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George the dog is mentioned in all three acts of the play, though it never appears onstage. At various points, the characters describe George as a good, obedient, lovable dog—however, in Act Two, George bites a party guest, Dick Potter, even though Dick is supposedly good with dogs. As a family pet, George is supposed to bring its owners happiness—but instead, it ends up hurting other people. In this way, George might be interpreted as a symbol of domestic bliss gone sour: the characters try to find happiness in their homes and their partners, yet these are the very things that cause them the greatest amount of pain.
George the Dog Quotes in Absurd Person Singular
The Absurd Person Singular quotes below all refer to the symbol of George the 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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Act Two
Quotes
GEOFFREY: Eva—I'm being very patient. Very patient indeed. But in a minute I really do believe I'm going to lose my temper. And we know what happens then, don't we? I will take a swing at you and then you will feel hard done by, and by way of reprisal, will systematically go round and smash everything in the flat. And come tomorrow breakfast time, there will be the familiar sight of the three of us, you, me and George, trying to eat our meals off our one surviving plate.
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Get the entire Absurd Person Singular LitChart as a printable PDF.
George the Dog Symbol Timeline in Absurd Person Singular
The timeline below shows where the symbol George the Dog appears in Absurd Person Singular. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
...to herself, goes on to explain that she and her husband, Geoffrey, have left their dog, George, in the car so that it won’t get too restless. However, the dog has...
(full context)
...party. Sidney leaves the kitchen. Eva tells Geoffrey that they should get going, since their dog needs to go home and eat its dinner. She also tells Ronald, “Your wife is...
(full context)
Act Two
From offstage, Geoffrey plays with his dog, George. He walks into the kitchen and kisses Eva. Eva barely notices—she’s too busy writing....
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Alone with Eva, Jane tells her that George is getting big. She adds that Dick Potter is very good with dogs. She also...
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...tin, but can’t. Just then, Marion enters the room and says that something “ghastly” has happened—George has bitten Dick Potter’s leg. Meanwhile, Eva rummages through the bag and finds a screwdriver....
(full context)
...verse, a guest joins in—first Marion, then Jane, then Ronald, then Sidney. In the distance George barks. Suddenly, Geoffrey walks in. He’s astounded by the sound of his guests and his...
(full context)
Act Three
Eva enters the room again. Ronald asks her how their dog is doing, and Eva tells him, “We had to … give him away.” Ronald remembers...
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...a tiny bell, which she gives to Geoffrey, saying that he can put it on George’s collar. She apologizes for not bringing any presents for Geoffrey and Eva—she didn’t know they’d...
(full context)
