I have never considered that a book about a dog could be so appealing and full of deep thoughts. But I changed my viewpoint after reading the autobiographical novel “Marley & Me” written by John Grogan which depicts an astonishing story about the neurotic and loyal, clumsy and loving dog named Marley. In fact, as the author mentioned in some interviews, he intended to write the “dog story”, but soon after he realized that it was impossible to do so without including the family life [2]. That is why the title “Marley & Me” encapsulates the main topic of the book such as the relationship between a human and a pet. To start with let me introduce main characters: John, Jenny, and Marley.
John and Jenny, newlywed couple began their family life
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First of all, Marley in spite of his loopy character had a loving heart. He always had been with people who need help. For instance, he shared Jenny’s grief when she lost her first baby during the pregnancy. During the next pregnancy, when Jenny had to remain in the bed for the whole month because of the early-arrival risk of the new baby, Marley again had been her companion making her boring days brighter. Finally, each time Marley easily accepted the Jenny and John’s new babies when they arrived from the hospital. As they grew, Marley became their best friend. It seemed like the dog understood that they were little humans whom he had to protect.
Lately, Marley showed unexpected guarding characteristics when John rushed to help some girl who was stabbed near his house. Somehow the dog itself understood the danger of the situation and transformed into a “completely different dog”. Because of crimes around the neighborhood, John worried for the safety of his growing son Patrick and his pregnant wife. They started to appreciate the big dog being in the house. Even though Marley was harmless, his presence made them feel secure.
Nevertheless, John admitted that teaching the “master-beast” basics to the dog was necessary in their relationship. Reading the book, I understood how it’s hard to have patience when a dog doesn’t obey the master’s commands. On the other hand, if a person loves dogs, he will forgive the chewed leather shoes and shredded furniture.
“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours...he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty,” says John Grogan, author of Marley & Me. Although dogs are just animals, they can bring out the best characteristics in people. Recently, an exploration of one of the most well-known pieces of canine non-fiction and an exploration of my own life has taught me just how true this is. In John Grogan’s Marley & Me and in my life, patience, flexibility, and love are frequently illustrated.
When reading a story with animals as the main focus, human characteristics are either found in or projected onto the characters in order to make them relatable. “Man’s best friend” -a.k.a. dogs- are relatively easy to relate to for this reason; people see their dogs as one of the family, talking to and sometimes
There is a saying, “a dog is a man's’ best friend”. In the book Where The Red Fern Grows,by Wilson Rawls, Billy Coleman is a young boy who wants nothing other than two Redbone coonhounds and to hunt in the Ozark Mountains with them. Through his determination, he works up money buy the pups, but he is faced with many struggles along the road. His determination, the will power and strong heart to make it through the struggles, made him the boy he is now. Over all, Billy Coleman and his dogs face many conflicts throughout the book, but he stays determined to make it through.
Along this difficult march, the narrator reflects on the life of the dog and remembers the not-so-bad characteristics of the family pet, “During our joint ordeal I had developed a grudging affection for our pet; he who’d been so quick to defend my kith and kin against the noise of passing trucks, who took loud notice of the squirrels outside, who held fast in the foyer, hackles raised, fearlessly barking, whenever company arrived at the front door (248).”
Old Dan again shows that he is loyal because he does not hunt by himself with Billy or with other hounds. Similarly, Little Ann left to help Old Dan. The author composes, “There, scratched deep in the soft leaves were two little beds. One was smaller than the other” (93). Ann left the doghouse and went to aid Dan’s effort in keeping the coon in the big tree.
He struggled hard to reach his goal. He was not touched by the obstacles he experienced, even when he had the idea of killing his dog, but in the end he fell victim to the cold after realizing that he could no longer
Joshua Catlin had had a great life with his two parents, dog, and grandmother. His parents were firefighters with the assistance of the best dalmatian firefighter ever, their dog Body. Joshua’s grandmother was a bank teller for the Seattle Bank. Yep, they lived in Seattle! They loved all the excitement and opportunities it had to offer, and the rain. Their family was not the richest, but nor were they living on the street. Either way, they were thankful for what they had.
Jeremy Rifkin had made such impact on readers through his article “A Change of Heart about Animals”. Not only did he inform us the reality that animals do have feelings, he also unbounded the label we had long given to the animals, thus fully altered our perspectives about these fellow creatures. In regard to the influence, I myself am not excluded. As a matter of fact, since I was a kid, I have started raising pets. As long as it seems, I have built myself an assumption about these domestic animals as they don’t differ much from humans’ natural behavior in life. They have feelings, family and awareness of surroundings.
With the words from Jonathan Wolfgang von Goethe, “In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it.” – (“Johann Wolfgang von Goethe”). The world is all connected much like nature most everything has its ties within the world and how it connects itself with the things or people around it. This essay will show you how dogs are connected to love and many other connections.
Buck was adopted by John Thorton and he made a social adjustment when he learned that “To Buck’s suprise these dogs manifested no jealousy towards him. They seemed to share the kindness and largeness of John Thorton”(78). This is a big moment for Buck because he had really never been around kind dogs that were not trying to compete with or kill him. This changed the way he acted to them because he was no long competing with the other dogs and he knows that he should treat them kindly and not feel jealousy towards
Jason would often venture next door and play with the other dogs, while she heard their exuberant barks and slowly began to become envious of Jason’s freedom. The other dogs were much like Jason. All of them were strong males who played too rough. Charley would often wonder why the other female dogs never came out to play, as well. She would ask him if she could join only to receive the answer that they were playing games that were just too difficult for her to be able to participate in. She knew she could not free herself from her strong leash to join the games they were playing, but she would always ask anyway. At first, she thought that she understood Jason’s reasoning as to why she could not join. After a while, she began to wonder what he meant with that answer. She’s seen them play through the holes in the chain-link fence; it was nothing more than games of fetch. That never seemed like a tough game to her, but she shrugged this wonder off. Jason probably knows best; he is, after all, the one who has played before. So, Charley continued to watch them from inside the gate. Each and every day she would watch each and every game; the ache inside her grew as she longed to be free and join the others and their games that brought upon so much barking and so much joy. She kept ignoring her jealousy and convinced herself that there were reasons she could not play, yet it never went away. Jason and Charley were still close friends, but the distance between them became increasingly evident as the envy grew and Jason was never anything more than
In addition, human relationship gets unnoticed in the middle of catastrophe event. The Dog Stars is one of the particular utmost defining issues in survival is how one can get along with others. One may be independent and bodily fit, but one can almost assure there will come a point when a helping hand is needed. The novel The Dog Stars Heller, describes the relationship between Hig, and Jasper his dog. Having internal emotion after losing his wife and unborn child. Jasper becomes Hig’s guide, hunting and fishing cohort, co-pilot, and his best friend. Jasper provides the solid, comforting company that only an animal can, he is what keeps Hig going. However, the death of Jasper generates an outpouring of sadness in Hig. In the novel Heller, describes Hig’s heartbreaking farewell, “Goodbye, bud. You are Jasper. My heart. We are never apart, not here, not there” (112). In America dogs are known to be man best friend. Coming home every day to a pet that accepts one’s imperfections and loves us unconditionally. Dogs bring a lot of joy to one’s life. For that
experiences a realization about life when there is an incident with a dog. The narrator then expresses his
However say dog had puppies and there was a kitten in the house. That dog may just care for that kitten as if it was her own. Well it’s not like the dog and pups are just going to like each other in a heartbeat it takes alittle time. But not as much time as a newborn and 3 year old that’s going to take years. Like in the passage “Unusual Animal Friendship” the greyhound puppy and the owl since they were getting fed at the same place the puppy sniffed and licked the owl. It didn’t
In Jamaica at the time Bob was viewed as a mystic and prophet, and was