Johnathan Safran Foer Eating Animals Analysis

A central theme in Foer’s, “Eating Animals” is the meaning of food and obviously as the title suggests, Foer’s own internal struggle with eating animals. In addition, Foer’s research has examined not just that the elements provide nourishment for our bodies, but the sentimental ability that food has to unite people and create lasting memories and bonds, simply because one has chosen to ‘break bread.’ “…because the stories that are served with food matter. These stories bind our family together, and bind our family to others. Stories about food are stories about us — our history and our values… I came to learn that food serves two parallel purposes: it nourishes and it helps you remember. Eating and storytelling are inseparable...” (Foer 22)

But in “Eating Animals” Johnathan Safran Foer goes deeper than simply writing a book about food, how that food made it to your plate, or whether you should or shouldn’t eat animals. He asks “What is an animal? … What is a human?” (Foer 60) He goes on to say, “Even by the dictionary definition, humans both are and are not animals. In the first sense, humans are members of the animal kingdom. But more often, we casually use the word animal to signify all creatures — from orangutan to dog to shrimp —

“I had a particular lack of enthusiasm for dogs… I would (only) agree to go over to friends’ houses if they confined their dogs... I didn’t like watching television shows that featured dogs… I disliked — people who got excited about dogs…” (Foer 32) But eventually that all changed when he met and, “(Foer) one day became a person who loved dogs. (Foer) became a dog person.” (Foer 32) Foer instantly fell in love with his (female) dog, named “George”. Prior to this point, Foer ate meat, and routinely talked about eating chicken and carrots, his grandmothers “prized