The Smallest Dragonboy

The dragon eggs symbolize the importance that Keevan’s society places on size as an indicator of worth. The wingsecond refers to a “promising egg” at the beginning of the story, noting how “the stretch marks were larger than yesterday” (8). Stretch marks are types of scars that usually depict the fast stretching or shrinking of skin, so they are evidenced more often during growth spurts. Just as Keevan battles with others’ speculation based on his physical size, the dragons are subjected to these same biases. The stretch marks on this particular egg deem it “promising,” suggesting it shows potential for success, yet it hasn’t proven that just yet. Candidates make presumptions about which dragons to target or strive for based on cultural biases that they impose upon the dragons, rather than on actual knowledge of the dragons’ attributes. The eventual event of the dragons’ hatching is another symbol in the story, as dragons in Keevan’s society are assigned value at their hatching. In this case, Heth’s hatching coincides with his Impression on Keevan, which symbolically allows Keevan to “hatch” and discover his own value. Likewise, the hatching symbolizes Keevan’s rebirth as the brave dragonrider K’van, who is the new target of both respect and envy from the other candidates.