Reading Notes: The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog, Part A

For the first section of this week's reading notes, I chose one of the Jewish Fairy Tales called "The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog." This story was really interesting and had a great plot. It focuses around the story of Adam from the Bible. This story started with Adam naming the dog and cat. They were great friends, and then they decided to part because they were having trouble finding food. They promised to not cross paths again. The cat went to Adam's house to chase mice, but the dog went many nights without a home or food to eat. He wondered until he eventually ended up at Adam's house, although he did not know it was Adam's house when he first arrived. The cat found out, and she forced the dog to leave. They did not agree on anything else ever again.

If I changed this story, I would change the two characters and the ending. I think I would make the characters something more exotic, such as a tiger and an elephant. I would also want to alter the end of the story to where they became friends at the end. I was kind of disappointed when I first read this story because I thought that at the end of the story, they would end up being friends again. The dog was really upset, but the cat was happy with their separation. I would want to make both of the characters unhappy with their separation, and then be able to allow them to be friends again.

Bibliography:

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog in Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919). Web Source.

Image information: 

The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog by Peretz Partensky. Web Source.