Frolic / The Puppy Character Analysis in Messenger

An energetic puppy born to Mentor and Jean's dog. Thanks to Matty's use of his gift, Frolic and his mother are the only ones to survive a sickness that strikes the entire litter of puppies and kills two of Frolic's littermates. Frolic is a classically destructive puppy, though he learns basic commands quickly and wants to please Matty above all else.

Frolic / The Puppy Character Timeline in Messenger

The timeline below shows where the character Frolic / The Puppy appears in Messenger. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Selfishness vs. the Collective Good Theme Icon

...Matty says that he misses Branch, his old dog, and Seer gently says that a puppy would be fun. That afternoon, Matty goes to Jean's but finds Jean in distress. She... (full context)

Youth, Memory, and the Future Theme Icon

...how they work. Jean takes Matty to the storage shed and Matty looks at the puppy and its mother. As he touches the puppy, he feels a painful jolt in his... (full context)

...when she's gone, Matty puts a hand on the mother dog and one on the puppy and wills them to live. When Jean returns later, Matty lets her believe that the... (full context)

...Mentor has lost weight. He tries to shift the conversation to Jean and mentions the puppy, and Mentor laughs and says that Matty needs to take the puppy soon, as he's... (full context)

...her friends while her husband, who has a limp, walked behind. Matty thinks of his puppy and remembers something. He says that the woman is usually nice to her husband, but... (full context)

A week later, Matty receives word that it's time to pick up his puppy—it's becoming mischievous and Mentor wants it gone. He finds Jean in the garden and thinks... (full context)

...and more handsome. This is why, Jean says, that he can't deal with the naughty puppy—he kicked the puppy yesterday, but he once loved all sorts of ragged and wild children.... (full context)

Later, Matty excitedly tells Seer to look at the puppy sit on command, and then groans when he remembers that Seer can’t. Seer laughs and... (full context)

...selves too. Leader listens intently. Later that afternoon, Matty tells Seer that Leader named the puppy Frolic. Frolic obediently sits and lies down on command to show that he knows his... (full context)

...trust Village to be kind to him. One morning, Matty heads to the market with Frolic and greets one of the women who recently arrived. She gently pets Frolic as Matty... (full context)

...explains that he's going to try to look beyond Forest again. Matty sits down with Frolic and watches as Leader's body tenses like he's in pain, and his eyes look somewhere... (full context)

Just after nightfall, Matty realizes that Frolic is afraid of the dark. He picks Frolic up to comfort him and chooses a... (full context)

In the present, Matty tumbles out of Forest and feels almost blinded by the sunlight. Frolic snuffles around Matty as Matty thinks that Forest has kicked him out. Looking through the... (full context)

...the way that Kira walks and moves as she fills a bowl of water for Frolic and puts it on the ground. Her right leg is shorter and drags behind her. (full context)

Kira sits with Matty, offers him bread, and then talks about how sweet Frolic is. Matty is lost in thought about healing Frolic and Frolic's mother. He looks again... (full context)

...and then tells Matty to look quickly, as the picture will fade. He sees himself, Frolic, and Kira preparing to enter Forest, while Seer is next to his home in Village.... (full context)

...beyond, he saw that Forest is thickening and getting ready to destroy Kira, Matty, and Frolic. (full context)

...going and does his best to keep it from Kira that what’s happening is unusual. Frolic refuses to go further, so Matty picks him up and puts him inside his jacket.... (full context)

...at her legs, which are cut deeply enough in places to expose muscles and tendons. Frolic lies motionless against Matty as Kira tells Matty to go on while she sleeps. Matty... (full context)

Matty asks Kira what she sees, but she doesn't reply. He lies down and pulls Frolic close, feeling immensely sad that Frolic, a young puppy, will die so soon. He realizes... (full context)

...that wasn't Matty's true name either. He tells Matty that his true name is Healer. Frolic startles Leader and Kira as he crawls out of the bushes and greets Kira. Leader... (full context)