Mark Twain's short story "A Dog's Tale," published in 1903, warmly and humorously depicts the world from an animal's perspective in a human-centric society, through the eyes of a clever and intelligent female dog named Aileen Mavourneen. Aileen, who humorously introduces herself as a "Presbyterian dog" born to a St. Bernard father and a Collie mother, diligently observes and tries to understand the actions of people and animals around her with her exceptional intelligence and keen observation from a young age. Adopted by a family of scientists, she spends happy times under their warm care, forming a deep bond with the scientist's young son, who affectionately calls her "Buff" and considers her a cherished friend and family member. Aileen is touched by the son's pure and kind heart, loving and obeying him wholeheartedly. However, one day, the scientist decides to use Aileen as an experimental subject to study her brain, comparing human and animal intelligence and seeking to uncover new facts about brain structure and function, leading her to undergo brain surgery. Temporarily losing her memory and experiencing confusion, Aileen gradually regains her memories and understands her situation, realizing that the scientist's experiment threatens her life, causing her great shock and sadness. In despair at human selfishness and cruelty, she deeply contemplates the meaning of her existence. When the scientist's son enters the laboratory and discovers Aileen, he is shocked and pleads with his father to release her, but the scientist refuses to give up his research. The son desperately tries to save Aileen, and she eventually escapes from the laboratory with his help. Fleeing with the son, Aileen witnesses the dark side of human society, feeling great sadness and anger at the sight of humans abusing and exploiting animals. Dreaming of a world where humans and animals respect and coexist, she resolves to spread the wisdom gained from her experiences to other animals. She starts a movement with animals to resist human society, advocating for animal rights, fighting against human cruelty, and striving to create a world where animals and humans coexist peacefully. Aileen's courageous and dedicated efforts inspire many animals, who rally around her to fight against human society. As Aileen and the animals' resistance intensifies, human society falls into chaos, and humans, fearing the animals' retaliation, begin to seek peaceful coexistence. Aileen constantly emphasizes to humans that animals, like humans, are beings who feel pain and emotions and deserve to be respected. Eventually, humans empathize with Aileen's arguments and begin to build a new society for coexistence with animals. Aileen witnesses the creation of a world where animals and humans live together in respect and love, feeling deep emotion and satisfaction as she watches everyone live happily. "A Dog's Tale" transcends mere storytelling from an animal's perspective, delivering a message that critiques human selfishness and cruelty while emphasizing the sanctity of life, prompting readers to reconsider the relationship between humans and animals and to contemplate what we can do to create a world where all lives are respected.
