Thursday, February 16, 2012
Let that dog off the chain
I love that the idea of the chained up dog was being used as a metaphor for Louisa's sexual undertones. If we look at it that way, it does make a lot of sense and I can see many connections. Really, when Dr. H pointed out Joe's choice of words when he talked to Louisa about that dog, it made me look at the dialogue between them in an entirely different light. Louisa was so sheltered in her own little world that i truly believe that she was terrified of letting her unexplored sexual undercurrents out. She looked at Joe as wanting to release something that she was not sure that she could control. I really saw the sexual connotation when Freeman wrote something along the lines that Louisa "saw bleeding children in his wake" when it came to the dog being let off the chain. All i could think of when I read that after thinking about the sexual nature of it, was childbirth. If Louisa did "let the dog off the chain" and coupled with Joe, the end result would be a baby. We all know that babies don't come out pretty and pink in little blankets...so I think that when Louisa thought about having to go through the ordeal of childbirth it just put her off on letting her sexuality out. I could be wrong but, maybe she is scared that being with Joe and eventually having children would mess up the world she lives in. What do you think?
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I thought about her having children too. Kids in general are just messy and generally gross. She would probably go postal or at least fall into depression. Children are a lot different than a husband as in, they're permanent.
ReplyDeleteI did not get the children vibe from her, but I can see how someone would think that. However, I believe that it is not that she was afraid of sex, but more like it would be a disruption to her daily life. Not everyone is good with a lot of change all at once, and it scares them. That is what I think that Louisa was going through, she got cold feet. Although, I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I did not give any thought to the children part of it. I took the bleeding to mean a loss of virginity but then I read the text again looking for sexual references and am beginning to think that Louisa and Dagget already had sex so that would exclude my loss of virginity analysis as a possible explanation.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't think of the childbirth aspect until this point, but that's a really good analysis! I think it makes perfect sense, especially since she would definitely have no space of her own once she had children. For a woman so 'cloistered', a husband AND children might have been the ultimate scare for her.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post and comments! One might read the symbolism two ways--as indicating both a loss of virginity and the threat of children.
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