George Saunders' Puppy

In George Saunders’ short story, “Puppy”, the perspectives between the two protagonists, Marie and Callie alternate, allowing the reader to develop his or her own characterizations of both woman, respectively. Saunders’ illustration of his characters influences the assessment and understanding of each woman and force the reader to become more attached to one character than the other. These judgments are based on the two core components of the Social Judgment Theory, which include the characteristics of our attitudes and our ego involvement.

The Social Judgment Theory states that people decide whether information is rejected or accepted on the basis of their existing beliefs and values. Psychologists, Muzafer Sheriff and Carl Hovland, developed this theory further through experiments and discovered that the first basic principle of the Social Judgment Theory begins with the anchor points that an individual develops throughout their lives. Anchor points, also known as attitudes, are standards or inner references within our minds that are compared with information that is being processed. In the decision making process, strong attitudes are one of the main influences in accepting or rejecting information. Although attitudes can be negative or positive, it does not always correspond with one’s behavior. The second basic principle of the Social Judgment Theory, ego involvement, stems from genuine beliefs that are a part of one’s identity and character such as relationships, political, and religious views. As an individual becomes more invested in an issue or concern the more ego invested they become. These individuals are less willing to be open to information and follow their pre-determined anchor points and standards.

In association to the short story, Saunders begins with Marie opening up the first paragraph. Immediately, the reader is compelled to feel more compassionate towards Marie. Marie, has a content life despite her difficult past and troubled son. Her son, Josh, is susceptible to violent outbursts, but has relaxed with the help of a videogame. Although Marie has had some rough personal experiences when she was younger, it seem that she is in control of her life and is doing well financially.

Throughout the story, it is learned that Callie, also has a disturbed son, but she is happy with her life. Callie’s son, Bo, has a dangerous habit of weaving in and out of traffic and has medication prescribed by a doctor to restrain his impulses. The medication makes Bo “grind his teeth and lose control of his body” so Callie does not force him to take his medicine. Callie understands that Bo is a danger to his own safety, but she also understand that her son loves to be outdoors so she chains him to a tree in the yard.

Marie loves bringing