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Arnstein A dogsbody/dog's body is "someone who does menial or drudge work" according to Wikipedia. Alternatively it could be used to mean 'lackey' and I think …moreA dogsbody/dog's body is "someone who does menial or drudge work" according to Wikipedia. Alternatively it could be used to mean 'lackey' and I think this is how Dunn uses it. Her exact intent is unclear to me, but I'm guessing it refers to putting on a feminine side which she does not identify with. It is as if she just happened to have a woman's body while she saw herself as separate from it. She did write about adolescence and the gap between body/mind that occurs during it (especially in Truck), perhaps this is what she is alluding to here as well. Of course, the imagery surrounding Attic is a lot darker so there might be some childhood trauma involved. In that case Dogsbody might be her sexual side and that might be what she is distancing herself from. In any case, Dogsbody is a shield, a victim to the outside world instead of her.

The thigh-links might be a mental image as well. I could not find anything about the use of such tools on prisoners, (note, searching for it yields only NSFW results) and must assume it wasn't actually used. If it is an image then it might either be a reference to how "good girls" sit, with their knees together, or a mental exercise that makes the force of her closed legs seem more real.

This is the sense I've made of it at least. I've tried to see if Dunn said anything about this, but I've found nothing beyond that these were all part of the real events she went through in the penitentiary. Perhaps the feelings behind this was just too difficult to describe in any other way, yet so unique that the rest of us struggle with placing ourselves in that situation.(less)

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