33 pages • 1 hour read
Dav PilkeyDog Man: Grime and Punishment
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Value of Creativity and Silliness
George and Harold channel their creativity by creating their hugely successful comic book Dog Man; this forms the frame of the novel’s action. George and Harold’s success is clear in the panel depicting a copy of the publication The Daily News, which is emblazoned with the front cover story: “Mall is popular again thanks to juveniles’ comics!!!” (8). Panel illustrations depict a long line of excited people queuing up to buy a copy of Dog Man; the crowds spill out of the mall’s front doors. It is clear that George and Harold’s silly sense of humor and creative prowess bring them acclaim, a significant income, and entertainment for many.
Pilkey’s Dog Man: Grime and Punishment aims to tap into elementary-aged silliness and creativity through humor and colloquial language, as well as ridiculous and outlandish concepts, such as a half-dog, half-man police officer. Furthermore, the simplistic illustrations and imperfect, messy panel lines aim to make readers feel as if they are actually flicking through George and Harold’s comic.
Creativity and silliness are embodied by the characters within the Dog Man world. When Grampa is introduced, he is in prison working on Motor Brain. This invention, which causes him to turn into the supervillain Crud, initiates much of the story’s action. Furthermore, Li’l Petey and 80-HD create an invention that disguises Dog Man as a cat. This is meant to be comic, as Dog Man is poorly disguised, and yet it fools Mayor completely. Furthermore, Molly, Li’l Petey, and many of their friends are involved in a Comic Book Club. These plot points reveal that creativity and creative ventures are prized by many of the main characters and that creativity inspires humor, friendship, and notoriety.
Munchy’s transformation from a destructive supervillain to a happy Comic Book Club member after Molly, Li’l Petey, and their friends draw on him demonstrates how creativity and silliness can positively shape lives. Munchy drops Flippy and agrees to join their club. Here, Pilkey suggests that creativity can redirect individuals from destructive and antisocial behavior toward happiness and connection with community.
The Power of Forgiveness and Love
Pilkey uses the relationships between Grampa, Petey, and Li’l Petey to explore the potency of love and forgiveness. When Petey and his son eat ice cream, Li’l Petey tells his father, “I forgave Grampa a long time ago” (101). Petey is shocked and disgusted with this, reminding Li’l Petey of the times that Grampa “kidnapped [him]” and “left [him] in a recycling bin” (101-02). Petey tries to remind his son that Grampa “betrayed [him] every chance he’s gotten!” (102). Petey is irritated when Li’l Petey is clearly not paying attention to his tirade. Instead, Li’l Petey says, “I caught a worm!” (102). This scene is meant to be comic: Petey is passionately listing his father’s mistakes while his son ignores him. It also illustrates the way that Petey is preoccupied by hate and anger, whereas Li’l Petey’s forgiveness allows him to be absorbed in the present moment and the world around him, including the worm he finds.
At the story’s climax, the turning point where the conflict achieves resolution, Petey confronts Crud. Li’l Petey urges his father, “Let go of your hate” (197). Petey, inspired by his son, tells his father, who has turned into Crud, “I’m done hating you” and “I’m going to forgive you” (199). Crud, shocked at this declaration, takes off the Motor Brain, which makes the immense Crud turn back into the much smaller Grampa. This transformation from an angry, powerful villain to a small, old cat illustrates that love and forgiveness de-escalate situations and stop the cycle of hatred, revenge, and anger.
In the panel after Petey tells his father that he forgives him, Petey’s expression is one of calm, happiness, and peace. Previously, when Petey had discussed his father, his expression had been one of fury and distress. Pilkey suggests that love and forgiveness are especially important in the face of long-standing bitterness and discord, as they have the power to shift a long-established dynamic and to grant the involved parties much needed peace.
Grampa’s story ends with his grandson, Big Jim, finding the Motor Brain and returning to the overly loving character of Snug. Snug chases Grampa, yelling “Snug love Kitty!” as Grampa runs away (207). This ending foregrounds the triumph of love over hate; Grampa’s dastardly invention is used to enhance Big Jim’s loving and affectionate tendencies, rather than allowing Grampa, as Crud, to continue rampaging the city.
The importance of forgiveness is also illustrated by Mayor’s decision to finally forgive Dog Man after Dog Man enters Mayor’s house to save Mayor and Mr. Snookums. Mayor kisses Dog Man in gratitude, praising him as “the best dog-headed cop in town” (214). The book implies that Mayor, having forgiven Dog Man, will allow him to keep his job with the police force.
The Corrosive Impact of Hatred and Resentment
Petey’s sustained hatred of his father, Grampa, negatively impacts Petey’s well-being. Li’l Petey asks his father why they are preparing for Grampa’s inevitable escape from prison. Angrily, Petey declares that his father, Grampa, is an “evil villain” who must be stopped. Li’l Petey continues to irritate his father by asking “Why?” forcing Petey to elaborate: “Because he does terrible things!” and “Because he only cares about himself!” (86). On one hand, Li’l Petey plays the part of a stereotypically annoying and precariously curious child who continues to incessantly ask “Why?” However, he also subtly questions why his father is so obsessed with foiling Grampa’s plans. Petey’s obsession clearly takes a toll on his well-being; in these panels, Li’l Petey appears calm and curious, whereas his father is irate and upset. Pilkey’s illustrations draw attention to how harboring hatred has a detrimental effect on one's psyche.
Petey articulates this further in Chapter 8, when he tells his son, “Sometimes all you’ve got left is HATE!” (127). Once again, in Chapter 10, Petey suggests that “only hate can defeat hate!” (181)
Grampa’s cruelty to Petey and Petey’s mother, as well as Grampa’s subsequent abandonment of them, inspired Petey’s hatred. Li’l Petey encourages his father to let go of his anger for the sake of his well-being; the wisdom of Li’l Petey’s words is clear in Petey’s expression of peaceful calm after he tells Grampa, “I’m done hating you” and “I’m going to forgive you” (199).
Pilkey explores the danger of unrestrained hatred through Crud. The Motor Brain “takes your inner most personality…And multiplies it exponentially” (57). Grampa’s hateful attitude crystallizes in Crud’s destructive tendencies: “Crud exit and wreak havoc!” “Crud punch!” “Crud kick!” (95).
Pilkey explores the negative impact of resentment through Mayor’s anger at Dog Man, who ruins his roses and spoils his award ceremony. Mayor’s firing of Chief Dog Man causes Dog Man as well as the police department pain and devastation; Chief’s grief is clear in the flood of tears that fill the station. The grudge Mayor holds against Dog Man also makes him arrest the majority of the police force at the moment where Crud’s violent destruction of the city is reaching a crescendo. As Mayor orders, “Now put those chumps in the copmobile,” Sarah, the news reporter, points out, “Great! Now the bad guy is getting away!” (134). Mayor’s resentment of Dog Man makes him oblivious to the gravity of the situation, inspiring him to focus on enacting revenge rather than protecting the citizens of the city.
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