Skip to content

i g l o o his name was Eddie and he had a big white dog…

“i g l o o his name was Eddie and he had a big white dog with a curly tail a huskie like one of those that pulled sleighs up near the north pole Igloo he called him and Eddie had a bow and arrow and every week or two he'd send an arrow into the dog's side then run into his mother's house through…” quote by Charles Bukowski
Download Open image
““i g l o o his name was Eddie and he had a big white dog with a curly tail a huskie like one of those that pulled sleighs up near the north pole Igloo he called him and Eddie had a bow and arrow and every week or two he'd send an arrow into the dog's side then run into his mother's house through the yelping saying that Igloo had fallen on the arrow. that dog took quite a few arrows and managed to survive but I saw what really happened and didn't like Eddie very much. so when I broke Eddie's leg in a sandlot football game that was my way of getting even for Igloo. his parents threatened to sue my parents claiming I did it on purpose because that's what Eddie told them. well, nobody had any money anyhow and when Eddie's father got a job in San Diego they moved away and left the dog. we took him in. Igloo turned out to be rather dumb did not respond to very much had no life or joy in him just stuck out his tongue panted slept most of the time when he wasn't eating and although he wiped his ass up and down the lawn after defecating he usually had a large fragrant smear of brown under his tail when he was run over by an icecream truck 3 or 4 months later and died in a stream of scarlet I didn't feel more than the usual amount of grief and loss and I was still glad that I had managed to break Eddie's leg.””

Charles Bukowski

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A narrator recounts violent retaliation against a bully and his dog, reflecting on cruelty, revenge, and indifferent grief

In simple terms: A kid gets back at a bully, feels little remorse for the dog's death

Key Takeaway

Consider the emptiness of revenge and its impact on empathy

Themes

revenge violence indifference animal cruelty childhood moral ambiguity

Mood

dark cynical detached

Type

anecdotal reflective cautionary

When to use this quote

  • schoolyard conflicts
  • pet abuse
  • revenge fantasies
  • family disputes
  • urban neglect

Key Concepts

retribution desensitization ethical decay psychological coping

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does this story reveal about the narrator’s sense of justice?
  • How might empathy have changed the outcome?
A Different Perspective

The narrative glorifies cruelty without addressing deeper moral consequences

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Charles Bukowski

Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes

More Ball game quotes

Browse all 849 Ball game quotes