A Critical Analysis of Alexis's 'Fifteen Dogs': A Literary Report

This report presents a critical analysis of André Alexis's novel, 'Fifteen Dogs'. The analysis focuses on the use of language and emotions in the novel, particularly through the poems written for the dogs, referencing the Oulipo technique. The report examines key characters like Atticus and Prince, exploring their roles and the themes they represent, such as the relationship between happiness and power. It delves into the significance of the wager between the Gods and how the dogs' reactions to their newfound abilities reflect different aspects of human psychology. The report also provides a detailed examination of the characters, their actions, and their impact on the narrative, offering insights into the novel's exploration of the meaning of life and the pursuit of happiness.

Running Head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Critical Analysis
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:
Table of Contents

1CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Response to Question1...............................................................................................................2
Response to Question 2..............................................................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................4

2CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Response to Question1
The note at the end of chapter denotes the existence of the poems in the novel ‘Fifteen
Dogs’ as being written for each dog for the fifteen dogs in work. The poems are all
formulated in the voice of Prince, who can be named as the protagonist, for he was the only
one in the narrative able to grasp the essence of the gift of language and emotions granted to
them. When Alexis address in the note that he created “Poem for a Dog’, he was denoting the
technique of Oulipo when he has utilized. The method of Oulipo is used to denote the
meaning of the words used through the sounds they make rather than the text used. The poem
used for Bella shows clearly the depiction of the usage of Oulipo, and readers can easily
understand the clear indication of Bella’s name in the poetry denoted to her by Prince.
“Beyond the hills, a master is
who knows our secret names.
with bell and bones, he’ll call us home,
winter, fall, or spring.”( Alexis, pp. 29)
The use of the word ‘bell’ shows the poem is dedicated to her as she was among one who had
appreciated and thanked Prince for evoking in them the sense of their existence. Here, the
meaning of the poem can denote Bell’s friendship with Athena, who had been carrying her
due to her small size. It also indicates the nature of dogs by being pleased with their natural
state of being called to think about having masters. It shows the inherent characteristics of
being loyal. The poem adds to the process of the narrative where they were granted the
wishes, but the Gods, both Apollo, and Hermes interfered.

3CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Response to Question 2
The characteristic feature displayed by Atticus in the novel is the portrayal of a
character by Alexis, which demeans the worth of the meaning of life and happiness. He
refuses to understand or accept the gift which has been granted to them and even leads other
dogs against the use of the gift. However, amidst the plot development, we can observe that
the placed wager between Gods to test the importance of language and emotion developed by
humans has lost its existence. As the wager was to see the worth of the language to emote
created by humans, one can place the characters of the dogs as representing the kind of
human psychology they represent. Atticus is one of the bigger dogs with intimidating nature
and can be overpowered by only two others from the pack, Majnoun, and Prince (Alexis). He
eliminates both of them and takes the place of the leader of the pack. One can see that
Atticus, though he dies a very natural death which Alexis uses to convey to the readers his
unworthiness due to his greed. He was not killed in any elaborate planning which he had used
while killing Majnoun and Bella. It can be taken as the interpretation of the loss of happiness.
Nevertheless, Atticus gains power with his witty method can be assessed as attaining
happiness for it fulfilled his wish of making the pack adhere to the nature of dogness
(Alexis). The relationship between happiness and power is shown to be inversely
proportional because the characters who try to control their fate slose their happiness.

4CRITICAL ANALYSIS
References
Alexis, André. Fifteen dogs. Coach House Books, 2015.