rs to see on the outside. Another interesting piece of information that Jerry presents to Peter about the colored queen is that he always leaves the door open when he is plucking his eyebrows. Not only does this reinforce the fact that he is self-absorbed and materialistic, but it tells something about the inside of his persona as well. The act of plucking one's eyebrows is quite painful, and the fact that he leaves his door open when committing this act of self-mutilation reflects the idea that he wants society to be aware of his inner pain and strife. People are constantly looking for sympathy and for others to tell them that "everything will be all right." The colored queen is no different. He wants people to be aware that he feels pain. Keeping his door open shows that he, like the rest society, is crying out for help, and wants to be noticed and cared for.While the colored queen represents the part of society that wallows in their own self pity, Albee points out through the use of other minor characters that there are other ways of avoiding pain, and dealing with that pain. The Puerto Rican family that lives in Jerry's building tries to escape pain instead of dealing with it or looking for help. Their method is avoidance. They avoid pain by constantly having fun. Jerry mentions that they entertain a lot, and it is through entertaining and acting jovially that they avoid the pressures of everyday life. Instead of dealing with the stresses of their lives and trying to work towards bettering their places in the world, they escape and avoid this pain by not thinking about it. Another way that people deal with pain is bottling it all up. By not releasing the strain that holds them down, they do not allow themselves to become more enlightened from the experience. The woman who cries all the time in Jerry's building shows Albee's representation of this type of person. Her constant sobbing represents the fact that all peopl...
