Sunday, February 15, 2009
Edgar Sawtelle, Question #2: The Dogs
Trudy and Edgar both say that the Sawtelle dogs are different from other dogs, yet never specify the characteristic that makes them so. What do you think makes them that way, and why? Is Almondine different even from the other dogs, or just more mature?
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4 comments:
I didn't see where the dogs were terribly different from other intelligent dogs, or from other dogs created as main characters in other works of fiction. Almondine may have been a special case, but I think there again she was just a well-bred, older dog that had been exceptionally trained. I enjoyed reading about them, but really didn't find them to be terribly unique. I've been trying to think if they could maybe be a metaphor for something, like a comment on how a mixture of backround is important, and makes for a better soul than pure-breeding as a whole, even in people, but I'm not sure that really was what the author intended.
I loved Almondine--I think the parts written in her voice were my favorites. I read somewhere that this was in some ways a reworking of Hamlet. That made me (slightly) less angry about the ending, but it's not helping me with context here. Was there much in Hamlet about royal pedigree, "good" breeding, that kind of thing? I just don't remember!
I can't remember Hamlet talking specifically about breeding per se, but it was about royalty, so maybe that's it? Almondine was my favorite, too. I was so mad at Edgar for treating her that way, after all those years, and heartbroken for her when we read her view of it, I wanted to reach into the book and pull her out.
I have never owned a dog and have no idea about good vs bad breading. But I must say the idea sounded interesting to me. I absolutely fell in love with Almondine and the chapter where she "goes to find Edgar" had me balling my eyes out.
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