Train Dreams

Dogs and wolves are symbols of survival. When Grainier asks his wife if Kate knows as much as a puppy, Gladys responds, “A dog-pup can live by its own after the bitch weans it away” (9). Her reply focuses entirely on a dog’s survival instinct, implying that it is more advanced because of its ability to survive on its own so quickly, emphasizing the importance of survival above all else.

This message is reinforced by the appearance of the little dog at Grainier’s campsite by the river. She lives with him but disappears for days at a time, emphasizing her independence and ability to stay alive on her own. The text’s use of dogs to represent the ultimate survivor is further supported through the story of a man Grainier transports to medical care. The man accidentally detonated dynamite and was only saved by his dog: “For half a day the animal had made such a nuisance of himself around the saloon that one of the patrons had finally noosed him and dragged him home and found his master extensively lacerated and raving from exposure” (63). In this case, the canine’s instincts save a human life. In a crossover between the human and animal world, Kate Grainier’s survival with the wolf pack exemplifies the canine connection to staying alive. As a toddler, Kate’s chances of living after her mother’s death were minimal, yet by aligning herself with wolves, she survives.

This connection between dogs and life is further fortified through Grainier’s own experience. In 1935, when feeling loneliness settle over him, Grainier notes that “his little red dog had been gone for years, had grown old and sick and disappeared into the woods to die by herself, and he’d never replaced her” (105). Although the dog does not survive, Grainier connects the presence of the animal to his own well-being and survival. Without the dog, he is “made of lead—thick and worthless” (105), indicating how, without the dog’s companionship, he feels as if his life lacks value. He knows he must get a new dog, and weeks later, he does. The new pup becomes “his friend for many years” with Grainier himself living “more than eighty years” (113). Johnson links the acquisition of a new dog with the fact that Grainier lives a long life, punctuating the text’s use of the animal as a symbol of survival.