The Wild Dog

In the collection's opening story, "No More Than a Bubble," the wild dog that tries to attack Ben, Claudius, Naomie, and Sybil, acts a symbol of Ben's fear. Throughout the novel, Ben struggles to reconcile his memories of his father, and his father's advice, with his own evolving sense of masculinity and identity. The dog that runs out from between the cars on the four friends' walk home, represents the side of himself Ben hopes to preserve, but fears he must snuff out. Towards the start of the narrative, Ben's father tells his son that he should have one experience with a wild, passionate woman, but afterwards should "make a dull" if he wants to be happy (7). The memory of his words haunt Ben's consciousness throughout the story.

The dog "may have been rabid. Some of its pink skin showed through its patches of...