garp
World According to Garp. ... After much background information on the Percys, for example, Irving shifts--in mid-paragraph--to the story of how Garp lost half his ear: A Newfoundland is a breed of oily-coated dog resembling an all-black Saint Bernard with webbed feet; they are generally slothful and friendly. ... What disappointed me--this time around--is apparently whats disappointed many women about The World According to Garp. Irving has created a strong female protagonist, Jenny Fields, and he blames his male characters--Garp and Standish--for overprotectiveness, for feeling that they can control the uncontrollable; but at the same time Irving seems to feel that women cannot think and act for themselves. That is, when Garp has an affair (with a babysitter), it is blamed on Garp; when Helen has an affair (with Michael Milton), it is partially blamed on Garp for not having sex with her when she needed sex. When Ellen James publishes her famous essay on why she isnt an Ellen Jamesian, Garp is blamed, not only by the Ellen Jamesians, but by Helen and Roberta, who feel the essay is unnecessary and that the Ellen Jamesians will disappear eventually.