KidLit Forum

The action happens in winter when Charlotte and the author "went exploring the blank virgin spaces of the white world that lay beyond". The action is situated in winter when they followed the traces of an annonymous beast that they couldn't identify.It seemed something "lizardy" or "iguanadon" but it was needed a British name, so they called it "a dragon". But because the traces were little, they supposed it was a "half grown specimen", because "all the dragons must be small to begin with". They ended in a circus-man garden, and are invited to have some tea. Then, Charlotte asked the circus-man to tell a story.
He tells the story of a sheperd, his wife and their boy who was studying "book learning, natural history and fairy tales". One day the sheperd comes home extremely scared and describes a beast. The boy tells him not to worry because "it's only a dragon", and asks him not to go there without him because he doesn't know anything about dragons and they are quite sensitive. The boy gets there and hears the story of the dragon,who happens to write poems, and has been put away because he wasn't interested in chasing knights. The boy's mother cooked for the dragon when he was busy writing. But the boy knew that a "four cart-horses and covered with blue scales dragon, cannot be kept altogether out of the public view" and although "people were proud to have a dragon of their own", they knew it had to be exterminated. So they sent for St. George to kill the Dragon, but because the dragon doesn't want to fight, the boy plays the mediator between it and St. George, to get to an agreement. They get to meet and discuss the final details of the "manufactured" battle, but the boy is nervous as"a manager in his first night", because "the fight will take place without any rehearsal". The battle went as planned, and in the end St. George warned people there not to invent any more stories, to be friendly with the dragon, "and maybe he'll settle in" there.After the banquet the boy and St. George brought the Dragon back home.

Charlotte wanted to know more about the dragon.On their way back home, they heard a song about a dragon...

This story proves that dragons can be nice,too, they can write poems and love to play.They can feel lonely if nobody wants to play with them.

I consider that this fairy tale intends to emphasize that our preconceptions can be sometimes deceitful and this fact is exemplified during the plotline, especially when people decide to kill the dragon. This warning is given by the Boy , as you can see :
'' When the other people find you out, they’ll come after you with spears and swords and all
sorts of things. You’ll have to be exterminated, according to their way of looking at it!
You’re a scourge, and a pest, and a baneful monster!''
Despite the fact that this dragon, " a happy Bohemian, lolled on the turf, enjoyed the sunsets, told
antediluvian anecdotes to the Boy, and polished his old verses while meditating on
fresh ones" it was perceived a threat for citizens.

In a way or another in this fairy tale everything is left for the boy to solve, and not for other people,for example his parents, not even for the ruler of that area... the fact that the boy warns his father not to go there without him cause dragons are sensible,and his father doesn't know anything about dragons, it show us that only the boy can solve thi problem. When his mother cooks for the dragon when he's busy writing poems...we have here another type of dragon, who was sent away by his own folks because he didn't want to chase and kill knights, a dragon who takes care of himself and does his daily toilet...and we also deal with another type of knight, one who wants to kill the dragon even if he fakes the punches...and who asks for a princess to save...cause otherwise his reputation will be in danger.

The first impression after reading the beginning of the fairytale "The Reluctant Dragon" was that I was on the point to read about a terrible creature considering its title. The winter season and the footprints tended to suggest a mystic creature. It apppears a contrast between what we expect generraly to find and what we find is contrary to our expectations. The dragon was gentle,friendly and enjoyed to read poems. For sure the senses can deceive us. This FT prooves that in order to have a right perspective in life, stereotypes must be forgotten.

I expected in the end not to be respected their bargain and one of them to disrespect his part of the deal...either the dragon to be mean and kill the knight, either the knight to kill the dragon...