The Influence Of Honesty In Arthur C. Clarke's Dog Star

“Dog Star” by Arthur C. Clarke is a lugubrious short story. The story gives the reader a first person view of the narrator's life and his dog Laika. In the story Laika goes on and saves the narrator's life twice and also has an ending which leaves the reader like, why? Throughout the story Laika, his dog,shows many traits, the most dominant of which being trustworthy, being sweet, and helpful.

As Stephen king once said, “The trust of the most innocent is liar's most useful tool.”, “Then why had it come back to haunt me, five years later, on the far side of the moon?”(50). This quote is from the story “Dog Star”, this quote goes with being trustworthy because in the story the narrator was sleeping and he heard Laika barking which woke him up. If he didn’t trust him, he would be dead. “If you want out, there’s no need for all that fuss.”(47) . This quote is basically talking about trust, because this quote doesn’t only show that the narrator trust Laika but it shows that Laika trust the narrator to go out with her.

In “Dog Star” Laika is just a sweet puppy to the narrator, “Even now, I cannot understand why she became so attached to me.” (46) this quote shows that Laika is a sweet dog because she is loyal to her owner or the narrator. “However, I assured them that Laika never gave the slightest trouble, and rather reluctantly they let her sleep in the living room.”(47) in the story they are staying at a friend’s house, and when the narrator assures them that Laika is a sweet and trouble less they let her sleep in the living