Dust

Animals in the novel reinforce the idea that all life is valuable and that ceasing to recognize non-human life as necessary and important reduces people’s capacity to value each other—a motif that develops the theme of The Natural World and Human Interference. The novel shows that in the silo system, animals are only seen as food or other kinds of utility; otherwise, they are slaughtered as pests, showing the degradation of human morality and empathy, which is no longer capable of loving pets. In contrast, at the end of the novel, survivors encounter a seemingly fully recovered natural world, filled with animals they no longer recognize or know how to cooperate with. Without animals as companions, humans lose some of their humanity, but without humans, animals thrive.

Elise is particularly key to the development of this motif. Her fascination with animals, even the images of animals reproduced in her book, emphasizes her trusting and loving nature—and gives readers a sense of optimism for the future of the new community. Elise’s dog, Puppy, is one of the few ways the novel describes playfulness or fun: Elise chases the wayward pet, the only character to engage in anything other than survival activities. Puppy’s gentleness and innocence reflects Elise’s own; not coincidentally, both are treated as functional objects. Rash captures Elise for sexual predation; people in the marketplace suggest eating Puppy. Viewing animals as sources of food is rational, but the parallels drawn between the threats Elise and Puppy face complicate the idea of utilitarianism as a governing principle.