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Dr. Bennett
Dog is a metaphorical beast who guards the boundary between the comforts of home and the world at large. In one of the story’s metaphorical tales, Edward has to cross Dog’s path to leave Ashland, his home town. Dog is vicious and bites the fingers off people who attempt to cross his path. Many people who are afraid to risk facing Dog end up living out their lives in the place that had no name, lingering as disfigured, empty shadows of themselves, haunted by their unfulfilled dreams. Edward, in contrast, is able to muster the courage to leap past Dog, thus taming his fear of the unknown and emerging into the world at large.
Dog Quotes in Big Fish
The Big Fish quotes below are all either spoken by Dog or refer to Dog. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1: The Day He Left Ashland Quotes
“That’s what this place is all about, Edward. Getting used to things […] This rain, this dampness—it’s a kind of residue. The residue of a dream. Of lots of dreams, actually.”
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As Edward approaches adulthood, he decides to leave home and seek his fortune. Before he does so, however, he has to pass through “the place that had no name,” which is described here. Willie, a man who is trapped in this place along with many others, explains that this place is where people who are unsuccessful in achieving their dreams end up living out their lives. The people are ghostlike shadows of who they could have been, and they dwell in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction, haunted by their unfulfilled dreams, which are represented by “rain” and “dampness.” The only Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo
“I—I wouldn’t trust that dog […] I just wouldn’t take the chance, son. He didn’t get you before, but you never know about next time. S’unpredictable. So sit tight.”
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Edward is attempting to leave home and embrace his adult life, and he has just encountered a community of people trapped on the boundary between the comforts of home and the challenges of the wider world. As one of these people (an old man named Willie) shows Edward around, they encounter an even older man who explains that they are trapped in this place, “the place that had no name,” by a vicious dog (named “Dog”) who bites their fingers off when they try to leave. The people who live in this place are so afraid to face Dog that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Vol
My father took his chance and ran through the opening and didn’t look back. He ran through the darkness until it became light again, and the world turned green and wonderful […] When the road ended he stopped and breathed and found that Dog was right behind him, tongue lolling, and when he reached my father, he rubbed his warm body down against his legs.
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Edward is 17 years old, and he has just left his hometown of Ashland to start his adult life. Edward is on the boundary between home and the wider world, and he has to cross the path of a terrifyingly vicious, biting dog (named “Dog”) to make it successfully into the next phase of his life. Many other people have attempted to face Dog but were unsuccessful and became trapped in “the place that had no name,” stuck in a miserable limbo between home and the world. Edward is determined not to be condemned to the same fate. He has Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusanti
And the sun set, and the moon rose, and the water in the lake began to gently ripple, and in the white light of the moon then he saw the girl, her head breaking the surface a good ways out, the water flowing through her hair and back into the lake, and she was smiling.
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Edward is on the precipice of his adult life, and he has just successfully conquered his fear of leaving home—a transition metaphorically represented by his ability to leap past a vicious dog and leave his hometown, instead of becoming stuck in “the place that had no name,” where many others linger, unable to move forward in their lives. Upon leaving “the place that had no name,” Edward encounters a massive lake. The vast body of water that Edward sees symbolizes the abundant life that lies ahead of him, brimming with opportunity and adventure. Edward sees himself as a fish who Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui au
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Dog Character Timeline in Big Fish
The timeline below shows where the character Dog appears in Big Fish. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: The Day He Left Ashland
...from the fog. Willie smiles, saying the dog has no name so they call him “Dog.” Dog’s a gatekeeper of sorts. Willie tells Edward to call the dog, so Edward kneels...
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...Edwards was going to be a big football star but he’s here all the same. Dog got his left index finger. Edward notices that everyone’s missing some fingers. They get up...
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A man even older than Willie warns Edward not to face Dog again, saying he’s unpredictable and it’s better for Edward to sit tight and tell them...
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Suddenly, someone screams as Dog approaches, growling, with his “terrible” teeth bared. The crowd back away in fear and Edward...
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