Chapter 9: How Do Dogs Know They Have Penises? – Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Jenny Lawson texts her sister, Lisa, with a seemingly simple question: How do dogs know they have penises? This initiates a wide‑ranging, absurd exchange. They consider why male dogs lift a leg and females squat, speculating that male dogs might be showing off like “mini flashers.” The conversation then leaps to bearcats (binturongs), whose urine smells like hot buttered popcorn, and to Lisa’s suggestion that Jenny’s husband, Victor, may be a cursed bearcat because of his knowledge of the animal. They coin the term “PoMoRo” (Postmodern Romance) to describe Jenny and Victor’s relationship, create a fictional genre “PoMoRoPorno,” and imagine protestors chanting “NO MO’ POMOROPORNO.” The chapter ends with high‑fives and laughter, celebrating their shared absurdity.

Key Events

Jenny texts five people asking how dogs know they have penises; three ignore her, one thinks it’s a joke, and Lisa engages.
Jenny and Lisa discuss male dogs lifting a leg, falling over, and the possibility that dogs are “the first flashers.”
Lisa brings up bearcats (binturongs) and their popcorn‑scented urine, learned from the Wow in the World podcast.
The sisters joke that Victor might be a cursed bearcat because he avoids eating over the sink and knows facts about bearcats.
Jenny recalls a childhood incident of smashing a snail in her pocket, which smelled so bad she vomited and ruined her dress.
Lisa suggests Victor’s refusal to get a bearcat is romantic—he’s avoiding breaking a love curse.
They invent the term “PoMoRo” (Postmodern Romance) and its offshoot “PoMoRoPorno,” imagining statues and protests.
Victor rejects Jenny’s attempt to smell his pee, and the conversation ends with mutual amusement.

Character Development

Jenny: Displays her trademark curiosity and willingness to explore absurd questions. Her playful stubbornness (e.g., wanting a bearcat despite Victor’s refusal) and openness to Lisa’s wild theories reinforce her role as a narrator who finds meaning in chaos.
Lisa: Serves as both foil and co‑conspirator. She matches Jenny’s absurdity, offering scientific tidbits (bearcat pee) and fully committing to the bearcat‑curse narrative. Her ability to pivot from dog anatomy to relationship analysis shows her adaptability.
Victor: Present only through indirect conversation, but his personality emerges: practical, grumpy (“hates Jesus and bearcats and happiness”), and resistant to Jenny’s nonsense. His refusal to let Jenny smell his pee becomes a running joke.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Absurdity as a Lens: The entire chapter is built on an absurd premise (dog penis awareness), which spirals into bearcat pee, snail‑smash memories, and a fake literary genre. This mirrors how Lawson often uses ridiculous starting points to explore deeper relational truths.
The Body and Embarrassment: Dog urine, snail smell, and the suggestion of smelling Victor’s pee highlight the grotesque and the taboo. The sisters’ willingness to discuss these openly normalizes bodily functions and defuses shame.
Playful Relationship Dynamics: The “bearcat curse” becomes a metaphor for understanding and accepting a partner’s quirks. Victor’s refusal to eat spiders or snails is reinterpreted as a romantic sacrifice, turning a mundane quirk into a love story.
Language and Creativity: Coining “PoMoRo” and “PoMoRoPorno” shows how the sisters use wordplay to frame their lives. The invented genre is both a joke and a genuine reflection of their relationship: confusing, layered, and ultimately rewarding.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 9 exemplifies Lawson’s signature style: a meandering, laugh‑out‑loud conversation that appears trivial but reveals her core themes. It shows how she and Lisa bond through shared weirdness, how Victor’s straight‑man persona grounds her, and how humor defuses mental‑health struggles (though not explicitly mentioned here, the lack of darkness signals a lighter moment in Broken). The chapter also demonstrates Lawson’s skill at turning a single, stupid question into a web of inside jokes, scientific trivia, and biographical storytelling. It’s a palate cleanser that reinforces the book’s message: joy can be found in the most unexpected places.

Study Questions and Answers

Question 1: What purpose does the bearcat (binturong) serve in the conversation between Jenny and Lisa?
Answer: The bearcat becomes a springboard for absurd speculation: first as a creature with popcorn‑scented urine, then as a symbol for Victor’s perceived bearcat‑nature. It allows the sisters to explore the idea that Victor’s quirks (e.g., not eating over the sink) might be romantic sacrifices. The bearcat ties together random facts (diet, endangered status) and transforms a marital joke into a running theme.

Question 2: How does the chapter’s title question—“How do dogs know they have penises?”—relate to the overall theme of the chapter?
Answer: The title question is a deliberately silly starting point that defies rational answer. Rather than answering it, the sisters embrace its absurdity and let it lead to other tangents. This mirrors Lawson’s approach to life: grappling with unanswerable questions through humor and connection. The question also draws attention to gender norms (dogs lifting vs. squatting) and human projections onto animals.

Question 3: In what way does the invention of “PoMoRo” (Postmodern Romance) reflect Jenny and Victor’s relationship?
Answer: PoMoRo is described as slightly baffling yet ultimately understandable, like postmodern art. Jenny applies it directly to her marriage: “That’s totally me and Victor.” It suggests that their relationship doesn’t fit conventional romance; it’s chaotic, full of inside jokes, and works despite appearances. The term “PoMoRoPorno” further heightens the absurdity, reinforcing that their love is both unconventional and passionate.