How Do Animals Affect Lurie's Life

471 Words1 Page

The existence of living animals not only shows the different social status in the novel but causes changes in Lurie’s life after his disgraceful actions in the urban setting of the novel. Since the beginning, Lurie commits actions that tumble him deeper into disgrace and humiliation, lowering himself to the level of an animal. Lurie is reluctant in the beginning to help out at the animal clinic however after numerous encounters with dogs, Lurie begins to understand others’ suffering instead of focusing on his own. Although animals exist everywhere in the rural areas, “the innate innocence of the animal is represented most intensely through the Animal Welfare League” (Gal 4). The fragility of animals impacts Lurie significantly because it causes Lurie to realize the similarity between him and the dogs, both in disgrace and dishonor. …show more content…

The decisions Lurie makes afterward displays his changes because he is able to, in a way, redeem himself from his disgraceful actions as well as helping to maintain the honor of the sick fragile dogs. The final moment when Lurie proves the major influence the animals have on him and his life is when he tells Bev Shaw that he “is giving him up” (Coetzee 220), him being one particular dog that Lurie tries to save from death. However, it is clear through the effect of animals that Lurie is able to rethink and realize even though it seems disgraceful to die, it’s also shameful if the dogs are forced to live in their state of fragility. Therefore, the moment Lurie choose to give the dog to Bev Shaw for lethal injection is also the moment when Lurie understands the normality of the shame and disgrace humans and nonhumans go through. This revelation leads to Lurie, at the end of the novel, to relieve himself from his own sense of

Open Document