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The dog represents Lena’s deep longing for connection and her desire for someone to bear witness to her life. Lena describes to the old man how there was a dog when she and Boesman lived in Korsten who followed her around because she threw food to it. Boesman, by contrast, threw stones at the dog instead. The dog had thus waited until Boesman was asleep, then came into their camp to watch Lena cook or make the fire. She explains that she had loved the dog because it represented “another pair of eyes,” and something that could see her. In lieu of Boesman’s affection, the dog is able to witness her life and make her feel that she is worth caring for.
Fugard also makes a connection between the dog and the old man: despite the fact that they are unable to communicate, the old man similarly serves as a witness to Lena’s life. Lena also shares food and water with the old man, proving how her desire for connection with both the dog and the old man outweighs even her own need for sustenance. Additionally, Boesman attempts to cut off Lena from both the dog and the old man, demonstrating his own jealousy in each case as he wants to make her more reliant on him, rather than allowing her to form her own connections with others.
Dog Quotes in Boesman and Lena
The Boesman and Lena quotes below all refer to the symbol of 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 One
Quotes
LENA: […] We waited for Boesman to sleep, then he came and watched me. All the things I did—making the fire, cooking, counting bottles or bruises, even just sitting, you know, when it’s too much . . . he saw it. Hond! I called him Hond. But any name, he’d wag his tail if you said it nice.
I’ll tell you what it is. Eyes, Outa. Another pair of eyes. Some thing to see you.
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Act Two
Quotes
LENA [pause….she is loaded]: Is that the way it was? How I got here?
BOESMAN: Yes.
LENA: Truly?
BOESMAN: Yes.
[Pause.]
LENA: It doesn’t explain anything.
BOESMAN: I know.
LENA: Anyway, somebody saw a little bit. Dog and a dead man.
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Dog Symbol Timeline in Boesman and Lena
The timeline below shows where the symbol Dog appears in Boesman and Lena. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act One
...tired and wanted to rest, but Boesman reminds her that she was looking for a dog that had grown fond of her, and was constantly looking backwards.
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...path took her from Redhouse, to Swartkops, to Veeplaas, to Korsten (where she met the dog), and then, finally, back to Swartkops. She is thrilled with herself for figuring it out,...
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Lena then stops the old man and launches into the story of the dog: one evening when she and Boesman were counting their bottles, the dog had come and...
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Lena was happy with the dog, whereas Boesman threw stones every time he saw it. However, then the dog would come...
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...and “die of cold with a kaffer.” Lena responds, “I’d sit out there with a dog tonight!”
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Act Two
...He instructs her how to beg properly, getting on the ground and acting like a dog. He extends the pantomime to a “crude imitation of the scene that morning” in which...
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Lena acknowledges that at least “somebody saw a little bit. Dog and a dead man.” Lena then declares that she’s alive, and that there are still...
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