Running with Sherman

McDougall begins his narrative in media res—in the middle of the action—with Sherman’s delivery and McDougall’s solemn shock at his sorry state. This narrative method immediately introduces the central problem of the memoir—how to rehabilitate Sherman—before providing background information or wider context. Much of McDougall’s narrative is rooted in these present-tense scenes, compelling the story forward and anchoring his many digressions. Sherman’s state is distressing, the situation confusing, and McDougall replicates that through his use of this technique. By setting up a scene and then digressing from it widely, McDougall controls the pacing of his narrative, allowing him to drag out the revelation of Sherman’s purpose (i.e., the running of the race) over the first four chapters of the book.

The arrival of Tanya in the second chapter establishes her as an important figure in Sherman’s healing immediately. She introduces donkey care to McDougall and becomes the first of his mentors to give him vital advice: attempt to see the world from Sherman’s perspective. In order to do this, McDougall must learn to read Sherman’s behavioral language, one of his central tasks in the narrative. Perhaps Tanya’s most important piece of advice comes at the end of the chapter. Sherman, who has been neglected and abused, is potentially “sick with despair,” and will only become worse if he is not given a job or a purpose in his life. This focus on Sherman’s psychological health as well as his physical health is the first piece of advice that assists McDougall in forming a purposeful and communicative relationship with Sherman. His understanding that Sherman needs a driving force toward living, rather than simply surviving, is that which drives the entire narrative.

Chapter 3 provides background information. McDougall shifts from his present-tense narrative, in which Tanya is helping to clean Sherman, back through his entire backstory, to explain how he came to own the farm and eventually met Tanya. McDougall’s background as a war correspondent—particularly an incident in Rwanda involving massacred school children—gives him a haunted past similar to that of Sherman, who also carries the aftereffects of his neglect and abuse in the same way as a human victim of trauma. Sherman’s fearful initial condition and unwillingness to walk evoke comparisons with traumatized humans as well. In this sense, McDougall and Sherman mirror one another in some ways, foreshadowing The Restorative Power of Connecting with Animals that will play a prominent role in the memoir.

Chapter 4 also draws attention to camaraderie in unexpected places through the story of Lawrence huddling against Sherman in welcome and compassion. This sense of community building and mentorship is one of the major underlying motifs in the book (See: Symbols & Motifs) and helps shape McDougall’s entire narrative strategy. Just as Tanya steps in as a mentor to McDougall, so too does Lawrence the goat mentor Sherman in becoming more at ease and learning to move about again, once more creating parallels in the human-animal experiences in the text. The episode also underlines an important facet of McDougall’s approach to recovery, stressing the importance of connecting with, and learning from, others. This is an approach he followed in his first book, Born to Run, and the approach he follows with Sherman.

The fourth chapter also gives a visceral depiction of the physical reality of taking care of a donkey, with Tanya’s description of the wax-ball removal procedure. Tanya’s revelation illustrates just how little McDougall knows about caring for donkeys, and hints at the many challenges that lie ahead. McDougall does not find this lack of experience daunting, however; he proceeds with his care, revealing McDougall’s persistent spirit.