A New England Nun

The chained dog, Caesar, symbolizes the passion that Louisa is afraid to show. As the only other masculine character, he aligns with and becomes an extension of Joe. She inherited Caesar from her brother, and for 14 years Louisa has kept the big yellow dog in a tiny doghouse on a chain. Caesar is chained because once, when he was a puppy, he bit the neighbor’s hand. Louisa has never considered letting him off of the chain despite his old age and docility. In fact, Caesar has won a reputation as a vicious dog, and when Louisa has visitors, she cautions them to avoid him.

Only Joe does not fear Caesar: “Joe Dagget, […] with his good-humored sense and shrewdness saw him as he was” (11). He pets Caesar and tells Louisa that it is cruel to keep the dog on a chain. Joe also tells her that he plans to free Caesar after they are married.

The implication is that, if Louisa marries Joe, he will set her passion free, a thought that terrifies Louisa. When she thinks about marrying Joe, she imagines Caesar running through the streets leaving bloody children in his wake (12). Louisa ties her fear of Caesar’s ferociousness to her marriage to Joe.