50 pages • 1-hour read
The Lives of Animals
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Symbols & Motifs
The Seminar Room
Elizabeth gives her second lecture in a seminar room in the English Department, and John reads that as a sign of disinterest. He tells Norma, “They are holding it in a seminar room, so I don’t think they are expecting a big audience” (47). The seminar room is a symbol of negative bias against literature and liberal arts when compared to scientific fields.
The symbolism of the seminar room is further developed by the titles of the lectures. The first lecture about the philosophy of science is housed in a larger room, while the second lecture pertaining to poets occurs in a classroom. This spatial disparity symbolizes that the larger academic community values science and reason over literature and emotion.
Elizabeth’s Age
Elizabeth’s age and physical appearance are noted multiple times through John’s perspective. The motif of age supports the theme of Dysfunctional Families and Power. In the first paragraph, John is disturbed by her physical aging over the last two years since he has seen her: “Her hair, which had had streaks of gray in it, is not entirely white; her shoulder stoop; her flesh has grown flabby” (15). Elizabeth’s physical appearance combined with her admissions of confusion act as a visual symbol of her conflict and stress. She has aged rapidly over a short period of time, which suggests that her recent and intense activism causes severe stress.
John’s notice of Elizabeth’s age also acts as a symbol of ageism and sexism. John’s respect for his mother is diminished by her aged appearance. He sees her as weak and unstable, and his remark about spending “her declining years making propaganda against cruelty to animals” (17) carries a condescending tone. The novella ends with another reference to Elizabeth’s age: “He inhales the smell of cold cream, of old flesh. ‘There there,’ he whispers in her ear. ‘There, there. It will soon be over’” (69). The final lines of the novella stress John’s negative focus on Elizabeth’s age, and his final statement, which is ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations, gestures towards Elizabeth’s mortality and suggests that John is relieved by the prospect of her impending death.
Red Peter
Red Peter is a multi-dimensional symbol used throughout the first lecture. Elizabeth uses Red Peter as a symbol in multiple ways. Red Peter is a symbol for Elizabeth. Red Peter, who is a fictional ape that was taught human language, feels out of place and like he must pretend to fit in with humans. Elizabeth, too, feels out of place and feels forced into using a façade while interacting with society.
Red Peter is a symbol for the theme of Dysfunctional Families and Power. Elizabeth’s use of Red Peter and the concept of teaching human language to primates is an allusion to Norma’s work of writing a review on the same topic. The story of Red Peter symbolizes Elizabeth’s activist message. Red Peter’s story argues that confinement is the worst form of punishment. Red Peter satirizes reason, the notion that science is objective, and the idea that humans are a superior species. The use of Red Peter as a symbol reflects the themes of Determining the Value of a Life and The Distinction Between Animals and Humans by inspiring sympathy and placing an ape in the human-like position to give a report to a prestigious academy.
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