewed among the youth, as they boldly resisted the conventional norms of mainstream America. This counterculture fervently challenged societal institutions, including the church, seeking alternative paths and deeper truths. This era also witnessed a poignant resurgence of the women’s movement, compelling the government to reevaluate and address women's rights more earnestly.
Religious Reform and Innovation
In the pivotal year of 1962, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council, heralding drastic transformations within the Church. The council's groundbreaking decision to conduct Mass in vernacular languages instead of Latin marked a new epoch, granting laypeople a more prominent voice in church governance.
Concurrently, a monumental ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale reverberated through the nation, effectively banning official religious observance in public schools. At that time, twenty-four states sanctioned or mandated prayer in schools, but the Court declared such practices in breach of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom. This ruling ignited a fiery debate, leading to the proposition of 144 constitutional amendments aimed at reinstating school prayers, none of which succeeded. Yet, it echoed a widespread belief that religion's grip on American life was waning, as evidenced by a 1969 poll showing 70 percent of respondents supporting this view.
The Vibrant Stage and Written Word
The realm of drama surged forward, with playwrights like Tennessee Williams, Archibald MacLeish, Frank Gilroy, and Edward Albee captivating audiences and earning immense respect. Their plays found a home on college stages and with amateur theater troupes nationwide, as unconventional theater gained traction. Productions such as "Hair," which depicted the counterculture under the Vietnam War’s shadow, often began off-Broadway, eventually becoming cultural juggernauts.
In literature, the era shattered previous taboos as once-censored novels flew off bookstore shelves. Works like D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer became accessible to the masses in affordable paperback form. College classrooms delved into previously scandalous novels like James Baldwin’s Another Country, featuring a homosexual protagonist. Authors chronicled heroes ensnared by a harsh and irrational society, with Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest gaining popularity and later being adapted into films.
Style and Technique
In the intricate tapestry of Edward Albee’s Tiny Alice, the interplay of symbolism, allegory, and absurdism crafts a narrative that scrutinizes the human experience through the lens of power, corruption, and belief. Delving into the symbolic roles of its characters and the setting, Albee’s work reflects a world where idealism and reality clash dramatically. Through the evocative tools of imagery and allegory, the play explores themes of purity, manipulation, and existential despair.
Symbolism Embodied in Characters
In Albee's world, the characters are more than their professions; they represent various aspects of societal and moral corruption. The Lawyer and the Cardinal, who should symbolize justice and divine love, respectively, instead embody the perversion of power and hypocrisy. This is starkly highlighted when...
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the Cardinal, instead of guiding, acts as Julian's pimp, facilitating his descent into Miss Alice's world under the guise of service. "The grant is accomplished," Cardinal tells Julian, underscoring the transaction dressed as matrimony. The Lawyer's complicity in this manipulation is evident as he secures a human being under the pretense of a charitable donation, revealing a past marred by deceit and lies. These characters gain strength not from virtue, but from the corrupting influence of Miss Alice’s wealth.
The Model House: A Microcosm of Illusion
The model house is a central and potent symbol within the play. It represents both the physical and emotional confines of Julian's entrapment. The house, in which Tiny Alice resides, mirrors a world sealed off from reality, akin to the "glass dome" Julian experienced before his time in the asylum. This unrealistic microcosm is a reflection of Julian's attempts to construct a safe, albeit illusory, sanctuary. Yet, the Church, which he seeks for refuge, emerges as his greatest adversary, with the model house symbolizing the ultimate betrayal and leading to his demise.
Religious and Animal Imagery
Albee weaves religious imagery throughout Tiny Alice, reinforcing the play’s themes of sacrifice and betrayal. After Julian is shot, Miss Alice cradles him in a pose reminiscent of the Pieta, drawing a poignant parallel to the Virgin Mary cradling the dead Christ. Julian’s death emulates Christ's crucifixion, his arms outstretched in the form of a cross, underscoring his unwitting role as a sacrificial victim. The imagery extends to the Cardinal and Lawyer's absurd utterances to the birds, contrasting their tenderness with their inherent inhumanity.
Bird imagery further amplifies the play’s motifs. Miss Alice’s gown, akin to great wings, envelops Julian, portraying her as a predatory force. Julian, conversely, is likened to a "drab fledgling," illustrating his vulnerability and impending destruction. The roles of predator and prey are fluid yet stark, as Alice shifts from a mouse demeaned by Lawyer to a lethal cat, poised to toy with and eventually annihilate her victim.
Allegorical Interpretations
Many perceive Tiny Alice as an allegory laden with moral and ethical commentary. Julian, the embodiment of purity, is sacrificed on the altar of worldly corruption, embodied by the other characters. The trio of Butler, Cardinal, and Lawyer form an "unholy trinity," distorting the traditional roles of religious faith. In the play’s denouement, these men become avatars of their corrupted functions: Cardinal caters to the Church’s greed; Lawyer concludes the sordid transaction before Julian’s dying gaze; Butler, in his servility, provides comfort to the dying man. Julian, despite his lay status and adherence to celibacy, becomes a tragic priest in his marriage to Alice, echoing a corrupted divine sonship.
The Indistinct Setting
The play’s setting, defined by its vagueness and universality, reflects the timelessness and ubiquity of its themes. No specific time or place is identified, and references to wealth are made without specifying currency. Details such as the precise temperature of Cardinal’s garden or the vintage of Julian’s port are inconsequential, serving instead to emphasize the play’s universal application. The planned future of Miss Alice, Lawyer, and Butler—moving to "the city," embarking on "the train trip south," and residing in a "house on the ocean"—suggests the cyclical nature of their schemes, perpetually ensnaring new prey with the allure of wealth and mystery.
Theater of the Absurd
Embedded within the play is the essence of the Theater of the Absurd, a post-World War II movement characterized by its depiction of a fragmented, meaningless world. Tiny Alice aligns with this tradition by exploring the futility of human endeavors and the collapse of societal and religious structures. Absurdist elements are evident in the bewilderment and existential struggle of its characters. Although Albee shares the absurdist stage with playwrights like Ionesco and Beckett, he diverges by focusing on the illusory screens humanity erects to shield itself from harsh realities, rather than simply highlighting life’s chaotic absurdity.
Julian’s reliance on his faith serves as a barricade against both religious hypocrisy and his own repressed desires. Albee's navigation through these themes illustrates a world where the foundations of belief and morality are both deluded and inescapable, crafting a narrative that is as profound as it is poignant.
Compare and Contrast
1960s: Theological Advancements
1960s: Journeying back to 1965, a total of 1,739 Americans embarked on the path of advanced theological studies, amidst a national population approaching 194 million.
1990s: Theological Growth
1990s: Fast forward to 1996, where the allure of theology captivated 8,479 Americans pursuing advanced degrees, in a growing population nearing 266 million.
1960s: Legal Education Expansion
1960s: As the sixties drew to a close, 145 institutions stood proud, bestowing legal studies degrees. By 1970, a significant 14,916 L.L.B. or J.D. degrees were conferred upon eager students.
1990s: Legal Studies Surge
1990s: By the decade's midpoint, the realm of legal studies burgeoned with 183 institutions. In 1996 alone, an impressive 39,828 L.L.B. or J.D. degrees were granted to aspiring legal minds.
1960s: Charitable Contributions
1960s: In the year 1965, charitable hearts contributed slightly over $12 million (in 1965 dollars), with individuals generously offering around $9.3 million. Religious causes reaped nearly $6 million in donations.
1990s: Philanthropic Flourish
1990s: The spirit of giving soared in 1997, with nearly $144 billion (in 1997 dollars) flowing to charities. Individuals alone donated over $109 billion. By 1995, 31.5% of American households had extended their generosity, with over 15% contributing more than $1,000. A significant 48% offered donations to religious interests, averaging $868.
1960s: Income Realities
1960s: In the financial landscape of 1965, 24.9% of American households enjoyed an income exceeding $10,000.
1990s: Economic Milestones
1990s: By 1997, the financial threshold shifted, with 18.4% of households earning $75,000 or more.
1960s: The Roman Catholic Presence
1960s: In 1965, the Roman Catholic Church counted just over 46 million Americans among its followers, representing about 24% of the nation's populace.
1990s: Religious Affiliation
1990s: By 1998, the Roman Catholic community expanded to encompass 27% of Americans, with 40% of the population attending church or synagogue weekly.
Bibliography
Sources
Albee, Edward, Author’s Note, in Tiny Alice, Atheneum, 1965.
Amacher, Richard, Edward Albee, G. K. Hall & Co., 1999.
Casper, Leonard, ‘‘Tiny Alice: The Expense of Joy in the Persistence of Mystery,’’ in Edward Albee: An Interview and Essays, edited by Julian N. Wasserman, University of St. Thomas, 1983, pp. 83-92.
Cohn, Ruby, article, in American Writers, Vol. 1, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1974, pp. 71-96.
Franzblau, Abraham N., ‘‘A Psychiatrist Looks at Tiny Alice,’’ in Saturday Review, January 30, 1965, p. 39.
Hewes, Henry, review and discussion of Tiny Alice, in Saturday Review, January 30, 1965, p. 38.
Review of Tiny Alice, in Newsweek, January, 1, 1965, p. 75.
Wasserman, Julian, ‘‘‘The Pitfalls of Drama’: The Idea of Language in the Plays of Edward Albee,’’ in Edward Albee: An Interview and Essays, edited by Julian N. Wasserman, University of St. Thomas, 1983, pp. 29-53.
Worth, Katharine, ‘‘Edward Albee: Playwright of Evolution,’’ in Essays on Contemporary American Drama, edited by Hedwig Bock and Albert Wertheim, Max Hueber Verlag, 1981, pp. 33–53.
Further Reading
Bloom, Harold, ed., Edward Albee, Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. This is a collection of critical essays on Albee’s most significant plays.
Gussow, Mel, Edward Albee: A Singular Journey: A Biography, Simon & Schuster, 1999.
