Jean Stafford's "In the Zoo" is a short story that cleverly uses animals to further develop the human characters. Each human character in the short story has his/her own personality likeness bestowed upon an animal. The human characters are complex and well drawn out, each having an individual personality niche in the social environment they inhabit. Though the author solidly defines these characters, a keen understanding of their animal counterparts and how they relate to each other is necessary for a full understanding of their dispositi ....