Analysis of the 24-Hour Dog, Jeanette Winterson

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With specific reference to the relationship with the dog, the story begins with the introduction of the relationship of the two beings when the narrator wants to go swimming. This scene demonstrates the act of communication that takes place between the two where the narrator expresses, “I spoke to him, and he caught the word as deftly as I had thrown it”. This communication signifies a bond that the owner and the dog possess and how just as owners can pick their pets, pets can pick their owners. To reinforce this idea Wendy Woodward, 2007, expressed how there are assumptions that human’s beings believe that they have every right to inflict our dominance on all animals because we, as humans, believe ourselves to be the dominate species (92). However, with reference to the text, the owner becomes subjective to the dog when the narrator expresses that “…he has found me out” (Winterson 10) (Woodward 96).

When examaninng actual dog itself with regards to the relationship displayed, there is a constant comparison of him and the galaxy and space, using words and phrases like, “orbit” and “universe”, one might assume that the dog’s purpose in the story is linked to that idea. The idea of the galaxy and universe may be associated with being open, endless, and always being there even if you can not see it. With reference to the text and the dog being a “cosmic dog” (Winterson 7) one could assume that this dog is a spiritual guardian to the narrator. That the communication and union between the dog and the narrator occurs during the evening under the stars reinforces the idea of the dog being a guardian and watching over the narrator. One might examine the dog in contrast to the stars and the constellations, particularly the constellation of Canis Major which contains the brightest star, Sirius (Metevelis 97). The relevance of Sirius with regards to the dog in the story is that Sirius, as one of the the brightest stars, can be seen in broad daylight (Metevelis 97) and the constellation around Sirius is the guard dog of Orion, a Greek God (Polakis 78). This reinforces the idea that the dog in the story will always be there to guard the narrator, physically and mentally, even if he is not there, such as the stars in the night’s sky. This idea of a cosmic dog gives us the impression that he is with her for a reason, yet this reason is unknown to the narrator keeps as she keeps reassuring herself that he is “only a dog” (Winterson 6). His presence and unconditional understanding in their few hours of communication is undeniable. This examination of the dog and what it might symbolize are important in examining the relationship between the narrator and the dog.

The significance of the dog in the narrator’s life is sizeable considering the short amount of time they interact. To the narrator the dog is a blank slate, new to the world and can be seen in the constant reference and appearance of water in the story. Water represents purity and life and is significant as it in introduced in the first line of the story, “He was as soft as rainwater” (Winterson 3). Another aspect that is evident is the way the narrator prepares for the dog’s arrival. This process to the narrator is meticulous as she reads books and takes every precaution. There is a large amount of effort put in to prepare for the dog exerting all their effort in creating a safe environment. One might question these actions as the narrator already owns a number of cats and so has experience with looking after pets. This can be seen in that when the farmer calls the narrator, there is the repetition of the word “now”, as if the narrator is trying to reassure herself that this is a good idea as she prepares for what is coming, “Now, This now. Not later. Not sooner. Here now. Quick now” (Winterson 6). This could be significant if one views the idea of the narrator unconsciously knowing that this dog is going to have an impact on his or her life and therefore extra care is taken. Even when the narrator feeds the dog in the morning the food is referred to “cereal and milk” which is not generally regarded as food that is given to dogs, but one can assume that the connection that resulted from the communication between the two has created the narrator to see the dog in a different light, as if the dog were human too, emphasizing the bond between them. This is emphasized when the narrator identifies with the dog while watching him eat, “I am a great supporter of table manners but its worth to be reminded of what we are” (Winterson 10).

The last aspect of the story is how the dog affects the narrator directly. Half way through the story, after the climax of communication between the dog and the narrator, it would appear that the narrator comes to the realization of the impact this dog has had on her, and it frightens her. The narrator expresses:

The dimensionality of time is usually not apparent. I felt it today in the light like water. I knew I was moving through something that had substance. Something serious. Here was the dog, me, the sun, the sky, in a pattern, in a dance, and time in the form of us and we were in the form of the day. Time would return it, as memory and futility; part of the pattern, the dance that I had refused. (Winterson 7)

This extract demonstrates the effect of the dog on the narrator’s whole way of thinking. One could say that the narrator had an epiphany that there was more to life, the narrator should be more like the dog, carefree and untarnished. This is to assume that the narrator is the opposite and one could perhaps see the stricter, organized side of the narrator when there is reference to that fact that usually table manners are preferred or the intense planning that was done before the dog was adopted. This takes place before the communication between the two has even occurred, referring again to the narrator unconsciously knowing the impact this dog will have and the implication that this dog is a ‘cosmic dog’.

After the communication and unity between the two take place, significant intentional separation occurs when the narrator leaves the dog in the scullery over night as the manual instructed that the dog needs to be dominated, and his is how it is done. After the connection the two shared one would assume that the narrator would make an acceptation to the manual, however, the intensity of the unity that occurred might have frightened the narrator as they feel more exposed when, “he’s only a dog” (Winterson 10). When walking around with him in the fields the next day the narrator admits that “…my soul had been exposed and whatever I wore was no use to cover it”.(Winterson 11)

There are possibly many interpretations as to why the narrator give the dog back to the farmer. One reader