Fiction Elements In The Short Story Puppy, By George Saunders

The short story Puppy by George Saunders is narrated in the third person from a limited prospective. George Saunders used a neat technique where it was as if we were reading the minds of the two main characters. It was neat to see this writing style used and how it effectively displayed the most important fictional element in my opinion. The most important fictional element for this short story is the use of symbols. One symbol in particular, the puppy. The puppy was symbolic in a few ways for both of the main characters. For the first main character Marie, the puppy represented a few things. Marie craved a time when her family was closer, when Goochie their current dog was still a puppy. The new puppy was going to be a way for the kids to bond and bring everyone closer. “This time was would be different, she was sure of it” (Saunders 175; Mays 175). Marie was a good mother who had a difficult upbringing and only wanted the best for her children.
When her five-year-old daughter Abbie became upset, she made all attempts to make her daughter happy. And so the puppy is yet another symbol of Marie’s devotion to her children’s happiness. “Which was when Abbie had burst into tears, because, being only five, she had no memory of Goochie as a puppy. Hence this Family Mission” (Saunders 174; Mays 174). The puppy was the
The second main character Callie, comes off as a neglectful mother, selfish to say the least. Callie’s dog gave birth to the puppy that Marie and her kids are travelling to get. The puppy for Callie is a burden. The puppy is a symbol of pain and suffering. “Now all she had to worry about was the pup” (Saunders 176; Mays 176). Callie made every attempt possible to get rid of the puppy for her own well-being. Her sole purpose was to get rid of the puppy so Jimmy, her man, would be happy and would love her. Callie’s last resort is leaving the puppy in the middle of a corn