Equality of Representation

From Heather Dyer:

Traditional representations of animals in stories has been to teach children various life lessons regarding positive character traits and morally upstanding actions, however using animals to accomplish this can seem unethical to some because the animals are misrepresented as being capable of such actions. This inaccurate illustration causes the animals to be held to unrealistic expectations, and consequently, the misrepresentation of animals has become detrimental to the relationship between humans and animals. Perhaps a more friendly representation of animals would be to use their actual actions in the wild as life lessons rather than placing another human meaning on top of their already existing qualities. This solution would highlight the animals’ actual traits rather than giving them human traits we can more easily relate to. Rather than being “sly” like a fox, humans could think about being perseverant and hard-working like the ant who continues the same action repeatedly throughout his life, working within a larger group to accomplish a task.

Paul Auster’s Timbuktu represents animals in a more positive light compared to traditional illustrations. Auster acknowledges the mental capabilities of Mr. Bones, and creates a relationship between human and animal where there is equality from both individuals. Timbuktu serves as a model of human animal relations by allowing the human a glimpse, even if partially fictional, into a dog’s mind. By understanding and accepting the capabilities of the dog, humans are much more likely to treat them with the same attitude they would treat a fellow human being. 

 

Mistreatment of animals seems to be due largely to the fact that animals are believed to be at a lower class or social strata than humans and therefore are capable of enduring the treatment. The fact is, animals seem less capable of handling mistreatment or misrepresentation because not only can they not understand why they are be treated in a certain way, they also cannot stand up or represent themselves as easily as humans. It is important for every human to come to the kind of understanding of animals that Timbuktu offers because once there is an understanding of animals, humans will feel more obligated to act as moral agents, and the animals’ treatment will improve.