In this day and age many people have cats and dogs that they have learned to cherish (or hate). People who own a cat doesn't necessarily own a dog and vice versa. There are many people that are labeled as being a cat person or a dog person which lines up with their personalities. Studies show that dog lovers are more lively, outgoing, and stick to rules-- sounds very much like the personality of a dog. Cat people, on the other hand, are introverted, open-minded, and sensitive. People who said that they like dogs better stated that it was because of the companionship that dogs offered. Cat lovers stated that they like the affection cats give. This leads to an insight as to why Geraldine from The Bluest Eye is a cat person. She prefers the affection of her cat over the company of her husband; who can represent the dog. Geraldine likes to sit at home reading magazines with the cat in her lap instead of going outside. Her personality lines up with the statistics. Gender can also play a part in the cats vs. dogs inclination. Cats are associated with femininity and dogs are definitely placed under masculinity. There are always jokes about the cat lady-- also known as the old lady who owns 97 cats, but there has never been jokes about a cat man. Dogs are also said to be a man's best friend, but dogs aren't said to be a woman's best friend. Although the word "man" in that sense refers to human kind as a whole; it still gives a sense that dogs are under the possession of the male.
Resources: Rettner, By. "Dog People vs. Cat People: Who's More Outgoing? More Intelligent?" LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 27 May 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Mayer, John. "Can You Tell the Cat Lovers From the Dog Lovers?"Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness Find a Therapist. 17 June 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.
Anna--it's interesting how you tied cats and dogs with gender here. Have you thought about what personalities the people who own both cats and dogs represent?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you Anna, a dog or cat lover? I'm a dog lover, though my personality doesn't quite match what the studies show. I like how you address the other side of issues by mentioning there's never a "cat man"!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post, Anna! It was interesting and illuminating the way it reflected on how cats and women and dogs and men are related. You also helped me greater understand Geraldine and her cat fetish. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAnna,
ReplyDeleteI like how you connected Geraldine's husband to a "dog", both in the personality and interests sense. I didn't think to go this route with this week's discussion, but I think you picked something unique and worked with it well :)