Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

Mr. Livedog

Just kidding, Shmoopers: Mr. Livedog isn't actually a guide or mentor to anyone in The Wanting Seed—just the opposite, in fact. The thing about this dystopian world is that no one seems to know who or what to turn to for guidance and direction. History, politics, religion—all of these fields are either corrupt or meaningless in the novel, and people like Beatrice-Joanna and Tristram struggle to find any sense of moral certainty and meaning.