"Little Nemo in Slumberland" dated June 04, 1911:
Transcript of Tweets by @LittleNemo1905 (APRIL 3, 2021):
Maybe it's because I have a huge soft spot for dogs, but this one really irks me. The other strips features oppressive humans (a hunter, a driver, and organ grinder), but they all have a purpose. - 1/15
This isn't a justification for their animal oppression or the pain they cause to the animals, but they aren't being cruel for the sake of cruelty. - 2/15
This boy is; he's passing the time just by causing harm to the poor dog at the centre of our strip today. It's awful to think that this could've been a real way to pass time in 1911. - 3/15
Thankfully, Nemo comes across this poor dog and not only unties the bucket, but also gives him the power of speech by sniffing the magic flower. - 4/15
That special power keeps the dog catcher from taking him in. He says, "I'll never take in a dog that can talk like that". This begs the question… why? - 5/15
It seems as though, for this dog catcher, speech somehow places the dog in a higher category of animal? One deserving of more respect and consideration than a voiceless one. - 6/15
Whether it signals a higher level of consciousness or something else entirely, the dog catcher can't possibly imagine treating this dog in the same way he would a random one on the street. - 7/15
This speaks to the whole purpose of the strip and brings us back to the very first one when the bears celebrated being given a voice with which to tell their story. - 8/15
Now, returning to our larger allegorical narrative, I see this strip as McCay lamenting about the baggage forced upon him and his work by the Herald. The boy (the Herald) ties the bucket to the dog (McCay) forcing him to drag it behind him. - 9/15
Once given a voice though, even the dog catcher can't restrain him (this reads quite meta to me; the current series of strips are McCay's voice and, now that he is leaving, he can't be kept down or restrained by contracts or obligations any longer). - 10/15
The dog and the boys final interaction could either be read as a) wish fulfillment for McCay (what he should've said to them) or b) a meta-moment where McCay identifies this strip as him "barking back". - 11/15
The only part that complicates this, for me at least, is the discussion about a "home". This would make sense if some other kid decided to take him home (considering his move to the American), but it’s the boy/Herald that agrees to take him in the strip. - 12/15
Maybe this is what McCay *wishes* would've happened? I mean… why does the strip just have to be representative of Nemo's dreams? Maybe McCay's dream can be read here too? - 13/15
I'm not sure, but I'm interested to hear what others think about this one. - 14/15
This is my reading of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" #295. What's yours? 15/15
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