The Unknowable Animal Mind

This flow traces the Narrator’s shifting beliefs about animal thought, from suspicion of anthropomorphism toward a cautious acceptance of what remains unknowable.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Cats and Independence

Cats and Independence A preference for distance The Narrator has long preferred cats, partly because she is unsettled by the devotion dogs give humans. A self-sufficient animal seems less dependent on an owner’s worthiness. A changing view Her preference is not simply a judgment that cats are better. It expresses discomfort with a relationship in which one species has been bred to respond to human authority.

Apollo’s Night Inspection

Apollo’s Night Inspection A dog investigates Apollo sniffs the Narrator’s body while she lies in bed. She wonders what his extraordinary sense of smell tells him about her and whether he is simply gathering information. Human interpretation The Narrator supplies possible motives but cannot test them. Apollo’s attention makes her aware that his sensory world is richer than hers, while his actual thoughts remain inaccessible.

Music and Silence

Music and Silence Attempts to soothe The Narrator plays music by Bach, Miles Davis, Mozart, and other composers, hoping it might comfort Apollo. He shows no clear response, unlike her former rabbit, who reacted to particular music. Listening without proof The failed experiment does not tell her whether Apollo hears, understands, or cares. Her desire to communicate keeps colliding with the limits of observation.

The Book in His Jaws

The Book in His Jaws An unexpected gesture Apollo approaches the books on the coffee table, takes the replacement Knausgaard volume gently in his jaws, and places it beside the Narrator rather than destroying it. A tempting explanation The Narrator imagines that he understands books help her when she is sad, or that someone once read aloud to him. She acknowledges that the explanation may be anthropomorphic but cannot resist its emotional force.

Questions Without Answers

Questions Without Answers A speaking expression Apollo increasingly rests his head on the Narrator’s knees and looks at her with an expression she experiences as communicative. She asks whether he is happy, remembers the past, or loves her. The value of a limit She concludes that animals may remain mysterious even as people grow more attentive to them. If Apollo could speak as a human does, their relationship might lose part of its wonder and uncertainty.

Before Apollo’s arrival

During Apollo’s first nights in the apartment

After Apollo has settled into the apartment

The day after Apollo listens to Rilke

Near the end of the book