Analysis of a short story "A Dog’s Tale" by Mark Twain

Mark Twain was an American Writer, journalist and humorist. He was strongly against the inequality,
injustice and hypocrisy of human beings.

To highlight and criticize these discriminations he has used satirical language in a humorous way in his
short stories.

In one of his short-story “A Dog’s Tale” reveals the selfishness and cruelty of human beings towards
other human beings and animals.

The story is about the faithfulness of animals with their masters but their masters are cruel and selfish
and use animals for their own benefits. Human beings are disloyal to their pets. Human beings consider
themselves torch bearers of civilization but actually they are going back to their generic animal instincts.
All the qualities of human beings are shifted to animals and human beings has revoked the development
from being an animal to a human being.

One of the example of this transition is that the mastiff had helped Saddie in planting seeds which is a
productive and humanitarian activity where as Mr. Gray has played a destructive role in taking an
innocent life for his materialistic benefit.

A dog is one of the innocent creatures. In “A Dog’s Tale” a dog has been made to tell a tale because the
problems and hardships faced by this community.

A dog is loved by human being. They keep them for their company and give them shelter in the same
home where they themselves live.

Dogs cannot be replaced by any other pet as they help their masters in domestic activity, safeguard
them, live with them like a family member and stay with them in every situation either favorable or
adverse where as a cat changes homes frequently and show no emotional attachment with the family.

Same is the case with horse that can also be kept as a pet. It can only fulfill the need of riding and
conveyance but again no indoor connection with the family or house. A dog is more close to human
beings and considers the home of their masters as their own one, as we have noticed in “A Dog’s Tale”
when Aileen said,

“It was such a charming home! – my new one; …”

So a Dog is justified in telling a tale as compared to other animals.

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 can not 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 pray 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 Mavoureen, 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.
 A Dog’s tale Introduction

In A Dog’s Tale Mark Twain used metaphorical language. His style of writing is
narrative and Subjective. He also called new trend set in American literature and
appreciated art of characterization through animal characters due to his animal
saving interest (wild life) and his first book titled by The National Anti-Vivisection
Society, (NAVS) as animated animal’s characters for the very first time in the
history.

Summary

This story is told from the perspective of a loyal pet, a dog was even described by
the first sentence of the story, “My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a
collie, but I’m a Presbyterian.”The story begins with a description of the life of the
dog as a puppy and its separation from its mother before it was inexplicable. Her
new baby puppy and its owner added soon to his new home. When a fire broke out
in the nursery, the dog risks his life to take the child to safety.

In the process, her are motives misunderstood and cruelly beaten. Soon, however,
the truth about the situation and she discovered endless praise. Later in history, his
puppy died after his biological experiments. Only a servant seems to realize the
irony and said, “Poor little dog, you saved his child!” Ultimately. Pines dog
inconsolable at the tomb of the puppy with clear implications that it will do so until
death

A Dog’s tale Critical Study

Chapter 1
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”

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”
 
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”

Use of irony
“There could not be happier dog that I was or a grateful one”

Symbolism
“Then came the winter, a spark from the wood fire short out and it lit on the slope
of the tent”

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”

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 produced 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”