Learning from Animals

Throughout history, animals have served as moral compasses in literature. From folk tales to fables, animal characters in stories provide a backdrop for everyday human life. They teach lesson on good versus evil and right versus wrong. In many of these stories, the main animal characters are completely anthropomorphized. They have human characteristics that make it easy for human readers to connect and associate with the animals actions and the lesson that they teach. However, instead of using these stories as a value to us humans, we should use them to better understand the nature of animals and the moral implications behind their treatment. In Paul Auster's novel Timbuktu, Mr. Bones' actions and the insight provided into the mind of the dog can be instrumental in enlightening people about how human-animal relations are much more than just observation. The way that Mr. Bones is given human qualities helps the reader connect with the dog and learn that dogs may have more capabilities than previously thought. Instead of learning how we can better improve ourselves from the lessons that animals teach in these kinds of stories, it would be more important to think about how we can better improve our relationships with animals, making animal welfare a more positive reality.