October 2023 Prompt: Animals Tell The Story

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

Most of the time, the stories we read are written, as it seems, by people (humans), and they include animals as part of the story, or story line. I was reading a book just recently, in which a cat is a main character and just now, I wondered, how would this story have been written, or what would the story line be, if it was written by the cat?

How would the cat start the story; would there be a perceived need on the cats part to explain that they are a cat and this is their viewpoint of what is going on? Or would they just start up the story and, sooner or later, the reader would realize that this story is being told ... by the cat.

What book have you read where the story involves some kind of animal, or animals, and is written by the human's point of view -- and yet you might wonder how the story would be different if the animal was telling it? (Think of that famous story which was told from the horse's point of view when it was first written, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. You'd be doing the same thing about a book which is told from a human's point of view, yet giving us an alternative version, as seen by the animal.)

What is the book, who is the author, what is the story line (as told by the human) and how would it change if told by one of the principal animals in the book? Who is the animal, what is their name, and why are they telling the story? What is their impression of the people in the story?

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[Galena May]

"Puss in Boots" is a European short fairytale book written by author Charles Perrault. It has been retold several times, and one of the earlier versions is named "The Master Cat". As the name suggests, the story features a cat wearing boots, who is the actual protagonist and carries the story for the most part, but it is written from the point of view of the human protagonist who inherits the cat from his father. His father was a miller who divides his meagre property among his three sons, leaving his youngest son the poorest of the three. The youngest son who is the protagonist of the story, also receives Puss, the cat, as part of his inheritance and is inclined to think that the cat is useless. Little does he know that the cat can talk and is very clever. Mistreated by his richer older brothers due to his dependancy on them for food, the youngest son leaves the house with only the cat. To his surprise, the cat talks to him in a human voice, promising to make him a rich man, and asks him to buy the cat a pair of boots and a bag. At a loss for anything useful, he agrees and the story thereafter is a narration of remarkable events orchestrated by the cat to make its master rich. The cat is not just clever, but deceitful, cunning, and a sly trickster. He tricks many people and animals, lies by creating a fake identity that of the Marquis of Carrabas, defeats an ogre by deceit, and eventually makes his master the rich King of the castle that belonged to the ogre. Told from the human protagonist's point of view, the cat only gets so much credit and is seen as an instrument to be used to lay hand on riches. For the most part, the narration shows surprise at the cat's clever deeds.
I also read a version somewhere, that was actually written from the cat's point of view. In this version, the cat is a relatable and kind creature who does it all due to feeling sorry for its master and is shown to be proud of his cleverness and ability to deceive. In this version, the cat indeed is the protagonist.



11.5.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma

[River Fenwick]

Warning: Animal cruelty mentioned

Unfortunately, the only book I can think of is Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The animal in this book is a beagle named Shiloh by the young boy of the story, Marty, the main character. At the beginning of this book, it's clear that the dog is abused by his owner, Judd Travers, who has multiple dogs he uses to go hunting. If this story were to be told from Shiloh's perspective, it would showcase the horrid conditions Judd put all of the dogs through, all of the times Shiloh would run away from the pack when released to hunt, and the consequences bestowed upon the dog for it, such as starving the dog and having it watch the other dogs eat. It would be a horrific read until he encounters Marty, who he was taken with right away. Marty does whatever he can to protect the dog and keep Shiloh, despite his parent's insistence that they can't afford a dog and that it wasn't Marty's concern to get into Judd's relationship with his dogs. Shiloh, of course, wouldn't see this, and it would probably be very confusing yet welcome how kind this stranger was to him if it were told from the dog's view, having no idea the lengths Marty was going through to help.


4.9.2025 - beans sent - Tarma