Mr. Doodle's Dog: Her World, And Welcome To It

Jennie has the world at her paws. But sometimes, that's not enough. Gimlet Rose commiserates and Nigel opines.

Alfred Hitchcock has been on my mind lately.
He was the sly cat with the ball of yarn. A man who delighted in dangling his prey and delicious, unexpected, visual angles.
Here's an angle for you: a Sealyham (that's Hitchcock's treasured breed) named Jennie has everything, but finds it amounts to nothing, at least in her jaded terrier eyes.

So she sets off to discover what she's missing.

What do you think happens? Oh, no, not that. Too mundane. Use your imagination. Maurice Sendak did. He crafted Jennie with bits of himself, and maybe a few hairs of Cary Grant's mane. Cary was at his best under Hitchcock's direction. And why? Because Hitchcock saw the turmoil and darkness beneath the good looks.

Jennie will remind you of Hitchcock, Grant and Alice in Wonderland. She's that compelling a sorceress, and that dynamic a dog. Her dilemma is worthy of a Greek play. I must confess I have a new respect for Sealyhams after traveling with her through her experiences.

Yes, more Alice and Lewis Carroll. What was Maurice Sendak thinking? The ol' imagination again...

Wait. I'll get the book ...

We really need another set of bookcases. I'd apply for an endowment, but I know times are tough.

If I read a bit, and then close my eyes, I can travel with Jennie in her world. It's a place of ... like, Wonderland, it's a place of distortion. Our lives can appear so ordinary to us. We do things by rote, and seldom stop to change our pace, much less ourselves.

It would take a Sealyham of Hitchcockian bravado to navigate a new world, especially when her own world is ... perfect. It takes a self-possessed terrier to open the gate and leave a secure existence

I couldn't do it.

Nigel: But I could. And did.

Gimlet: Nigel...

Nigel: You closed your eyes to visualize Jennie, and here I am. I've been reading a lot, too, and watching Hitchcock. He was always one of my favorites. "Suspicion," Monkeyface? Wonderful.

But Jennie? I've met her. She's quite something. She's happy in her world. I won't spoil the suspense and divulge what she encounters and her fateful decision. Someone might sue me, and then I'd be forced to countersue and you know my love of the law ... But Jennie ... ah, just like Joseph Cotten, I am infatuated and drawn into her sphere. Or is it Sendak who beckons me? Did Jennie inspire him, or did she draw him into her "perfect world" so that he could draw her?

The perfect existence is one of which we are blissfully unaware. We are unaware of the envy of our friends, the utter flummoxing of our peers. True happiness is being at peace with one's self. Trust me. I know.

Jennie discovers all of that. And to think this is often referred to as a "children's book."

Wouldn't Hitchcock get a chuckle out of that.

Comments

Yes, I am Wychie, the Wonder Sealy. We are a generous and loving breed, very Wirey of disposition, a bit stodgier, but with short legs and gigantic heads, not extreme like WFTs. We are very jolly and chortle a lot. A perfect dog for Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

I had a relative in "Suspicion," the movie with Cary G and one of those sisters. I foget her name. De Havealot or Fountain or something...

Cary had a way with terriers, still does. We all enjoy his company up here. Johnnie was the Sealy in the movie and belonged to Mr. Hitchcock. He was not nearly so much fun as CG. He also has a big head.

Thank you for writing about us, Gimlet Rose. Good day, Tribby, you Tribulation.

Posted by: Tribby, Channeling Wychie | August 15, 2008 at 09:37 PM