The Garden of the Finzi-Continis

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to sexual violence, antisemitism, genocide, and suicide.

The family dog, Jor, follows the events of the novel into very old age. As a symbol, he comes to represent protectiveness and stubbornness, especially for Micòl. As a black and white Great Dane, he is repeatedly described in terms of stone such as being called “granitic” and “statuesque.” He travels around the expansive estate with relative freedom, and he appears at key moments in the plot. Most commonly he appears in place of Micòl or when she needs protecting. In Part 3, Chapter 7, the narrator can infer that Micòl has returned home from Venice just by meeting Jor at the bridge. Since he either meets visitors at the gate or appears without warning, the text imbues Jor with an uncanny intelligence. He nearly always accompanies Micòl when she is walking with the narrator throughout the estate. However, the only time he is described as an active figure instead of a looming presence occurs when Micòl needs help. When the narrator’s advances change into physical aggression toward a sick Micòl, the narrator describes the door as being “shaken by a violent impact” (146). The narrator doesn’t even recognize the sound and imagines it as a person trying to break into the room. The aggression and physical strength of Jor juxtapose Micòl’s eerie calmness as she explains what it is and orders the narrator to open the door. Throughout the novel, Jor can do things that Micòl cannot, and his presence highlights when Micòl is not fully in control. Both Jor and Micòl are very independent and the connection the text makes between them highlights the internal life of Micòl and her dedication to preserving The Appearance of Propriety.