Heart of a Dog Style

Heart of a Dog Style

Point of View

The story begins from Sharik the dog's point of view, first person. This helps the readers to see the dog as more than an animal to be overlooked or experimented on. We understand that the dog feels pain, longs for comfort and companionship, and experiences hunger and fatigue. The first person point of view also enhances the pathos of the story, helping us to feel empathy for the dog.

The story switches to third person point of view after the surgery that transplants Klim's pituitary gland and seminal vesicles into Sharik the dog's body. Using the third-person point of view for this part of the story pulls us away from the dog. We do not sympathize with Sharikov as we did with Sharik, and we see more clearly the motivations and feelings of the human characters Philip Philippovich and Dr. Bormenthal. This point of view continues through the nine chapters,...
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