Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher

This section of the book focuses on the more challenging realities of living with Tiamat, and as Jeremy struggles to keep his activities a secret, he finds himself dealing with The Challenges of Friendship on many different fronts, for his new responsibilities strain his existing relationships. Chapter 6 also outlines the practical challenges of caring for a dragon. Jeremy initially struggles to communicate with Tiamat because she thinks in pictures and does not understand commands framed in words. Compounding the problem is the need to keep Tiamat a secret, a fact that Coville uses to build tension in the story. However, when Jeremy notices that his mother cannot see Tiamat, he realizes that he doesn’t need to physically hide the dragon from others. Therefore, the primary issues of secrecy come from Jeremy’s efforts to act normally while Tiamat engages in various forms of mischief, the consequences of which become increasingly dire as she grows in size and strength and begins asserting her own independence.

As Jeremy navigates his new responsibilities, the act of naming the dragon becomes a significant milestone in Jeremy and Tiamat’s relationship, emphasizing The Mutual Benefits of Caregiving. Coville also uses this scene to connect his own tale with many famous dragons from literature and mythology. For example, the name that she chooses, “Tiamat,” comes from the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of the primordial sea. Similarly, “Smaug” is the violent dragon depicted in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937), and “Fafnir” is the name of a dragon in Norse mythology, slain by the hero Sigurd; this story is a major source of inspiration for Tolkien’s own book. The “ouroboros” is a cyclical symbol of a serpent eating its tail; this image appears in several different traditions, including Norse and Egyptian mythology. “Heart’s Blood” references the 1984 book of the same name by Jane Yolen, while “Ruth” is the name of the titular dragon from Anne McCaffrey’s The White Dragon (1978). Thus, Coville slips in multiple references to different dragons in literature, obliquely encouraging his readers to explore these titles and characters further.

While Tiamat’s naming is a significant step forward in the bond that she shares with Jeremy, her presence also complicates his existing relationships, and nowhere are The Challenges of Friendship more apparent than in the deteriorating interactions between Jeremy and Spess. Because Spess has no interest in dragons or fantasy, he cannot see Tiamat, and despite Jeremy’s attempts to take Spess to the magic shop, they cannot find it, either. These setbacks create a rift between the two friends, for Jeremy remains unable to share the amazing new developments in his life with Spess, and his inability to explain the situation leads to an argument that isolates Jeremy even further. Jeremy’s reluctance to go to school on Monday is therefore driven by his desire to stay with Tiamat and to avoid further humiliation from his classmates. Although his attempts to focus on art provide a temporary escape, Mr. Kravitz’s criticism of his drawing of a dragon ruins this as well. Significantly, whenever Jeremy feels emotional distress, Tiamat does, too, as is demonstrated by her agitation upon shedding her skin. Likewise, her experience of being startled by Grief mirrors Jeremy’s frustrations at school, emphasizing the innate bond between boy and dragon and foreshadowing greater conflicts to come.

As is the case with many of the chapters in the book, Coville ends Chapter 7 with a cliffhanger and Jeremy being “too upset by what he saw” (86) to pay attention to Tiamat. This strategic description acts to emphasize the depths of his dismay, for Tiamat is currently the sole focus of his life, and anything that could make him fail to pay attention to her must therefore be truly disastrous. Ironically, when the narrative reveals that the source of his distress is the unexpected presence of Mary Lou, her entrancement with Tiamat—whom she alone of Jeremy’s peers can see—marks her as a friend and ally, not an enemy. With her declaration, “I love dragons” (88), it becomes clear that Mary Lou is more open to the possibility of magic. This development presents Jeremy with a new angle on The Challenges of Friendship, for he must now learn to overcome his bias against her and accept the fact that their mutual love for Tiamat creates legitimate grounds for a friendship. Mary Lou’s genuine concern over Jeremy’s well-being and her promise not to reveal Tiamat’s existence show that such a bond has promise, but at this point, Jeremy is still too dismissive of her to appreciate her unexpected support.

Coville’s sense of humor returns in this section of the novel with the chaotic dinner party, which Jeremy has been dreading for a full week. To heighten the hilarity of the disastrous event, Coville utilizes repeated warnings from Jeremy’s parents, who emphasize the importance of the evening to Dr. Thatcher’s business. This pressure in advance of the event sets the stage for the inevitable disaster that occurs when Tiamat invites herself to the gathering and proceeds to indulge her own curiosity and engage in mischief. The absurdity of the scene is further heightened by the fact that, of the six people present, only the two children are aware of the coming disaster. Coville uses the scrambling cats, excited dog, and flying food to create a maelstrom of chaos, and the event culminates when Jeremy’s father lands face-first in mashed potatoes, adding a key moment of slapstick humor that contrasts with Jeremy’s desperate attempts to manage the situation. In addition to serving as comic relief, the scene also shows the precarious nature of Jeremy’s situation and the potential for disaster to erupt at any moment.