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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Pathos
Explanation and Analysis—The Dog's Death:
The McClellans' dog is one of the only living creatures that make an appearance in the story, and its death elicits a set of powerful emotions. After finding the house vacant, the dog frantically searches for its owners and dies itself in a fit of hysteria:
The dog frothed at the mouth, lying at the door, sniffing, its eyes turned to fire. It ran wildly in circles, biting at its tail, spun in a frenzy, and died. It lay in the parlor for an hour.
This scene is frightening in its violence and pity. Here, the McClellans’ sore-covered pet has worked itself into a state of rabid desperation, frothing at the mouth, “biting at its tail,” and ultimately ending its life. As though taking its cues from the trope of endearing doggy eyes, this moment warps the stereotype of an adorable pet into that of a ragged creature in the throes of death.
The pathetic scene even more tellingly exposes the house’s callous indifference. The “regiments of mice” return to the site of death with a brutal efficiency that undercuts any of the friendliness in the story’s initial treatment. They sweep up the animal’s remains “in an electrical wind” and dispose of the body as quickly as they had eliminated the mud tracks. The dog’s death and the mice's reaction—or lack thereof—reveals that the McClellans’ house cares little for life or anything beyond its orbit of obedience and control.
Related Themes:
