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Homework answers / question archive / How is doggy point of view represented in this story, if at all? Give specific textual examples to illustrate your points

How is doggy point of view represented in this story, if at all? Give specific textual examples to illustrate your points

English

How is doggy point of view represented in this story, if at all? Give specific textual examples to illustrate your points. 

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The point of view of dogs in The History of Pompey the Little is not explicitly represented, but there are a few instances where the dogs are shown to be observing the humans and reacting to them in a way that suggests they are understanding what is going on. For example, when Master Pompey is being scolded by his father, the dog is shown to be cowering away and whimpering in fear. Additionally, when Master Pompey is being praised by his father, the dog is shown to be wagging its tail and jumping up to get attention. 

 These examples suggest that the dogs are aware of what is going on in the human world and are reacting to it accordingly.

As for why this might be important for the author to show us, we can look at some other parts of the text that seem to suggest an interest in whether or not animals have minds like humans do. For example, when Mrs. Dennison's parrot dies she says: "How I wish I could understand what he means! I am sure he would tell me something very interesting if he could only speak" (p. 29). Later on Mr. Dennison mentions how much he wishes he could understand what his own dog thinks about things (p. 31).

I believe this can show us as readers what perspective an animal has about human actions and events.

The History of Pompey the Little in addition, does not explicitly represent doggy point of view, but there are a few instances where the narrator's point of view is filtered through Pompey's perspective. For example, when the narrator describes a dog being beaten by its owner, he writes, "The dog cowered and whined piteously, his tail between his legs." This description gives the reader a sense of what it might be like to be a dog being beaten, and it is likely that the narrator is projecting Pompey's feelings onto the dog. Additionally, when the narrator describes how Pompey reacts to various things, it is clear that he is interpreting Pompey's thoughts and feelings for the reader. For example, when Pompey barks at a cat, the narrator writes, "I could see that he was trying to scare the cat away, and I was proud of him." This sentence shows that the narrator is interpreting Pompey's actions and feelings and communicating them to the reader.