Maira Kercher 11th grade English Mrs. Hoyer 5 April 2024 “A Boy and His Dog” by Harlan Ellison In Harlan Ellison's dystopian tale "A Boy and His Dog," the story explores the intricate bond between humans and animals in a post-apocalyptic setting, highlighting themes of loyalty, love, and violence. The story begins with Vic, a determined young man, and his exceptional dog, Blood. For example, they demonstrate resilience by surviving starvation and fortitude by facing dangerous encounters with hostile groups. It probes into the complexities of human nature, portraying the extreme measures individuals take to endure and challenging the conventional notions of loyalty and companionship between humans and animals. These two characters are brought …show more content…
Their telepathic connection intensifies their loyalty, fostering a profound level of comprehension and communication that surpasses mere verbal expression. Continually confronted with demanding circumstances, their bond is subjected to constant trials. “A Boy and His Dog" places the center of value in blood, the intelligent animal with a capacity for love. Even in the face of starvation, Blood waits for Vic, demonstrating the depth of his love for his boy. Blood's love transcends mere unconscious or instinctual love; it exceeds the power-hungry manipulation of passion exemplified by Quilla June. And in the end, Vic’s love matches Blood’s (Crow and Erlich)”. Blood is anxious that Vic might abandon him in favor of Quilla June, leaving him alone and without anyone to look after him or provide him with food. However, their …show more content…
Vic and Blood's relationship is characterized by a profound and unwavering loyalty that surpasses conventional demonstrations of affection, such as when Blood waits for Vic despite starvation, showcasing their deep bond. Their love for each other is evident in the countless selfless actions and sacrifices they make for one another, rooted in their shared history and experiences. Their love is raw and unfiltered, untouched by societal norms or constraints, forming the principle of their extraordinary and unbreakable bond. Their connection is a profound testament to the extraordinary power of companionship and mutual dependence, uniquely potent in the harsh and unforgiving world they inhabit. Despite their differences, Vic and Blood find solace and strength in each other's presence, navigating the challenges of their post-apocalyptic existence together. “When you’d been as dumb as I’d been and a dog like Blood’d taught me so much, a guy came to believe everything he said. You don't argue with your teacher
Candy also feels the burden of loneliness and shows it by his relationship with his sheep dog. The dog, being described as “ancient”, “stinky”, and “half-blind”, had been in Candy’s life for a very long time and Candy had grown attached to it.
...ut Jake in a confused state of his life. His love has always been the river, giving him hope, peace, friendship, brotherhood, and love. The river gave him everything but has now taken away his only brother for no reason at all. No matter how much he tries to get away from his past, the river is his life and has become his home.
"Unit 2: Reading & Writing About Short Fiction." ENGL200: Composition and Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 49-219. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
...X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 8th Ed., edited by Joseph Terry. New York: Longman, 2002.
The poem above speaks volumes about the nature of man’s best friend. Dogs are not inherently bad, but are rather “a product of their environment”. The same principle applies to the world’s most misunderstood breed of dog. When you hear the phrase “pit bull”, what do you think? A savage beast, murdered out of cold blood?
... wildly, beating his little yellow wings against the wires" (259). When Joe is around Caesar, he threatens to take the dog off his chain and release him into the town. To Louisa, taking the dog off his chain symbolically relates to her being freed from the constraints Joe is putting on her. Because she, like the dog, have been alone for so long, it would be frightening to go out and experience new things. People tend to do what they know, and for fourteen years, Louisa and her pets have been accustomed to solitude. The man's influence is seen as disruptive since it threatens change on Louisa's life. The symbolism Freeman portrays between the pets and Louisa is immense and obvious. Because of this, it is easy for the reader to make such connections. Freeman's choices make this an easy to read story that appeals to all readers at all different skill levels.
Vonnegut Jr., Kurt. “Harrison Bergeron”. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th Ed. New York: Longman, 2010.215-219. Print
Victor, at first sight of the Creature, abandons and leaves him to survive on his own. This is insignificant to the creature at the time, but later causes the Creature to have bitter feelings towards Victor. After the Creature discovers Victor’s notes, he becomes enraged, and incriminates Victor for the victimization that he faces; hence accusing him as a perpetrator of cruelty. Through the accusation of Victor one can see that the Creature believes that Victor should be held responsible, and owes the Creature a favor. Additionally, Victor double-crosses the Creature after obliging to create a mate for the Creature. These actions of betrayal demonstrate how Victor is a perpetrator of cruelty and how the Creature is his victim. Victor’s unintentional cruelty reveals how he only wanted what was best for himself and human kind. Victor’s betrayal is seen as an action of cruelty by the Creature, and consequently delivers the final blow that instigates the retaliation of the
feelings in the man and the dog, of a constant battle with this world of
“Ralph Ellison.” Survey of American Literature. 1992. atu.edu. Arkansas Tech University, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
The dog they rescued is a particularly prominent topic, a vestige of the past civilizations. In defiance of the treacherous environment, the dog managed to survive, a feat that even Lisa, the most cold-blooded of the three main characters, could not help but be “impressed by” (Bacigalupi 61). Therefore, the dog is a symbol of hope for the reader, an animal that is in the extreme, completely out of its element, and yet capable of surviving. As a result, nature’s idea of itself is astoundingly resilient, keeping certain species alive as an attempt to return to the normal state of the world. Even after horrendous trauma the natural world is still capable of a stalwart attempt at reclaiming itself. Accordingly, it is never too late to start fixing the damages and help nature’s cause, before allowing it to escalate to such a degree where the oceans are black with pollution and there is no room left for the humans of today. Chen could not help but notice that the dog is different than them in more than just a physiological nature; “there’s something there” and it’s not a characteristic that either them or the bio-jobs are capable of (64). Subsequently, the dog has something that the evolved humans are missing, compassion. In consequence, the author portrays the idea that the dog
James Baldwin, the author, makes the short story, “The Boy and the Wolf” enthralling. The author, James Baldwin, uses the setting, characters, and events to make the story "The Boy and the Wolf exciting. To begin with, James Baldwin uses the setting of this short story to stir up excitement by vividly describing where this short story occurs. The author describes the setting of the story by “drawing a picture” in the reader’s mind of what a place looks like through a character’s eyes. One way the author, James Baldwin, does this is “He could see a green open space just beyond; and then the woods seemed to be thicker and darker.”
Mays, Kelly J. ""Puppy"" The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Of Cannibals/Tempest Comparison In the essay “ of Cannibals, “ Michel de Montaigne argues that that people are not less or more barbarous than cannibals. He describes how Europeans judge others without even looking or acknowledge their own barbarous way. Montaigne also compares these things that viewed as “barbarians.”. Montaigne’s Of Cannibals and Shakespeare’s The Tempest have many similarities, both discuss about the ethnocentrism which is the idea that in a culture is superior, explain the idea of natural mankind, the characterization in The Tempest is definitely in relationship with what Montaigne talked about in his essay,.
Ones take of this story can be many of sorts. The dog essential may have saved this young child, his father may have chosen to throw him out the window. If the dog wasn’t there to take his place, who is to say what could had happened? It also shows how the dogs undeniable, love, devotion and eagerness to please his master. Eventually these traits, sadly left him resting lifeless in his young master’s arms. The relationships between these characters, is one of who’s pulling the strings. The abuse has been passed down from father to son. This story leaves an emptiness, with the unsettling turn of events.