Multi-Faceted Destruction: The Significance of Physical Space in "The Goat or Who is Sylvia" Anonymous College

Flower arranging, a lost razor, bestiality–all topics which are discussed in Edward Albee’s The Goat or Who is Sylvia. Despite its seeming inconsequentiality, the discussion of flower arranging in Act I when paired with the destruction of items in the home in Act II serves as symbolic, and yet tangible, evidence of the deterioration of each family member throughout the play, as well as the shattering of the family as a unit.

Stevie and Martin converse genially as Stevie arranges a bouquet of Ranunculus, which represent charm and attractiveness, in the beginning of Act I. Stevie’s arrangement of these flowers mimics their carefully arranged life: charming and attractive in appearance, where each member of the family has a place inside their seemingly perfect home. When Martin sits for an interview with Ross, Stevie places this vase of flowers in the corner by his chair. Ross asks whether Martin will be happy in that chair, to which he replies “Am I happy in it?” and “Did I sit there and did contentment bathe me in its warm light?” Albee employs the flowers here to offer up the possibility that Martin may not be content in his ‘perfect’ life, foreshadowing the reveal of his affair. Stevie; who insists that Martin has been happy...