Beautiful Joe By: Marshall Saunders

Overview of the Plot Beautiful Joe is a dog that grows up in a very abuse home with a very cruel master in Fairport, Maine . He is kicked and hurt everyday of his life but always remains loyal until one day is master cuts his ears and tail off. He is then overheard crying and whimpering by a passerby who rescues him. He then goes to live with the Morris family who never has a cruel word to say to anyone. This story tells about his life with the Morris’ and how animal abuse is not only cruel but very wrong and should be stopped.

Characters Jenkins- he was the cruel master of Joe. He keeps up a very poor looking house and barn. He is also a milkman and gave his customers typhoid fever after not properly washing dish towels. Beautiful Joe- is a kind a loving dog who is subjected to the cruelty of mankind. He is rescued and later treated very well in his new home. Miss. Laura-she is the daughter of the Morris family and always takes in and cares for hurt animals. She is Joes favorite and eventually saves her from being burned alive by Jenkins.

Themes Cruelty to Animals- throughout this whole book there are references to animals and the inhumane treatment of them. The youths created The Band of Mercy which helps protect poor “ dumb creatures”. Forgiveness- people do a lot of forgiving in this book and beautiful Joe ends up forgiving Jenkins for his cruelty to him and his siblings. Innocence- I believe this is a major theme because a dog or any other animals are very innocent creatures. They are loyal and understanding even if they don’t know what's going on. Beautiful Joe kind of acts like a child by loosing control of his actions, “talking” when he's not supposed to and by being curious.

Read/Avoid? I would have to sell this book to you. This was one of the best works of literature I have ever read and really taught me a lot about society. It was never boring or drawn out but was very sad at times. You learn a lot about animal cruelty and what you as a human being can do to try and stop it. It was a fun read but also educational and I would recommend it to everyone.