Brief introduction of A Dog’s Tale

Mark Twain sometimes showed his humor through a different angle of view, that is, see the
world from others’ eyes. In A Dog’s Tale, from a dog’s eyes, we see a world-full of selfishness,
hypocrisy, and indifference and inhuman. The dog mom often told the little puppy some only
fine large words meaning nothing likes: “My father was a St.Bernard, my mother was a collie,
but I am a Presbyterian”. She liked to say those words and saw other dogs look surprised and
envious when they found she got so much education. In fact, she knew nothing about those
fine large words which she listened in the dining-room and drawing-room when there was
company, and by going with the children to Sunday-school. Whenever she heard a large word
she said it over to herself many times, and keep it until there was a dogmatic gathering in the
neighborhood, and then, get it off to surprise and distress all the dogs. What a hypocritical dog!
However, if we say it hypocritical, those people from who the dog mom learned the fine large
words should be more hypocritical. Actually, the dog mom is the hypocritical bourgeoisie in
miniature. When the little puppy grew up, it was sold to a new family. Once in a fire it saved the
owner’s baby, but the owner misunderstood it and struck furiously at it with his cane and
caused it to be a lame. When they knew the truth, “a dozen times a day Mrs. Gray and Sadie
would tell the tale to new-comers, and say I risked my life to say the baby’s.”. “And then the
company would pass me around and pet me and exclaim about me, and you could see the pride
in the eyes of Sadie and her mother; and when the people wanted to know what made me
limp, they looked ashamed and changed the subject, and sometimes when people hunted them
this way and that way with questions about it, it looked to me as if they were going to cry.”. At
last, it was rewarded by the death of its child. After reading this article, people will absolutely
show deep sympathy to the brave, honest, loyal, pathetic dog and disgust the selfishly,
indifferent and inhuman bourgeoisie.

A Dog’s Tale was a short novel written in 1903 and it was Mark twain’s later work. Mark Twain
showed his humor through a different angle of view in A Dog’s Tale. Through the humorous and
ironic words, a real scene and hypocritical personality of human come into our sight. Mark
Twain didn’t adopt complex language, but just used some simple words and are quite easy to
be understood. His literary language in this novel was simple, precise, subtle and also humorous
and ironic. Also, he used many kinds of figures of speech, such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
personification and so on. Through the comparison between the behavior of the two dogs (the
narrator and its mother) and that of the human beings, we can sense that the author is critical
to human being, and through the behaviors of the dogs, we can also see the expectations of the
author to human being. While reading between lines, we can easily feel the power of his
sarcastic words. For example, we know from the first part the dog’s mother was kind-hearted,
gentle and well-educated, but the more descriptions of its mother Mark Twain gives, the more
deeply he satirizes human beings, who are hypocritical, ugly, and brutal and who will do
whatever can help achieve their dirty purposes. It is really unbelievable and ironic that a dog is
more humane than human, the most advanced animals in the world.

A dog could be made to write an autobiography or a poem but it is narrating a Tale because a
tale is more of a narrative form and it can be expected from a dog to narrate a tale. Whereas an
autobiography cannot be narrated, it needs writing some personal experiences which can only
be done by some educated species. Same is the case with poetry which is produced in the
presence of creative skills which again is a limitation in dog’s personality.
A dog’s tale is an allegory as the vary title suggests the symbolic meaning. On the surface level
the title suggests the injustice attitude of the so-called scientist towards animals whereas at the
deeper level the title highlights the hypocrisy of human beings and their false pretension to the
animals and human beings as well. They consider themselves civilized, educated and
reasonable in their acts but do neglect the feeling and emotions of other people where conflict
of on interest arises. In “A Dog’s Tale” Mr. Gray brought in the mastiff for the pleasure of his
daughter, Saddie. The mastiff saves the life of Mr. Gray’s baby by putting her life in danger. It
shows her faithfulness towards the master and obedience to her mother, who told her; “In
memory of me, when there is a time of danger to another do not think of yourself . . .”
The story can also be inter-related with another short story “The Fly” written by
Katherine Mansfield. In “The Fly” a fly fell prey to a cruel boss just like a puppy killed by Mr.
Gray in “A Dog’s Tale”. In both the stories the human being is behaving like demy-gods and
considers animals and birds mere puppet and toys in their hands. They feel no sympathy for
them and crush these innocent species for their own benefit and amuse. In “A Dog’s Tale” the
puppy and its mother too are helpless in saving its life just like the Fly is helpless in “The Fly”.
Both are on the mercy of human characters. Furthermore the boss in “The Fly” can be co-
related with the mastiff, Aileen Maureen, because the boss has lost his son in a battle and
Aileen too has lost her puppy martyred for a so-called noble cause. Both the Boss and Aileen
are mourning after their kins but at the end, both accept the tragic fact of the loss of their
generation.
1. Setting:

The story takes place first in the home where the Narrator was born, later it is moved to
another home where a family takes him in. She describes the house to be a charming and great
new home, "and no gloom anywhere" (Twain, 4).

2. Point of view:
 Third person limited
3. Characters:

 Aileen Mavourneen- loyal Presbyterian dog who is given a family,but for doing whats
right(Protagonist)
 Mrs.Gray-sweet and lovely 30 year old women who is married to Mr.Gray
 Sadie-sweet and lovely 10 year old girl who is like her mother Mrs.Gray
 Baby-Plump and dimpled 1 year old who is fond of Aileen Mavourneen
 Mr.Gray-Tall, bald handsome man of 38 who is a businesslike scientist

4. Themes:
Chapter

Dog vs. Human being

In first chapter from the start of the story, Twain made parallel comparison between animal
and human being as he gave human names or use of allusion like St. Bernard, Collie, and
Presbyterian

Reflection of the modern age

We also observed that the reflection of modern age was also there in very first chapter of story
through church school and neighborhood activities as we are doing also now a days.
“Children to Sunday school, dogmatic gathering in the neighborhood,”

Humor
In first aspect of humor is very prominent aspect. The character of dog’s mother like dictionary
and if she did not know anything, she explained that thing in a new way every time.
“It seemed like a dictionary speaking and explained it a new way every time”

Hollowness of feelings

Human’s hollow look was there in very specific age. People were searching for beloved ones
whom would felt their feeling in many ways. So the aspect of hollowness of felling is also very
important in story

Chapter 2
Morality
“Live it for the best good of others and never mind about the results they were not our affair”

Religious approach
“She had gone to the Sunday-school with the children and had laid them up in her memory
those other words and phrases”

Parent children farewell

“We looked our last upon each other through our tears”

Faithfulness
“When there is a time of danger to another do not think of yourself, think of your mother and
do as she would do”

Chapter 3
Human vs. Animals
“I was the same as member of family they loved me and petted me”
Children Psychology
“The baby was a year old and fond of me and never could get enough of hauling at my tail,
innocent happiness”

Humour
“The laboratory was not a book or a picture that is the lavatory”

Age reflection
“He was a renowned scientist I do not know what the word means but my mother”

Hunger theory
“They called and called day nights, hunger and thirst drive me mad”
“Come back to us — oh come back to us, and forgive”

Selfishness
“When the people wanted to know what made me limp they looked ashamed and change the
subject”

Science as destroyer
“They discussed optics that certain injury to the brain would produce blindness or
not” “Suddenly the puppy shrieked and they set him on the floor”
“There I have won — confess it he is a blind as a bat”

Death and Hope

“I know the puppy was out of its pain know, footman dug a hole and I saw he was going to plant
the puppy”
“I have watched two whole weeks and he does not come up like Robin Adair”
“Poor little doggie, you have saved HIS child”
“The Humble little friend is gone where the beasts that perish go”
5. Plot
Exposition:
The puppy introduces a house where it is being shifted as a lovable pet.
Rising Action:
It begins from there when the dog sees the baby in the crib crying due to fire and smoke
in the nursery.
Climax:
The climax begins from there when the dog drags the baby with his mouth in order to
save him from the fire but when she do so the master misunderstands the situation and
beats her badly.
Falling action:
She runs away from the nursery but later Sadie finds her and takes her back in the same
house where all of the family members and servants treat her more kindly than ever.
Resolution:
 At the end of the story the master kills the dog’s puppy just to prove his experience
successful and the dog keeps on missing that puppy.
Use of literary devices:

Internal monologue
“My mother’s farewell was sounding in my ears; I dragged the baby out of the flames”

Hamartia
“Begun you cursed beast and I jumped to save myself and stroked me furiously with his cane”

Use of irony
“I did not know I had done to make him so bitter and so unforgiving”
“There could not be happier dog that I was or a grateful one”
Use of metaphor

Mark Twain used metaphorical language in the story. Some we saw comparison of animal
represented through the flowers and have no fear of anything but anything like flower have no
fear.
“Yes, she was a daisy, she was not afraid of anything”

Use of simile
As Chaucer, we consider him the father of poetry, he represented the month of April in a very
beautiful way. Mark Twain also described summer as very beautiful way through simile. “As
calm as summer’s day”
Use of metonymy:

 There was one famous and humorous sentence in the novel “my other bones were
saved” my other bones meant the dog’s rest of life. It is metonymy. The dog’s so naive
and deeply believes in its owner, however, human doesn’t treat it as it deserve. The
poor little doggie, it saved its owner’s child and was rewarded by lame leg.
 She was a dizzy.

Use of symbolism:

 Dog: as faithfulness of animals

 Master: cruelty of human beings
 Mother’s vocabulary: a satire on constant change in language that has only surface
meaning not a deeper one and how a lay man learns and speaks language.
 Winter: it symbolizes cold and rough period, frozen or cruel.

Use of personification:

 The pain was cruel

Use of Alliteration:

 Grounds and the garden

 Delicate decorations