Et tu Brute? Julius Ceasar in Hiding

Most of Julius Caesar’s young life was spent under his father’s rule. When he turned 16, he was the patriarch. He was still a child, the ‘puppy’ phase. He had power, but when the regime changed, he became a target, and stripped of all his power and inheritance. Caesar eventually ran away to the military.

Caesar the dog had much the same life. He bit someone when he was young, which parallels Julius Caesar’s war. He had power when he bit but then Louisa was in power and he became a ‘target’ and was chained up, stripped of power of biting and inheritance of being free to roam like dogs do. The dog gets his name from the Roman emperor and parallels him in life.

Joe Dagget says that he intends to free the dog (362). This parallels Julius Ceasar’s running away into the military. Julius Ceasar was eventually assassinated after running away. We discussed in class that Ceasar the dog was a representation that Louisa was still pure and Joe Dagget freeing the dog would end any purity that Louisa had. With Louisa ending the marriage, she theoretically ‘assassinates’ Ceasar the dog. When Julius Caesar was assassinated, it ended the Roman Republic Empire. By the assassination of the idea of the dogs freedom, it ended the idea that Louisa would ever be married, thus leaving her the New England Nun.