“My Kid’s Dog” by Ron Hansen and “Nuit of the Living Dead” by David Sedaris both explore the idea of finding dark humor in the face of death. This is what lead me to enjoy these two stories so much, as well as the obvious symbolism that both of the authors employ . Both authors use death to symbolize the turning point for each of the characters. This shows just how the death of a loved one can change a person so drastically. “My Kid’s Dog” by Ron Hansen is humorous in the way that something would not at all be amusing had they been happening personally. But funny in the way that people enjoy laughing at the ridiculous struggles of other people. It is told in the first person through the father of the family, which allows us to see everything…show more content… Regardless of the characters efforts to prove his hate for the dog, there are multiple pieces of evidence that demonstrate his love. He goes through multiple troubles to care for this dog and even digs up the dog’s dead corpse persistently. This is the result of his fear that he may have actually loved the dog rather than hate it. If the main character truly despises the dog he would not so desperately try to convince his readers of his hate for Sparky. Using the evidence, readers can conclude the character’s mixed feelings for this pet. Furthermore, it is important to notice that the man referred to his son’s dog as a “family heirloom” (451). This clarifies that the dog held some kind of value to him and his family. He truly did care about the dog, regardless of its numerous frustrating habits. He even pretends not to know the dog’s name throughout the entire story, until the very end on page 451 where he finally reveals the dog’s true name, Sparky. This specific line in the story proves the theory that the character had a deep love for his son’s dog, regardless of how frustrating the pet may have been. In this story, the author uses the dog’s death as a symbol of the man’s changed perception of the dog. After the character explains the death of the dog to his daughter his entire attitude towards the dog changes completely. The character acts as if the reality of the dog’s condition is only just sinking
