THE DOG THAT BIT PEOPLE,
By James Thurber
Throughout the story, we get to see this strange diynamic in the family of Thurber, so we get to see how the decision to adopt and keep Muggs, a mischievous and gumpy dog, seriously affected them as a family, their personal goals and even their relationship with their neighbours. But behind all the humour there are some serious issues hidden.
To begin with, it is truly important to explain and describe why was Muggs so life changing, and the difference between him and all the other forty something dogs Thurber had. This crucial difference was his capacity to get them in trouble by biting people out of nowhere. He has a terrible tempered dog, who would go insane instantly, and bit a stranger and even a member of the family, until by the end of his life, he had bitten around 40 to 50 people, including all the members of the family but mother, even when he actually made an attempt to bit her (If it had happened nowadays, it would have been taken by the pound and put to death).
Everyone saw that Muggs had a problem, but there was
She defended Muggs like if he was her son, or even a little bit more, she found an excuse for everything he did, and she appeared to be the only one to believe her own excuses. She refused to see the truth.
For instance, she believed with all her heart that if they thought that he wasn't going to bit them, then he wouldn't, something like sending the dog good vibes. Besides, she affirmed that the reaction of the dog was completely understandable, and the ones making a mistake were the ones bitten, because they had provoked him by making loud sounds or harsh moves.
She trusted Muggs blindly, even when she had no evidence to do so, not a single reason to believe, and she would. Even after Muggs tried to bit her, she said that he was sorry, that she could feel it, even when the dog didn’t act sorry at all.
On the other hand, we have Thurber and the other brother, they suffer the consequences of having Muggs as a per on first hand.
They both had been bitten by this furious dog, they were more worried than mother about all the problems Muggs had been causing to them, and none seemed to connect with the dog like their mother did.
Thanks to this type of behavior, we were able to easily recognize the type of person both brothers were, they were the type to stress out easily, and it was a piece of cane to get stressed out by Muggs.
They liked to have everything under control, which is why they couldn’t stand having a dog that disobeyed them the way Muggs did, and they believed in discipline, for instance, when Muggs bit Thurber, he made an attempt to punish the dog, but failed.
In other words, mother and the brothers were complete opposites, their ways of thinking collided every time, and their way of solving conflicts, was so different, that it was hard to believe they were family, because while the brothers tried to have everything under control, mother was more about relaxing and finding the good in everyone.
Even when it is not mentioned in the story, it is logical to believe that this differences brought conflict to their home, but at the same time, it is quite admirable to see that even when they are so different, they still manage to get along through good and bad times.
By Camila Orozco E, Step 10
