How to Bury Your Pets: A Podplay about Race
2 min readRace Relations and Mixed Metaphors
“How to Bury your Pets” written by TV writer, David Harris deals with racism in the United States in a way that shows the complexities of the issue in an almost too simplistic of a method. By the end, you aren’t sure what the story is trying to say about race in America as the message is muted by the various twists the story takes.
At one point in the story, a listener might assume this to be a “rags to riches” story at best, or a “white savior” stereotype at worst. By the end, you’re left trying to make sense of the theme and it’s both complicated and simple at the same time.
Race Identity Crisis
The story has an identity issue in the form of who the listener should root for more. It’s the same problem “The Prestige” has in having dual protagonists. While not set up to be in an antagonistic relationship, the white vs black America real-world conflict is a very real and long-running current event in today’s world. Looking past the differences in skin color, both characters are sympathetic. The white main character, Dan, is going through a divorce while Miles (The black teenager working at the pet store) is having his first child and wants to provide for the baby and the mother. Both are slightly more complex than these one-line motivations and that’s enough for the story Harris is trying to tell. For example, Miles has a business idea. The idea unfortunately turns out to be shallow and a dropped egg that goes nowhere in terms of the plot.
Missed Opportunity or Intentional Choice
While not inherently negative in terms of story, the subplot of Dan offering to look over Miles’ business proposal goes nowhere and is indicative of privilege as a whole. A fact the story addresses outright near the end. The fact it doesn’t go in the direction of a white savior trope, as one would expect, means that the ending is both surprising yet inevitable, but also has no pathos behind it. The story ends without much closure for the two main characters. Because you expect a happy ending for both, you feel a little let down when the reality of race hits the story with a heavy dose of raw truth.
4.5/5 Stars
Links
Next Time
Sandman (Affiliate Link)
About The Author
