Gods
These two gods make a bet that start the whole story
Who are Hermes and Apollo
Which dog is a clear example that death cannot be avoided even with intelligence?
Majnoun
What gift do the gods give the dogs?
Human-level intelligence
After the pack attacks him at the vet clinic, this dog’s later life with Nira can be seen as a kind of “escape” from the pack’s punishment, even though fate still catches up to him.
Who is Majnoun?
This dog becomes a poet and creates a new language after the dogs gain human intelligence.
Who is Prince?
This god believes that no creature with human intelligence can die happy
Who is Apollo
What is the ultimate fate that all dogs face in the novel?
Death
How does intelligence change the dogs’ lives?
They understand the world differently and face new challenges
Atticus’s followers attack and kill Bella in the city as payback for her connection to this “different” dog who embraces the new consciousness.
Who is Athena?
This dog is a black poodle
Who is Majnoun
This god gives the dogs human level intelligence as part of the bet
Who is Hermes
How does the novel show that intelligence cannot prevent mortality?
Even the smartest dogs still age, get sick, and die.
Name one limitation intelligence cannot overcome.
Mortality
This god’s fear of losing a bet leads him to strike back at Prince by first blinding him, and later taking his hearing, as a form of divine retribution.
Who is Apollo?
This dog is a Neapolitan Mastiff
Who is Atticus
Who is Apollo?
What lesson does the dogs’ mortality teach about human-like knowledge?
Knowledge doesn’t give control over life or death.
How does intelligence create tension among the dogs?
It leads to jealousy, pride, and conflicts
The pack’s violent attacks on dogs who use the new language are a form of retribution for breaking this traditional idea of what a “real” dog should be.
What is normal, instinct-driven dog behaviour
These are two Labradors
Who are Frick and Frack?
These three figures control the “threads” of life and have trouble with Majnoun’s fate.
Who are the Fates?
How does mortality affect the relationships between the dogs?
It creates urgency, fear, and sometimes selfish or protective behavior.
Explain how intelligence increases the pain of mortality.
Knowing death is inevitable makes life’s losses and struggles harder
Majnoun’s death only becomes possible once he gives up his long vigil and accepts leaving the world, which can be read as a kind of retribution for tying his life too tightly to this human. But who is this Humans Partner
Miguel
This beagle poisons other dogs to gain advantage but eventually dies from poisoning himself
Who is Benjy