The Dog Stars

With the intrusion of the nine men into Hig and Bangley’s carefully guarded world, the two men must contend with the unwelcome realization that their existence is not quite as isolated as they assumed. While they both long for greater human connection, they also deeply fear it, and Hig’s confrontation with the invading group proves that their caution is justified. Even more importantly, however, Bangley and Hig’s teamwork during this crisis highlights a new development in their survival-based alliance, and as Bangley opens up further about the details of his past, Hig has several realizations about his wary companion. Given that Bangley was raised as a farmer, Hig realizes that Bangley has all the skills he needs to see to his own survival—gardening, carpentry, and hunting—and this thought leads him to wonder whether Bangley might be better off without Hig. Although Hig briefly entertains the fear that Bangley might do away with him if necessary, the reality is quite different, for Bangley’s admissions about his past suggest that he too bears a sharp loneliness that only Hig’s presence can assuage. This impression is further strengthened when Bangley explicitly refers to Hig as “family.” 

In the aftermath of these emotional upheavals and dangerous physical conflicts, the ambitious flight to Grand Junction represents Hig’s sudden determination to take on new projects, especially now that he and Bangley have reached a greater level of understanding in the wake of Jasper’s death and the crisis that followed. The tone of Chapter 2 therefore carries the air of new beginnings, and Hig’s desire to fly “[w]hoosh off a band of cliff” and take in the sight before him indicates his own unique approach to Finding New Purpose After Societal Collapse (157). At its heart, the expedition to Grand Junction in pursuit of the years-old radio message represents Hig’s desperate need to broaden the world that he and Bangley have created for themselves. However, the characteristic sense of freedom that he always experiences in flight is also tempered by the imagery of longing, making it clear that Hig’s mental landscape remains an invisible battlefield between the opposing forces of hope and despair. As Hig recalls tender moments with Melissa, these images blend thematically with his memories of his earlier visit to the Mennonite families, and his actions there signify his deep need for human connection amidst his many losses. 

During Hig’s daring cross-country flight, the rhythm of the narrative meanders, jumping back and forth across time and space to create an erratic, patchwork account of Hig’s constantly wandering thoughts. The overall impression is one of a man who is so deeply mired in his own mind that he has trouble dealing with the immediacy of life-or-death situations. This effect is compounded when the old man shoots his plane and wounds him, causing a sudden crisis that requires Hig to navigate a safe way down to the ground despite his combined shock and delight at encountering people who may yet turn out to be viable companions. His lack of anger in the midst of the attack also emphasizes the extremity of his isolation, for he is far more concerned with making contact than he is with the pair’s hostile response to his presence in their box canyon. 

With this development, the overall plot of the novel rises to a new level of intensity, for Heller uses the encounter to introduce interwoven elements of danger, uncertainty, and hope that galvanize Hig into taking unusual risks in pursuit of a larger community. With his whimsical approach to the standoff, he combines Bangley’s hard-nosed survivalist tactics with his own more humanistic philosophy, using the wry handwritten notes to take the edge off of what would otherwise be little more than a deadly confrontation. These details exhibit the true scope of his core optimism and faith in humanity: a sharp contrast to Bangley’s outlook on life.