Rose and Johnny’s Marriage After Loss

The Power of the Dog (Thomas Savage Edition)

This flow traces the love and hardship of Rose’s first marriage and the way its memory shapes her later life.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Meeting in Chicago Meeting in Chicago from "The Power of the Dog". Meeting in Chicago A Romantic Ideal Johnny meets Rose while she plays piano at a moving-picture theater.

Meeting in Chicago from "The Power of the Dog". Meeting in Chicago A Romantic Ideal Johnny meets Rose while she plays piano at a moving-picture theater.

Meeting in Chicago A Romantic Ideal Johnny meets Rose while she plays piano at a moving-picture theater. He imagines a gentle, steadfast marriage and is drawn to her warmth and love of flowers. A Shared Beginning Their courtship grows through small outings and family approval. Johnny’s idealism gives Rose a hopeful start far from the loneliness that will later mark their western life.

Building a Home in Beech Building a Home in Beech from "The Power of the Dog". Building a Home in Beech A Joint Enterprise The couple settles in Beech, where Johnny opens a medical practice and the pair restores the inn.

Building a Home in Beech from "The Power of the Dog". Building a Home in Beech A Joint Enterprise The couple settles in Beech, where Johnny opens a medical practice and the pair restores the inn.

Building a Home in Beech A Joint Enterprise The couple settles in Beech, where Johnny opens a medical practice and the pair restores the inn. Rose plants flowers and makes the place clean enough to welcome travelers. Hope in Work They build a household around Johnny’s care for patients and Rose’s practical effort. Their ambitions are modest, but they share them as partners.

Peter’s Birth Peter’s Birth from "The Power of the Dog". Peter’s Birth A Shared Joy Johnny delivers his son and is overwhelmed by the sight of Rose nursing the baby.

Peter’s Birth from "The Power of the Dog". Peter’s Birth A Shared Joy Johnny delivers his son and is overwhelmed by the sight of Rose nursing the baby.

Peter’s Birth A Shared Joy Johnny delivers his son and is overwhelmed by the sight of Rose nursing the baby. He imagines a future in which Peter will achieve the professional success that escaped him. Hope Under Strain Peter’s illnesses and delayed development worry his parents. Rose and Johnny continue to care for him, even when they do not know how to interpret his difference.

Humiliation Enters the Marriage

Humiliation Enters the Marriage Johnny Is Attacked A rancher humiliates Johnny in a saloon and insults Peter. Johnny returns home shaken, admitting that his deepest shame was not failing to win the fight but being seen as a failure. Rose’s Compassion Rose stays with him and does not condemn him. Johnny stops drinking for a time, but the injury to his confidence remains within their marriage.

Love After Johnny’s Death Love After Johnny’s Death from "The Power of the Dog". Love After Johnny’s Death A Lasting Memory Rose continues to feel the presence of Johnny through his books and through memories of their life in Beech.

Love After Johnny’s Death from "The Power of the Dog". Love After Johnny’s Death A Lasting Memory Rose continues to feel the presence of Johnny through his books and through memories of their life in Beech.

Love After Johnny’s Death A Lasting Memory Rose continues to feel the presence of Johnny through his books and through memories of their life in Beech. She does not replace him simply by marrying George. A New Attachment Peter believes that his action has released Rose from Phil’s power. The story closes with Rose and George beginning a life together while Johnny’s memory remains part of the family.

Before Rose and Johnny marry

After Johnny’s internship

During Peter’s infancy

Peter’s childhood

At the end of the novel