Finding Equanimity Through the Love of a Dog

A Model-Text Analysis by Asana Yano

Before reading this creative writing analysis, we encourage you to FIRST read the Model Text: Man’s Best Friend by Emilio Tanaka

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This story by Emilio Tanaka, Man’s best friend, is a heartwarming story illustrating meaningful emotionally deep messages for readers. The story is about a man almost giving up on his life, he believes humanity is only filled with stupid and ignorant people and only has a very harsh view on society. But he is stopped by a dog who eventually changes his views and thoughts in unexpected ways. 

The story is introduced by the main character, who almost kills himself by jumping off a bridge. He expresses his strong, harsh views on humanity: he believes that they are all stupid and just ignorant. So he felt like there was nothing holding him back to stay in his life. But just as he was about to end everything he was interrupted by a stray dog, and feeling like if he didn't help him he himself would also be a hypocrite. And so he decides to take the dog home. But through challenges and as he bonds more with the dog his harsh view of humanity slowly starts to change. He thinks if a dog can show kindness and empathy maybe humans can too. 

Throughout the story, the author uses many of the Truby Concepts. One of the main ones he uses is self-revelation introduced in Chapter 3. Self-revelation is the ability of a character to reflect on themselves and eventually lead to a new equilibrium. Self-revelation is essential in character development because without it the character will never grow. Just like the main character of the story will never have changed, and maybe if this step did not exist he would have ended his life like he originally planned. 

This was a crucial step for the main character of this story. After Feyman (his dog), peed on his grandma’s precious Persian rug he was devastated and upset thinking it was a mistake to take him home. But Feyman noticed he was feeling down and comforted him, even though he didn't understand why he still understood he was upset. And from this, the main character was able to reflect on himself. If a dog could feel empathy for people and care couldn't humans too? Was his view on humanity too harsh? From then he was able to self-revelate into a changed person with new views and perspectives on life. 

Another one of the Truby concepts the author used was the concept of an “Ally’ introduced in chapter 4 of Character. An ally is a character, in this story, an animal who guides the hero or main character's goals and helps him. In this story, it was Feyman, the dog the main character adopted. Although Feyman might not have realized it or have been aware of it, he was the reason the main character was able to reach his goal and need. If Feyman wasn't there when the main character was about to jump off he would have died. And if he hadn’t comforted the main character then he would have had his self-revelation. So in the end even if it was unintentional Feyman helped guide the main character to his new equilibrium and changed him as a person.