Abstract
This paper introduces Osvaldo Dragun, often described as Argentina's premiere playwright. It then analyzes his play "The Man who Turned into a Dog" about a man who applies for the job of a watchdog and literally turns into one. The paper shows how the absurdity in the play's storyline is actually a message to show the ridiculous importance society puts on a person's job.

From the Paper
"This also leads us to think about the meaning of employment and how we can be defined by our jobs. People everyday become what their job is, taking on a role as a teacher, a policeman, a soldier or any other occupation. In doing this they become something in this role. This occurrence in society is not really noticed because it is common and expected and because it is only a minor change in a person. In the play however, Dragun takes this occurrence to its extremes. The result is that we notice that this happens. We notice that to become a watchdog the man has actually given himself up as a human and become a dog. While this can be laughed off as absurd, we can think about it a little further and see that this is exactly what happens to all people, just in a less noticeable way. In this way then, Dragun makes us think about modern society and the place of employment in it. The simple play then has a much greater meaning than we realized."

Tags:realism, doghouse, parables, fables