| abstract | - Spike the Bulldog is an American bulldog who is often seen as a recurring antagonist in the Tom and Jerry series, though he is also a protector of sorts towards Jerry Mouse (he saved Tom Cat once in "The Truce Hurts"), sometimes going as far as being an enforcer of sorts to the mischievious rodent - however there is no denying that Spike is often unjustly cruel towards Tom (a stereotype of dog/cat rivalry) and although he often gives Tom several chances to avoid his wrath he will attack the cat viciously once those chances have been spent. Tom often tries to get revenge on Spike, so it can be argued that much like Jerry Mouse himself Spike can play both the good guy and the bad guy depending on the cartoon - in general though he is a bully in regards to Tom and threatens bodily harm to the cat, to the point of making Tom fear for his live on numerous occassions. (Spike is friendly to the cat on some situations, however.) Spike can also be friendly when he wants to be and is seen to be a caring father, showing that although a fierce opponent he isn't entirely without merit. Also Tom's fear of Spike is showcased in the fact that when he had a nightmare about having died he envisioned Spike as none other than Satan himself. Ironically despite there close friendship nowadays in early appearances Spike was an enemy of both Tom and Jerry, with the cat and mouse occassionally teaming up to rid themselves of the aggressive beast: this element of Spike seems to have faded over time as he is now considered primarily Tom's secondary-nemesis (next to Jerry himself). In the Tom and Jerry Show in the 1970s, Spike was sometimes the rival to a basset hound called Droopy, another MGM creation. In Tom and Jerry Kids, his personality is softer, but his animosity with Tom as a kitten (or Tom's Child) still existed as he threatens Tom.
|
