A Dark Brown Dog

“After a time, a little dark-brown dog came trotting with an intent air down the sidewalk. A short rope was dragging from his neck. Occasionally he trod upon the end of it and stumbled.”

The dog’s demeanor at the beginning—energetic, full of agency—is in stark contrast to the end of the story, when the dog is left as a lifeless corpse. The rope around his neck foreshadows the end of the story as well.

“The dog became more enthusiastic with each moment of the interview, until with his gleeful caperings he treated to overturn the child. Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck the dog a blow upon the head.”

This moment illustrates the first interaction between the child and the dog, wherein the dog grows comfortable and lets his guard down, only to be treated with violence by the child. The consequence cemented here for the dog eliciting his own joy, particularly in a way that threatens the stability of the child, continues throughout the remainder of the story, building the theme of The Inescapability of Institutional Violence.

“When the blow was repeated, together with an admonition in childish sentences, he turned over upon his back, and held his paws in a peculiar manner. At the same time with his ears and his eyes he offered a small prayer to the child.”

This moment introduces the motif of praying, marking the dog’s innately submissive nature. The dog’s ears and eyes, which he should use to perceive the injustice the child is perpetrating against him, instead become tools to placate and worship his abuser. The theme of The Mentality of Enslavement, at this point in the encounter, is evident, reflecting the racist lens through which Crane viewed the social injustice he sought to criticize.

“But the little dark-brown dog took this chastisement in the most serious way, and no doubt considered that he had committed some grave crime, for he wriggled contritely and showed his repentance in every way that was in his power.”

Crane employs personification to emphasize the dog’s response to the child’s violence. Additionally, this moment demonstrates the repercussions of internalized racism, wherein the dog believes he has done something wrong and subjugates himself to the child.

“For being this quality of animal the dog apologized and eloquently expressed regret.”

This quotation highlights the larger issue that the dog represents—namely, the plight of Black Americans at the turn of the century. Crane uses personification to emphasize the effects of repeated abuse and oppression, stating that the dog feels the need to apologize for “being this quality of animal.” This insight into the dog’s mental state plays into Crane’s theme of The Mentality of Enslavement.

“The dog was examined and commented upon and called names. Scorn was leveled at him from all eyes, so that he become much embarrassed and dropped like a scorched plant.”

Crane uses simile here to emphasize the depth of the dog’s shame. Plants require certain elements to grow, as do dogs and, by extension, people. Under the harsh gaze of the family, the dog is unable to thrive.

“Ever after, the family were careful how they threw things at the dog. Moreover, the latter grew very skillful in avoiding missiles and feet.”

Rather than push back against the abuse, the dog simply learns to survive within the confines of the maltreatment. When the child—the dog’s sometimes-protector—is absent, the dog is at the mercy of the family.

“At night, when he was asleep, his dark-brown friend would raise from some black corner a wild, wailful cry, a song of infinite lowliness and despair, that would go shuddering and sobbing among the buildings of the block and cause people to swear.”

While the child sleeps at night, the dog gives voice to its suffering. This vivid description, including the neighbors’ reactions, depicts how the laments of Black Americans tend to be viewed as disruptions—and to be punished accordingly.

“Sometimes, too, the child himself used to beat the dog, although it is not known that he ever had what could truly be called a just cause.”

Even the child mistreats the dog. A number of white allies and white people, while publicly accepting and even celebrating emancipation, perpetuated institutional abuses of Black Americans. White Americans still held more societal power, and Crane’s story closely associates power with violence.

“So the dog prospered. He developed a large bark, which came wondrously from such small rug of a dog. He ceased to howl persistently at night.”

Crane’s hint of sarcasm here is reflective of the narrator’s detached tone throughout the piece. The dog has obtained food, shelter, and the care of the child—but only tenuously. It is enough, at least, for the dog to learn to bark loudly rather than wail at night.

“The scene of their companionship was a kingdom governed by this terrible potentate, the child; but neither criticism nor rebellion ever lived for an instant in their heart of one subject.”

Crane uses metaphor to highlight the uneven power balance within the relationship of the dog and the child. The child holds absolute power, and the dog, used to this imbalance, not only accepts his subjugation but reveres the child.

“The child's practised eye instantly noted his father's state. He dived under the table, where experience had taught him was a rather safe place. The dog, lacking skill in such matters, was, of course, unaware of the true condition of affairs.”

While the child has learned the signs of oncoming violence, the dog has not. The language here concerning the dog’s failure to anticipate the oncoming violence is another marker of Crane’s racist lens in approaching this issue of social injustice. The suggestion, by way of the allegory, is that newly emancipated Black Americans are unprepared—or even broadly unable—to anticipate how institutional structures may harm them.

“But the father was in a mood for having fun, and it occurred to him that it would be a fine thing to throw the dog out of the window.”

The callousness of the father is evident as he prepares to fling the dog from the window, emphasizing the theme of Hierarchical Power Structures as Inherently Abusive. The father is at the top of the hierarchy; accordingly, his actions need no justification beyond satisfying his amusement. These lines also exemplify Crane’s dry, detached, and sardonic tone—the phrasing “was in a mood for having fun” and “would be a fine thing” is lighthearted and bemused, which contrasts sharply with the violent idea that the father is seizing upon.