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In The Zoo Story, what does Jerry's interaction with the dog symbolize?
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In The Zoo Story, Jerry's interaction with the dog symbolizes the futility of human actions and the indifference of the world. Despite his efforts to befriend or harm the dog, it remains indifferent, reflecting the larger theme that neither kindness nor cruelty can significantly alter our existence. This interaction parallels Jerry's attempts to connect with Peter, highlighting the inherent isolation in modern life.
The Zoo Story is almost humorous in the absurd lengths to which Jerry goes to deal with the dog. The dog, which is owned by Jerry’s landlady, always tries to attack Jerry upon entering the house, so he decides to take some action about it. Vacillating between trying to befriend it and attempting to kill it, he fails repeatedly in affecting the dog’s actions. Regardless of what he does, the dog maintains its distaste for him, continuing to attack him daily.
The meaning behind this story is about the futility of Jerry’s actions and, by extension, our own. In the story, regardless of what Jerry does, the dog treats him the same. In much the same way, the author attempts to show that, regardless of our actions, we live in a cold and impersonal world that causes suffering and pain, while also doling our joy and happiness on occasion. But...
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in the end, we can do nothing to influence these events.
"The Story of Jerry and the Dog" is about Jerry's desperate attempt to connect with his landlady's dog, which tries to attack him every time he enters his building. The story is about the lengths to which Jerry will go to form some relationship with the dog, either as friend or enemy. He goes from feeding the dog to trying to poison it, but in either case, but the dog remains indifferent. The suggestion is that the world is immutable and unknowable, at least to Jerry, who tries so hard to leave a mark, but who always, in the end, is alone. The best he can do with the dog is achieve an uneasy truce: the dog simply ignores Jerry. As Jerry says at the end of his speech: "I have learned that neither kindness nor cruelty by themselves, independent of each other, creates any effect beyond themselves; and I have learned that the two combined, together, at the same time, are the teaching emotion. And what is gained is loss."
In another sense, "The Story of Jerry and the Dog" is simply a recapitulation of the larger story of Jerry and Peter. Jerry is trying to make some impression on Peter, like he did with the dog; the games Jerry played with the dog are similar to the ones he plays with Peter in trying to draw him out. In this case, the meaning of the story with the dog becomes larger than a simple anecdote -- it becomes a kind of parable for modern life.