The Power of the Dog

“Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.”

The passage from Psalms is also repeated at the end of the novel and provides a rhetorical frame. At the heart of the quote is an imperative for a savior/avenger figure. Peter will eventually fulfill that role.

“With all his money and family, he was just folks, dressed like any hired hand in overalls and blue chambray shirt.”

The narrator is here describing Phil. Phil intentionally dresses the part of the rugged frontiersman as part of his identity construct. Clothes is especially important to Phil, given that he refuses to be naked except in his special, sacred spot.

“It is not easy or desirable to slough off old habits, or to forget who you are.”

The narrator comments on the white linen Phil eats on. It suggests that the rough exterior as presented in the previous quote is not entirely authentic. This speaks to the theme of the authenticity of the self, which only Peter truly embraces.