37 pages • 1 hour read
The Power of the Dog
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Rope
Rope is a key symbol of death in the novel. Johnny Gordon uses rope to hang himself, and Phil dies of anthrax because of the poisoned hides he uses to braid his own rope. As a tool of suicide, the rope suggests the pulling and yanking of the individual out of this world. For Johnny Gordon, the rope is the inevitable conclusion of his seemingly doomed existence. In his case, the humiliation suffered at the hands of Phil is the final straw. After he hangs himself, it is Peter who handles and cuts the rope; thus, figuratively he conducts the final severing of his father from this world.
The rope that Phil braids and hopes to make a gift of for Peter is likewise the cause of his death. When Peter offers him the poisoned hide to finish the rope, he is carries out the opposite of what he did with his father. Rather than severing the rope and disconnecting the deceased, Peter literally gives Phil the material that will lead him out of this world. Whereas Johnny died by literal suicide, the poisoned rope and Phil’s subsequent death from anthrax represents his hubris with which he figuratively hangs himself.
Gloves
Gloves are literally an implement for protecting the hands from the elements and from work hazards. Almost everyone in the novel wears gloves, whether to protect against the cold or to keep the hands from getting cut, chafed, or injured. Phil is the exception. The narrator says that Phil “ignored blisters, cuts and splinters and scorned those who wore gloves to protect themselves. His hands were dry, powerful, lean” (3). The dirty hands reflect his ruggedness and his willingness to endure the elements rather than seek protection. This insistence on bare hands is seemingly at odds with his reticence at being naked anywhere. He has no shame and in fact showcases his gloveless, exposed hands as a badge of honor, whereas he reserves exposing the rest of his body for one secluded and secret place where nobody can see him.
When Phil confronts Edward Nappo and his son at the base of the mountain, Nappo offers as a bribe gloves handcrafted by his wife. Without mercy, Phil turns down the bribe and boastingly says that he has no use for gloves. Ultimately, when Phil handles the poisoned rawhide, he is not wearing gloves. Put together, Phil’s hubris and his overcompensating masculinity lead to his death. Phil’s gloveless hands are almost like his kryptonite; it is the crack in his armor that Peter discovers and exploits to take him down.
Flowers
Flowers are among the most commonly used tropes in all of literature, and this novel is no exception. From Rose’s name to the paper flowers Peter crafts as decorations for his father’s grave, flowers are prominent and symbolic. In this novel, flowers generally symbolize the need for nourishment amid an environment where there is very little. Flowers that struggle to survive in the arid soil symbolize those with equally fragile temperaments, such as Rose.
Additionally, the paper flowers carry an added significance. Peter protects the paper flowers at the grave with an upside-down jar. The crafting of the ornamental flowers by Peter is an act of resistance. Born into a naturalistic world where only the strong prevail, creating the flowers is an act of defiance against the laws of nature. The fact that the harsh conditions of the environment preclude the natural growing of flowers does not stop Peter from insisting that they should exist. He wills the flower into being and, in so doing, is proof of his father’s claim that he “would never cower before the inexorable naturalistic principle” (43).
Castration
The novel begins with the graphic description of a bull-calf being castrated, his testicles thrown into the fire or fed to dogs. This is an annual ritual, one that recurs later in the novel when Phil castrates 1500 head of cattle by himself. That Phil is the one performing the castrations is significant. He repeatedly seeks to emasculate other males in his company, especially those in whom he sees weakness.
Castration as a practice is also a means by which control can be exerted on the environment. By castrating the bull calves, some measure of predictability is instilled in their behavior. They cannot reproduce, and the size of the herd can therefore be controlled accordingly. The act of control is critical to Phil’s way of interacting with the world. He resists change, which is unpredictable. The act of castration, in addition to being a ritual that fits neatly into Phil’s well-arranged routines, is an act of imposing predictability onto an unpredictable world.
Unlock all 37 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: