28 pages • 56 minutes read
Anne McCaffreyThe Smallest Dragonboy
Fiction | Short Story | Middle Grade | Published in 1973A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Character and Individuality
No amount of brute strength, height, or muscle mass can offset the poor quality of Beterli’s character. He has already attended eight Impressions, yet no dragon has chosen him. Beterli taunts Keevan, “Maybe if you run fast enough […] you could catch a dragon” (5), demonstrating his misbelief that success is measured solely in physical ability. He continues, “You can’t even see over an egg […] ’Course, you could get run down that way in the mad scramble” (10-11), hyperfixating on the size of the candidates. Beterli makes no effort to improve his character; instead, he increasingly relies on his physical strengths by resorting to aggression and intimidation of his peers. In contrast, through an array of conflicts, Keevan’s integrity is proven and even grows stronger. When he is verbally thrashed by Beterli, Keevan keeps his composure, reacting with dignity and poise to keep “his voice level, telling himself not to be bothered by mere words” (10). When Beterli physically threatens him, Keevan holds his own yet doesn’t retaliate with insults or violence. When given the opportunity to report his bullying, Keevan chooses compassion over revenge.
At dinner, K’last argues in favor of continuing to let every boy over 12 attend Impression, stating, “Only a dragon—each particular dragon—knows what he wants in a rider” (14). A dragon not only assesses the caliber of a candidate’s character but also seeks distinct qualities that are particular to each individual. K’last goes on to mention, “Time and again the theorists […] are surprised by dragon choice” (14-15), implying that it is unpredictable and heavily weighted toward individual preferences. On inspection day at the beginning of the story, Beterli taunts Keevan and asserts that he “better get in front or the dragons won’t see you at all” (10), to which Keevan replies, “You’d better make sure a dragon sees you, this time” (11). Considering Beterli’s large size and his eight prior Impressions, the retort seems less about the dragons’ seeing Beterli’s body and more about allowing them to see his individuality of character.
Even the wingsecond mentions at the beginning of the story that if a dragon doesn’t Impress on a candidate on Hatching Day, “that doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t dragonrider material, just that the dragon for you hasn’t been shelled” (9). There are likely boys of great character left standing on Keevan’s Hatching Day without Impressing, but this comment confirms Lessa’s earlier hypothesis: “A case in point of what I said last night […] where a hatchling makes no choice because the right boy isn’t there” (29). This is evident in Keevan’s situation: Although he arrives late, Heth is in the process of exiting the Hatching Grounds when he arrives. Because the right candidate for him is not present, he does not Impress on anyone prior to finding Keevan. There are presumably other candidates who possess the qualities of character—honesty, perseverance, courage, goodness—that led Keevan to this moment on the Hatching Ground. However, for Heth these qualities alone were insufficient to drive Heth’s choice, as he overlooked more than 70 other candidates. Keevan’s character combined with his individuality draws Heth to him; their wordless conversation demonstrates that despite being a desired dragon, Heth also seeks to be valued and cherished for his uniqueness.
Loneliness and Self-Doubt
Hiding subtly behind Keevan’s desire to be respected and deemed worthy of being a dragonrider regardless of his size are the desires to be seen, to find a sense of belonging, and to secure an unbreakable friendship. These longings are subtly mentioned early on when he daydreams of the possibility of Impressing a dragon on Hatching Day: “To be chosen—to be a dragonrider! To sit astride the neck of a winged beast with jeweled eyes: to be his friend, in telepathic communion with him for life; to be his companion in good times and fighting extremes” (4). While proving himself is what Keevan focuses most on, the wishes at the forefront of his mind include friendship, communion, and companionship.
Keevan’s size alienates him from not only his peers but also from his father, the dragonriders, and the rest of his community. He’s constantly called “babe,” “too young,” and “too small,” despite “working, twice as hard as any other boy his age, to prove himself capable” (5). He’s ridiculed by Beterli when he dares to “boast of his swiftness” (5). Even the community’s bootmaker complained about having to sew shoes small enough to fit Keevan’s feet.
Though Mende is Keevan’s greatest supporter and loves her fosterling dearly, even she perpetuates his loneliness and self-doubt by further emphasizing his differences. She intends to encourage him by arguing that “dragons see into a man’s heart” (6) and look for “goodness, honesty, a flexible mind, patience, courage” (6)—all of which Keevan possesses—and often overlook some boys “in favor of someone not so strong or tall or handsome” (6). However, this encouragement further highlights Keevan’s differences from the other boys. When K’last, Keevan’s father, is introduced at dinner, the narrator points out that “it puzzled Keevan how his father, a brown rider and a tall man, could be his father—because he, Keevan, was so small” (13). Keevan’s loneliness is due not only to a lack of friends among those his own age but also to feeling alienated from his own father while longing to be “more like [him]” (14). The feeling is reciprocated, as “it obviously puzzled K’last, too, when he deigned to notice his small son: ‘In a few more Turns, you’ll be as tall as I am—or taller!’” (13). Not only is his father at a loss to understand how different Keevan is from him, but he also seems to often forget about his son altogether. When he does remember Keevan, his remarks focus on his size or the possibility that he might come to resemble him more in the future, given time. These comments perpetuate his son’s self-doubt and loneliness by continuing to emphasize that he is inadequate at his current size.
The Payoff of Perseverance
Keevan’s tenacity is pushed to new limits as the obstacles increase leading up to Hatching Day. At the onset of the story, he struggles to keep up with the group of candidates: “[A]lthough Keevan lengthened his walking stride as far as his legs would stretch, he couldn’t quite keep up” (3). Despite being aware of his inability to match the “spanking pace” Beterli sets, and knowing he’d “arrive, tail fork-end of the group, breathless, chest heaving” (3), Keevan continues to push himself to his physical limits. Through “working, twice as hard as any other boy his age” (5), Keevan remains determined to prove himself and not allow the discouragement of others to stop him from pursuing his goals.
By maintaining a positive attitude, Keevan exemplifies another aspect of perseverance that is ultimately rewarded. Throughout “The Smallest Dragonboy,” Keevan remains optimistic and determined, even when faced with setbacks. At times, his own doubts or those of others threaten to deter him from his goal by introducing negative perspectives, such as when he distractedly fumbles through chores the morning after the worrisome dinner conversations the previous night about excluding smaller candidates. Keevan admits to Mende dejectedly, “They’re going to keep me from this Impression” (17). She quickly rejects this idea, and Keevan lets the anxiety go, continuing his hard work. Thus, perseverance doesn’t mean that one never struggles or doubts their future success, but that they continue their efforts despite these obstacles.
The use of perseverance through physical means demonstrates that Keevan’s inner strength can be more significant, at times, than his physical strength. His resolve is tested through Beterli’s bullying and physical threats. Beterli claims the egg thought to contain the only bronze of this hatching, and no one dares approach it for fear of being beaten. However, Keevan smiles to himself, “because he had already touched it—every inspection day, when the others were leaving the Hatching Ground and no one could see him crouch to stroke it” (10). His persistence, even at the possibility that he might be caught and attacked by Beterli, testifies to Keevan’s determination to succeed regardless of his obstacles. Later in the story, Keevan displays another moment of tenacity in front of Beterli. When Beterli tricks him into thinking he was ousted from Impression and seizes the shovel from him, Keevan “yanked the shovel from Beterli’s loosened grasp. Snarling, the older boy tried to regain possession, but Keevan clung with all his strength to the handle, dragged back and forth as the stronger boy jerked the shovel about” (19). The physical resistance severely injures Keevan, but in a display of perseverance, he uses whatever means are necessary—including scooting down a ramp on his rear like a child, using a pole as a walking stick, and running—and falling—on an injured leg—to make it to the Hatching Ground in time to make an Impression on Heth, persevering despite his pain.
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By Anne McCaffrey
