Sleeping Dogs (novel)

Infobox Book |
name = Sleeping Dogs
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Sonya Hartnett
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Australia
language = English
series =
genre = Young adult literature
publisher = Viking Press
pub_date = 1995
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages =
isbn =
oclc =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Sleeping Dogs" is a 1995 young adult novel by Australian author, Sonya Hartnett.The novel centers on the depressed Willow family and Bow Fox, an artist who stays at the family's caravan park.

Plot summary

Sleeping Dogs is a short, young-adult novel that tells the story of the Willow family. This family is very different and is completely cut off from society, apart from their business. The family consists of five children, Edward, Michelle, Jordan, Oliver and Speck, their alcoholic, patriarchal father Griffin and unstable mother, Grace. The Willow live on a run-down farm in rural Australia which they have partly converted into a caravan park as a source of much-needed funds. The family are intensely loyal to each other and extremely isolated, but they, or at least their father, like it that way. They do not like to mix with the residents of their nearby town or the assortment of visitors to their farm. They do not have friends and, in a way, they do not want any. They have been brought up very strictly and now, while they are in their early twenties, they still treat their father as the boss and they do not question his authority. Griffin is somewhat of a dictator in the family and strictly controls all members if his family and all they do. He is, in a way, the leader of the Willow World which has it’s own rules, morals and values. He is a cruel, violent man and is very set in his ways.

Griffin is frequently in a bad mood and takes out his anger on his family. Griffin also seems to have a deep dislike for one son, Jordan, who is different from all his other brothers and sisters. He looks different, acts different and Griffin hates that he has such different ideas. Griffin becomes very violent with Jordan, particularly when influenced by alcohol, and continually hurts him while the family ‘turns a blind eye’ which has become the norm. Life is very hard for Jordan who wants freedom but has known nothing outside of his family all his years. He is miserable and his father seems to be ‘on his back’ all the time. Jordan and his sister Michelle are very close, they always have been, and they support each other through the hard times. In order to survive and to deal with life, Jordan and his sister Michelle eventually develop an incestuous relationship and this becomes their deepest secret with only them, and their youngest brother Oliver, knowing.

During summer their lives are turned upside down when a curious artists comes to stay at the farm for a while, while he is painting a landscape of the scenery. This man’s name is Bow Fox. Bow gradually worms his way into the lives of the family in one form or another and gains their trust, particularly the trust of Oliver who has taken a liking to Bow. Bow immediately takes an interest in the life of the Willow family and becomes curious about their lifestyle. He has many questions and is not shy about airing his concerns. He is a bit of a ‘sticky beak’ and, underneath, obviously takes joy in causing trouble for others. Oliver, while talking to Bow, lets slip the big secret about Jordan and Michelle’s relationship and this shocks the artist and shocks Oliver himself. This makes Bow more determined to find out all the family’s secrets and wreak havoc among their simple, yet troubled, lives. Bow begins to give Jordan a very hard time and the family comes to hate Bow and they want to take revenge for how he has interfered with their lives and bullied Jordan.

They plan to, on Christmas Day, have their hunting dogs attack Bow because he has a very deep fear of dogs. After they carry out this plan Bow leaves the farm humiliated and hurt and full of anger and resentment towards the Willow family. He wants to get even and, in his mind, the whole plan was Jordan’s idea and Jordan will have to pay for them. Bow decides to write down all that he knows, plus a few fictional details, in a letter and plant it for Griffin to find. And find out Griffin does, he is furious. He attacks Michelle searching for answers and Michelle finally gives in and blames everything on poor Jordan. In a huge bout of rage, Griffin shoots and kills Jordan and his dog, Applegrit. A devastating end.

Characters

*Jordan Willow, 21
*Michelle Willow, 23
*Oliver Willow, 16
*Edward Willow, 25
*Jennifer "Speck" Willow, 14
*Griffin Willow
*Grace Willow
*Bow Fox, early 20's
*Applegrit (Jordan's dog)

Symbolism in Sleeping Dogs

There is much symbolism in the names chosen by Hartnett. The reasons for this are clear - she has chosen the metaphor of a dog pack to reflect the closeness of the Willow family. The opening section of the text tells us, ironically given the title of the novel, that a dog pack is never really asleep - there are always a few awake.

Griffin, the father - a griffin/gryphon is an animal, half lion and half eagle. As such he is king of the earth and the sky. This clearly represents Griffin, who is the iron-fisted ruler of the Willow family. The gryphon also has a duality - which Griffin shows, being cruel and beating his son on the one hand, whilst reinforcing the need for education and family support on the other. A Griffon is also a type of hunting dog, further expanding the dog pack metaphor. A Gryphon is also a volcano - and Griffin, as his children know, can explode with fury.

The antagonist of the novel is Bow Fox. Fox is clever and cunning, he aims to stir up trouble, and ultimately is attacked in the Willow's Christmas hunt...a Fox hunt. Further, Bow Fox is a painter...and every fox has a brush. It is Bow Fox that gives the novel its title - the saying "To Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" means that it is better to ignore some problems, as to address them may stir up trouble. Fox cannot let the Sleeping Dogs (the Willows) lie.

Edward is the protector of the family - it is he who decides that Bow Fox must be dealt with. Edward's name means "the protector".

Michelle is the beauty of the family, is Griffin's favourite, is loved by Jordan and lusted over by Fox. Her name means "who resembles God."

Oliver means "peacemaker"...and it is he who is friendliest with Fox.

Jordan is seen as the trouble maker by Griffin...and it is he who dies. His name means down-flowing.

The surname Willow is interesting too...the willow tree is able to have branches removed, yet retain its vitality. During the novel, a runt is given away, and similarly Jordan is removed from the Willow Family tree.

Grace, the mother, is too soft to survive the ferocity of the dogs and here family. She chooses to stay inside surrounded by cats. Her pride and joy is a china teapot (but not a willow pattern) which plays the song "swing low sweet chariot". The words of this song tell of the angels "coming for to carry me home" to heaven...and in the second verse, "I looked over Jordan...".

Applegrit is different from the other dogs as he is white. Likewise, Jordan is pale and blonde. Both are clever though...Jordan realises Fox is no threat, and urges Edward to leave Fox alone. Likewise Applegrit can tell the difference between Fox and Fox's shirt on the hunt, and leaves Fox alone.

As Jordan is dying, he hears crows cawing...which in many cultures signified death. It was crows that Jordan drew, symbolising the freedom and escape that he lacked.

The name of the farm is Bonaparte. This has two meanings, both related to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Bow Fox asks the children who it is called Bonaparte Farm, and Speck tells him that they couldn't call it Animal Farm. This is a reference to Orwell's novel Animal Farm, run by a pig called Napoleon. Napoleon (who himself represents Joseph Stalin) is a ruthless dictator who rules by fear, and is protected by a pack of dogs. Napoleon uses a white pig called Snowball as his scapegoat. He is often drunk, and does no work, relying on the other animals to do the manual labour. Napoleon sees himself as a thinker, but many of his plans fail to come to fruition. He wants the animals to be educated, and tries to get them to be literate. Animal Farm tries to be independent and deals with the outside world only to get the necessities.

The second meaning is related to the repeated references of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Griffin has all the children read Crime and Punishment over the course of the narrative. In Crime and Punishment, the poor Raskolnikov sees himself as an extraordinary being, similar to Napoleon, who can murder without repercussions. Raskolnikov continually mentions Napoleon. Bow Fox is similarly poor, yet believes he is morally pure and a very talented man. Whilst he doesn't commit murder, he sets the wheels in motion. Both Raskolnikov and Fox fall into a fever for a number of days following the crime. Interestingly, a character in Crime and Punishment is called Sonya, and Dostoevsky's characters had names which described their personalities.

Themes - Escape

Many of the Willow family dream of escape. Griffin uses alcohol to try to escape. Jordan draws only crows, and these he pins up around his bedroom. He also dreams of escape aboard a yacht. Oliver would love to go to university. Edward has a picture of a racehorse, and his dream is to one day train a winner. Grace has eyes only for her teapot, with its design of a garden party showing a better life. Michelle wears clothes from a second-hand shop, and hopes someone will recognise their clothes on her. She also has Jordan. In all of these ways, the characters dream of a different life, or a life away from the farm. At the same time, they all know that it is rather futile.

Oliver believes that he will be forced to leave, once he has lost the trust of the family. Jordan eventually does escape - in death, with the crows present. Once Jordan is killed, the family packs up and leaves, although the reader has no sense that things will get better. In the lead up to his death, Jordan realises just how easy it would have been to leave...just jump on a bus...and cannot believe that he has not thought of this before.

Awards and nominations

*Winner of the 1996 Miles Franklin Kathleen Mitchell Award (Australia)
*Shortlisted for the 1996 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
*Winner of the 1996 Victorian Premier's Literary Award Sheaffer Pen Prize