A Boy And His Dog

♦ LITERARY QUALITIES ♦

There are clearly some autobiographical elements in Vic, who is the emotional offspring of the young, frustrated Harlan Ellison. The author manages to write the story from the viewpoint of an ignorant young man, one who would be a sociopath and very likely a convicted criminal in an ordinary real-world community. It is probable that Ellison drew on his experience as a young man running with a teen gang in Brooklyn, when creating the character of Vic.

Somehow Ellison shows readers that Vic has committed horrifying crimes and intends to do so in future, while simultaneously making it clear that Vic is the product of his environment and almost completely ignorant about other possible ways to

behave�without excusing his crimes, Vic knows he is not a "nice" person. He does not seem to know how anyone can care for anyone else. It would seem that what the boy needs most of all is to learn about love and interdependence; and when he realizes what he knows, Vic is able to affirm that love and interdependence.

That he does so by choosing his faithful dog, Blood, over the conniving Quilla June is the stroke of genius that earned A Boy and his Dog the Nebula Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Edgar Rice Burroughs would have written in a fortuitous lizard-beast for his hero to kill, to feed the loyal dog and the chastened girl. Theodore Sturgeon would have written of Vic's vigil over the dying dog, while the girl leaves and runs into other rovers, who rape and kill her (as Vic had intended to do when they met). Only Ellison could make this ending more honest and natural; it is thoroughly horrifying for the reader.

This story is not an easy, effortless read. It can be an upsetting or emotional experience for the reader. Ellison intends his writing to be a commentary on life, and to encourage introspection as well as action among his readers. For this story and others, and for his nonfiction writing, he has faced hecklers, raving phone calls, obnoxious letters, and death threats.

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