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Comparing The Old Man Slave And The Mastiff By Joyce Carol Oats

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Patrick Chamoiseau’s short story “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff” is similar to Joyce Carol Oates’s short story “Mark of Satan” in numerous way other than the presence of evil. In “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff” a slave master buys a large mastiff dog and trains it to hunt runaway slave suffering from the “surge”. However, the old man slave approaches the dog every day for years, without ever making eye contact. After the old man slave fell ill to the surge, he made eye contact with the dog and it refused to attack him, letting him escape from the plantation. The plot for “Mark of Satan” on the surface is different from the previous story. Harvey is visited by a missionary, Thelma and her young daughter while living at his sister’s …show more content…

Thelma comes into Harvey’s life for a short time, but made a lasting impression. “The two were locked in ecstasy as in the most intimate of embraces in the fierce heat of the sun, and in the impulsive generosity of her spirit the young woman reached out to clasp his trembling hands,” (Oates 474). It took Thelma’s harsh words to make Harvey realize he was broken. After this revelation, he found happiness in praying to God. Harvey only talk to Thelma one time, but their conversation changed his life by driving out his demons. This is a long-term effect, but in “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff” the old man slave only influence over the dog is while in its presence. While “in the presence of this old slave guy, the mastiff became even more attentive, a touch more alert, a snitch more expectant, its iron carcass erected in a state of perfect tension.” (Chamoiseau 157). The old man slave had a connection with the mastiff. By not showing the dog fear, the man and animal gained mutual respect. The old man slave wasn’t trying to change the mastiff, just effect it enough to be able to escape when the surge eventually hit him. Both these characters removed evil from the influenced character, but only Thelma truly wanted to see Harvey change, while the old man slave only looked for an opportunity to

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