The Dog
Why does the Shy Man buy Blackie?
To help him rob a house.
The Shy Man is considered what type of character?
Villain OR antagonist.
What country is the story set in?
England OR Britain
What does amiable mean here "A dog without influence or private means, if he is to make his way in the world, must have either good looks or amiability”?
good-natured and friendly
Where does the story's setting begin?
The Public House
Why does Blackie's mother say that he is "sometimes quite undog-like"?
He is friendly with too many strangers.
Why does Blackie call his owner "Shy Man"?
He mistakes his silence for being shy.
Why do Fred and his father make "a great fuss" over Blackie at the end?
They think Blackie caught the robber on purpose.
What does criticize mean here "I have never disguised it from myself, and nobody has ever disguised it from me, that I am not a handsome dog. Even Mother never thought me beautiful. She was no Gladys Cooper herself, but she never hesitated to criticize my appearance."?
tell someone what you think is wrong with them
What is the story's resolution?
The police take away the Shy Man and Blackie is rewarded with cold ham.
Why doesn't Blackie bark when someone comes in the window?
He was trained not to bark by the Shy Man.
Why does the policeman tell the Shy Man he "needs a change of air"?
He knows he is bad and wants him out of town.
Blackie tells the story. Which point of view is this, AND what clues give it away?
First Person; I, me, my.
What does morbid mean here "I quite appreciated that, but I couldn’t help feeling that the man carried shyness to a point where it became morbid. And he didn’t give himself a chance to cure himself of it. That was the point. Imagine a man hating to meet people so much that he never visited their houses till the middle of the night, when they were in bed and asleep."?
quality or feeling that one is unhealthy or sick
Is the main character static (not changing) or dynamic (changes a lot)?
Static
Why is Blackie an unreliable narrator?
He misunderstands many events.
When do we really learn what the Shy Man does and his plans for the future?
When he is talking to Bill at the cottage.
Why does Fred's father need a new dog?
The Shy Man poisoned and killed the old dog.
What does surfeit mean here: "This may be due to a gipsy[3] strain in my ancestry—one of my uncles traveled with a circus—or it may be the Artistic Temperament,[4] acquired from a grandfather who, before dying of a surfeit of paste in the property-room of the Bristol Coliseum"?
an excessive amount of something
All of the events in the story make up the story's __________.
Plot
Why is Blackie called a "mixer"?
He gets along with everyone.
Why is it ironic/funny that Blackie ruins the Shy Mans plans to rob the house?
He bought Blackie to help him rob the house, and trained Blackie to help him, BUT he does not help him in the end.
The contrast between what is expected and what actually happens is called _____________.
Irony
What does mope mean "By the time it was evening I was thoroughly miserable. I found a shoe and an old clothes-brush in one of the rooms, but could eat nothing. I just sat and moped"?
to be gloomy, miserable, and not interested in anything
What is the story's climax.
When Blackie whines to wake up Fred and introduce him to the Shy Man.