Charlie Brown’s compelling parody Dog sees God, imagines characters from the comic strip peanuts as degenerate minors. The film revolves around teen identity, suicide, death, afterlife, and the role of social stigma in the life of a teenager. Perhaps, a more developed theme in the book is that of death as CB questions the motive behind the death of his dog and how the world revolves around death.
At the beginning of the play CB losses his dog after it developed health complications such as rabies. The dog was euthanized after acting out strangely. His dog went to the extent of killing its best friend, a little yellow bad, and even snapping at Charlie Brown. When the dog dies, Charlie questions the real motive behind death and how everything revolves around it. Death, as espoused in the play, is one of the most traumatizing experiences in the life of an individual. As a consolation during the funeral, CB’s sister reminds him that maybe he could meet his dog in the afterlife. By extension, even in the external world, death makes people question the real meaning of life.
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"Dog Sees God Summary".
Death, as developed in the book, makes people assess the construct of the afterlife. After the funeral of his dog, CB questions the theory of after-life and how it develops. If there is indeed an afterlife, then there would be a time when CB will reunite with his dog. This construct fits the palindrome dog sees god since they believe that the dog has gone to see its creator and will one day reunite with its owner CB. Charlie Brown’s sister reminds him that the concept of an afterlife is real and suggests that they pray to Hecate, the Wiccan goddess of death and reincarnation. Hecate, in the analogy of CB’S sister, would make the dog human so that they could meet him one day and become friends once again. The theory of afterlife is not uncommon in various religious sects; the Christians, for instance, believe that a time will come when they will reunite with their loved ones. This will be the time of reincarnation informed by everlasting peace. Consequent upon this popular belief, Van, a friend to CB, affirms to him that even the Hindu believe in the afterlife and that he should not worry because he will reunite with his dog.
Van goes further to explain the Hindu theory of the afterlife. In Buddhism, the corporeal body defines one’s suffering, and the goal is to hibernate from the body into nothingness, or nirvana. Thus, Van believes that the dog has not died, but has hibernated into another body form. In the new body form, there is no suffering as experienced here on earth. The book centers on the idea of death and how various communities perceive of death and the life after it. In the popular culture, most religious beliefs ascribe to the theory of life after death. The construct is based on faith and not logical conclusion informed by science. CB finds solace in this theory and accepts that one day he will reunite with his dog. Thus, from the play, finding the meaning of death is at the center stage of most individuals.
Overall, Charlie Brown espouses the theme of death in the book. At the onset, he undergoes a trauma caused by the death of his dog. While he tries to understand the whole meaning of death, he realizes that there is reincarnation. The theory of life after death, which is supported by both Buddhism and Christianity in the play, is based on faith. However, most people still try to understand the reasons behind death.
