In thinking about time and place differently, they also construct a den in a coppice.Ī schism occurs in the pack. Over time, their new language starts to deepen and grows more complex, particularly through the efforts of a dog named Prince, who invents words and puns. The smells of the lake draw the other dogs in, but they eventually decide to seek shelter. They escape the clinic, but three of the dogs choose to stay, ultimately dying for making this choice. They then invent a new language using their newfound faculties, different entirely from their simple and initial dog language. The dogs each realize their new intelligence and decide to break from their cages in the clinic. Since they happen to be by a veterinary clinic when the wager is made, they select the fifteen dogs in the clinic as subjects and, leaving them with their memories, bestow human intelligence upon them. They eventually decide that if even one of the animals dies happy, Hermes shall win the bet. Each brother wagers a year of servitude to the other over a question central to their debate-would any animal, given human intelligence, "be even more unhappy than humans?" (14). Hermes believes that there is something special and amusing about human behavior while Apollo believes humans to be no different than any other creature on earth. The novel begins as the brothers Hermes and Apollo are having a disagreement.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |