Commentary on the Wolf and the Dog


La Fontaine's poem is more than just a critique of the compromises we make by living a conventional life. It is also a comment on people who stay within their comfort zone, or who let others make important decisions for them. It refers as well to running on habit rather than being creative, and to making compromises with expediency rather than following our hearts. It can also be seen as a critique of living in the future, as in, "When I retire I will be free to do xyz."

This parable is as profound as you allow it to be. You can see it on the overall level of conformity versus being yourself, or you can seek to apply it to each individual area of life. It explores two opposing archetypes that are of basic importance to our lives. These are the life of freedom and the life of safety.

The superficial meaning is, don't be a servile dog but have the courage to be free. Yet on reflection we know that we cannot be wolves and fit into human society. It is a mistake to believe that La Fontaine is saying that the wolf's way is good and the dog's bad. In fact, another La Fontaine fable, that of the cricket and the ant, illustrates the opposite conclusion. Each archetype is appropriate in different circumstances. Both the wolf and the dog have their good and bad points in different contexts. We need to draw on the one that is appropriate at any given time.

Niels Bohr observed that the opposite of a profound truth is not a falsehood but often another profound truth. This is the case with the Wolf and the Dog. We may conclude that there is no "answer" to the question of how to live our lives. It is necessary to be creative and flexible in order to find our path, steering between the extremes represented by these two archetypes.

My interpretation of the fable is that we all carry within us the archetype of the wolf and that of the dog. We cannot live a good life by following just one of these, but need to allow an interplay of the two opposing forces. There is a time to take risks, without which nothing truly new can happen in our lives. On the other hand, we need to work within the existing structures of human life. We cannot re-invent the wheel all the time, though it is sometimes fun to try.

Tad Boniecki
March, 2016

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