Abstract: In the narrative work "Master and Dog", German modernist writer Thomas Mann constructed an image of a hunting dog full of primitive vitality as a contrast to modern humans, and discussed the possibility of humanity's return to a natural state. The hound Baoshan appears in the pose of a Sphinx, guiding its master on a journey of "return" to self-discovery: it disrupts the persistent state of rationality in its owner, leading him to embrace the call of natural things and delve deeper into the search for humanity's original, instinctual freedom. This return ultimately reaches its climax during their hunting. Baoshan's passionate performance pushing the master's physical impulses and spiritual fervor to their peak. A displaced, animalistic state of existence seems to become a possibility for humans to confront the nihilism of reality. However, when this self-release evolves into cruel killing, the master ultimately stops the violence out of compassion. Through this, the novel sets a moral baseline for the assertion of free will.