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Incredible Outcomes
The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird follows the incredibly tragic life of Dog, who desperately wanted to be free to experience life. What was the inspiration for this fable?
In all walks of life, there is a tremendous drive to have unlimited choices in which direction one may choose. Humankind and the animal kingdom all strive for this freedom of choice to direct their own respective lives. The character of ‘Dog’ was a simple choice due to the fact that man and their canine companions are presently carrying on with thousands of years of evolution together; a symbiosis. Canines -evolved from wolves- have been able to develop a deep understanding of human behavior through millennia of observations and trained behavior. Likewise humankind has utilized this relationship as a form of protection and companionship that has proven beneficial mutually.
The Corvids (Crow, Jay & Magpie); having a higher intelligence than canines, coupled with tool making capability are far less understood due to the lack of symbiosis that canines experience. Ornithologists and the science community are researching these brainy-box birds presently, with rather incredible outcomes.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
The barter system is an antiquated method of the past. The conundrum facing Dog and her feathered friends was the concept of small rectangular pieces of paper ($money) that humankind uses to purchase objects such as automobiles, food and all types of material wealth. This puzzle (Capitalism) was finally solved by Crow as he explains to Dog-
“We see that these small papers are just a symbol of power. More paper equals more power. Men seek other likeminded men who also possess lots of paper. These become men of power. These men of power make the rules for the nation of their kind. The people with fewer or no pieces of paper are much more numerous by far, and they suffer as a consequence.”
ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.) These are a couple of the multitude of organizations that protect animal rights. Many abuses exist worldwide that are too horrible to list here. On the other hand, as many of us have observed, there are pets who receive preferential treatment from doting owners who lavish top veterinary care, premium food and living conditions that surpasses at times that of many of their human companions. This is a reality.
The Corvids insight into how the original occupiers in North America, who moved into their pristine wilderness were much more respectful of their precious water, land and resources. Especially their reverence to all animal life. The new European usurpers who traveled across the great sea were witnessed exhausting the land of its wealth and wildlife. This sad truth exists to this day.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
For some satire may be a hard concept to grasp. The themes to this novelette include friendship, religion, racism and faith expressed through the art of storytelling.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
GEEZERVILLE- What Do I Do Now?
This novel (Dramatic Comedy), displays the life of a curmudgeonly ol’ geezer residing in a trailer park, who is not exactly who he seems to be…?
Dog’s new life is spent in isolation in a remote area. Dog’s only interaction in her bitter, lonely existence is with three members of the Corvid family; Crow, Jay and Magpie whom she befriends. Through oral history the birds educate Dog on mankind’s advent into the New World, describing how the indigenous occupiers were eventually usurped by the invasion of another, new, two legged species from across the great sea. Dog eventually becomes enlightened to the political intrigue, rivalry and jealousies that exist between her feathered friends who are related to one another.
Dog and her friends of flight weave a story of their insights and observations into the species human, on co-existence, faith and the essence of life.
The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird
The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird is a creative work of fiction in the form of a satirical beast fable. Written by Giuseppe Scarpine, this fable follows the incredibly tragic life of Dog, who desperately wanted to be free to experience life. The story opens seen through the lens of Dog, who is the runt of her litter. She is instinctively aware of her relationships with her mother and siblings and the dynamics that come with that knowledge. She is purchased by her owner and taken home. As time progresses, we see the deterioration of not just Dog’s environment but also her physical well-being.
Dog’s unrelenting hope literally kept me as a reader not only intrigued by the idea of her being able to forgive, in a sense, her owner’s neglect but that being the driving force of her living another day. She clings to the idea that her owner will one day express the temporary kindness she once showed Dog in the past. Dog is extremely lonely, but she is not without friends. She has befriended three different birds with varying personalities and perspectives on the world outside of Dog’s desolate backyard. They frequently visit her to clue her in on society’s workings and how humans choose to treat canines as well as the world they live in.
The author does an interesting job of including lots of societal aspects in this story. It includes animal rights in quite an abundance and hits emotionally on every page. As the reader, I couldn’t help but want to reach into the story and just bear hug Dog and steal her away from that backyard, mostly due to the author’s incredible visceral writing skills. Other topics such as history, racism, faith, and friendship also play integral roles in the telling of Dog’s story through her lens. I found Dog’s perspective to be so in line with how I would imagine a canine’s mind would work. The dialogue just worked for me, and the writing made the story easy to follow and made this chapter book a fast read. Definitely a fascinating read.
The Dog Who Wanted to be a Bird is a fascinating fable surrounding the life of Dog. Touching on many sensitive topics, this novelette will leave readers with much to think about and look at in their own lives. As fables do, this story will also teach a lesson that readers can hold onto long after they have finished this thought-provoking tale.
Pages: 40 | ISBN: 979-8-218-05650-6
LITERARY TITAN 