Symbolism in "Tooth and Claw"
In “Tooth and Claw”, a dull man named Junior gets a feral cat because he wins a game of dice. The waitress he had been pining after suddenly develops an interest in him because of his interesting new pet. The cat ends up being more of a liability than an asset, as it terrrorizes Junior and ruins his home. Junior’s relationship with the cat mirrors humanity’s sinfulness and the consequences thereof. Daria, the waitress, symbolizes temptation. Junior has longed for her but she is only attracted to him once he has the cat. Junior invites her to his apartment after spending the day preparing for her visit, but “Daria didn’t seem to notice--she went straight for the bedroom door and affixed her eye to the peephole.” (Boyle 37) She only cares about his cat. Junior wants her to see him as “...a real man of the world.” (26) To impress her, he sins by taking in the destructive cat. Ludwig, the man Junior wins the cat from, represents the Devil. Right as he enters the bar, Junior notices his shirt, which reads “Obligatory Death” (23). This implies that he brings death, which the Bible says is “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23). He convinces Junior to play a game of dice, which is a sin, so that Ludwig can get rid of the cat. Junior wants to win the cat from Ludwig so that he will be more attractive to Daria. This is a parallel to a man selling his soul to the Devil for personal gain. The cat is metaphor for sin. Junior has led a boring life and thinks the “wild and alien” (26) cat will make him more interesting. However, the cat ends up hurting him more than it helps him. “The carpeting -- every last strip of it -- had been torn out of the floor, leaving an expanse of dirty plywood studded with nails, and there seemed to be a hole in the plasterboard just to the left of the window.” (38) He underestimated the risk of taking in the cat, just as man underestimates the impact of sin on his life. He thinks he can minimize its destructive power by having minimal interaction