A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron Book Analysis

A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is a classic novel based on many true stories. The story is about a dog named Bella, who as a puppy lived under a crawl space with her family and many other cats. When her family and most of the cats are taken away, a man named Lucas takes Bella home. Bella becomes very fond of Lucas and his mother and spends lots of her days at the VA hospital where Lucas works. When animal control separates Bella from her owner because pit bulls are banned in Denver, Bella is determined to Go Home. Bella travels through 400 miles of Colorado wilderness, making friends and encountering many things that slow down her journey along the way, but she never gives up because she is determined to be with her family again no matter what it takes. The three major conflicts in this book are man versus man, man versus self, and man versus nature.

Firstly, the man versus man conflict plays a key role in the story because, throughout the book, many people try to keep Bella from her person. One example is on page 132: “When the truck pulled away, I knew I should do No Barks, but I was suddenly so frightened I couldn’t help myself. I thought I understood now what was happening.” This quote takes place when Bella is being taken away by animal control for the second time, because even though she’s not a pit bull, an animal control officer has decided she is, and there are no pit bulls allowed in Denver. Since it's the second time she’s been picked up, there is no appeal, and she will be killed. Another example of man versus man conflict is on page 264: “When I was finished I realized I now had a stretchy cord tied to my collar. Alarmed, I tried to move away from the man, but I was not able to go far before the rope was flexed taut. The man and I gazed at each other. A small whimper escaped my lips. I had made a terrible mistake.” Bella was making her way back to Lucas when she came across a man. The man offered her food, and while she was eating the man put her on a leash. Bella realized that this was a person that would keep her away from Lucas, and would make her journey much more difficult. One more example is on page 308: “I was suddenly very afraid. I did not believe Hat-man would give me a treat, even though I was aware he had done so in the past. He was one of those who would keep me from Lucas, and he would do it angrily. He was a bad man. I turned from him and ran.” This quote occurs when Bella has finally made it back to Denver and is just minutes away from being with her person when she encounters the animal control officer who had separated her from Lucas in the first place. She was not going to let this happen again, so she took off running. Man versus man conflict plays a large role in this book because many people impede Bellas journey home, which makes the story much more interesting.

Another conflict in A Dog’s Way Home is man versus self. In the book, Bella was taken from her dog family, taken from her human family, and many times on her journey home, she felt like she had failed herself and her owner. An example from the book is on pages 14-15: “When I awoke, my mother was gone. My brothers and sisters were gone. The depression in the earth where we had been born and laid nursing still smelled of our family, but the empty, vacant sense that overcame me when I sniffed for Mother brought a whimper from me, a sob in my throat I could not quiet. I did not understand what had happened, but the only cats left in the space were Mother Cat and her kittens. Frantic, seeking answers and reassurance, I went back to her, crying out my fear.” This quote takes place right after Bella’s family is taken from her. Animal control was called to get rid of all the animals that were living under the crawl space that Bella was living under. Most of the animals were captured, but Bella and a few cats fled to the back of the crawl space and were not found. Another example of man versus self conflict is on page 264: “But wherever we were going, now, it was far enough away that the presence faded until it was undetectable. I had lost the smell of home.” This quote happens when Bella is going on a car ride to a place that she will stay for 6 months. Bella wakes up near the end of the drive and realizes that she is so far away from Lucas and her home, that she has lost the sense of how to get back. Bella feels like she’s lost all hope of getting home, and will never see Lucas again. One last example is on page 244: “But Lucas wasn’t here. I had failed to Go Home and now I was having trouble keeping my face above the surface. My muscles were so, so weak now. I felt like a bad dog.” This quote occurs when Bella has gotten stuck in a pool because she jumped in to save some kittens. After she saved them she realized she couldn’t get out. After swimming back and forth for a long time, Bella is getting weak and thinking about how she failed to go home to Lucas. Man versus self plays a big role in the story because Bella went through a lot in this book, and this conflict added to the story.

Finally, the man versus nature conflict plays a large role in A Dog’s Way Home. Throughout Bella’s journey home she is struggling to survive in the wilderness, as there is not much for her to eat, and there are many threats such as coyotes. One example is on page 185: “I was getting weak. I took frequent naps and slept through the night, not aware of Big Kitten leaving or returning.” Bella is becoming weak from a lack of food. She is traveling with a young cougar who she calls Big Kitten. Even though Bella and Big Kitten find meals, it’s not enough for them to travel comfortably and give them energy. Bella and Big Kitten live like this for many months, and it starts to affect Bella, both physically and mentally. Another quote is on page 284: I was becoming sick; I could feel it rising in me, overwhelming my body, which was turning hot and then cold, leaving me weak and shivering. I yipped and cried, missing Lucas more in that moment than I had since I last saw him.” This quote occurs when Bella’s leash is caught, and she can’t get it unstuck. She is really hungry and thirsty and she can’t do anything about it. Bella is helpless, and she’s barking, trying to catch someone’s attention, hoping they’ll come to help her. One last example of a man versus nature conflict is on pages 293-294: “They had my scent and came in single file straight toward me. My lips drew back in an involuntary snarl. At that moment I did not remember Lucas, did not think about Axel or any people at all. I was stripped down to my canine essence, gripped with a primitive fury; I wanted to sink my teeth into coyote flesh. I got to my feet, waiting for them to arrive, for the fight to begin.” This is an example of a threat Bella faces in the wild. This takes place when three hungry coyotes are approaching Bella, but instead of fleeing Bella stands her ground and prepares for the fight. Man versus nature plays a key role in the story because, in a good amount of the story, Bella is in the wilderness, and faces many conflicts on her journey home. 

To sum up, A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron is a remarkable classic about a dog's journey home to be with her people. The book is based on many true stories, and it shows the many conflicts on Bella’s way home. The three main conflicts of this book are man versus man, man versus self, and man versus nature. These conflicts make the book more engaging and fun to read.