39 pages • 1 hour read
Ruth Stiles GannettMy Father's Dragon
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1948A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaChapters 9-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 9 Summary: “My Father Builds a Bridge”
As twilight sets in, Elmer puzzles over how to cross the river. He sees a tall flagpole with a rope attached that reaches across the river. The rope is connected to a crank. A sign directs passengers to turn the crank to call the dragon and to report any trouble to Gorilla. Elmer realizes the other end of the rope is around the baby dragon’s neck. He thinks how horrible life must be for him: getting his wings twisted by Gorilla on one side of the river, or having his neck pulled by the rope on the other. Elmer decides he must climb the flagpole and go hand over hand across the rope over the river, when Crocodile, hungry for a sweet morsel, invites him to swim.
Elmer declines but offers Crocodile a pink lollipop. The crocodile and his 16 friends enthusiastically accept. Elmer places one lollipop on the riverbank for the first crocodile to lick. He politely asks to walk along his back and rubber-bands a lollipop to his tail so the next crocodile can lick it. Crocodile agrees, and Elmer begins attaching lollipops to each tail, making a bridge of crocodiles spanning the river.
Chapter 10 Summary: “My Father Finds the Dragon”
Elmer suddenly hears a terrible ruckus. All the animals, led by the two angry boars, are furious at being deceived by the “invasion” who has come to take their dragon. They race toward Elmer shouting “Kill it!” Elmer finishes attaching lollipops to the last two crocodiles’ tails and leaps to the far riverbank, just as the animals jump onto the crocodiles opposite and start across Elmer’s bridge.
The baby dragon, excitedly realizing that Elmer has come to rescue him, can hardly stay still as Elmer uses his jackknife to begin cutting through the thick rope around the dragon’s neck. The first crocodile finishes his lollipop and swims away from the bank, followed by the others. The narrator reminds the reader that crocodiles are unreliable, always hungry, and now have “feasts” on their backs.
Elmer finishes cutting the rope, and he and the dragon laugh at the animals floating away on the line of crocodiles. Elmer is eager to leave; as soon as the jubilant dragon calms down, Elmer climbs onto its back. Elmer tells the dragon they will spend the night on the shore of Tangerina and then journey home. They fly over the angry animals and the Ocean Rocks. Mouse shouts for them to come back, but Elmer and the dragon know they will never return to Wild Island.
Chapters 9-10 Analysis
Tension mounts as Elmer draws closer to saving the dragon while the angry animals follow hot on his heels, determined to stop him. Elmer’s successful rescue concludes the novel with a happy ending and brings Gannett’s exploration of bravery, ingenuity, and social sensitivity to fruition. In this novel, courage and compassion are rewarded.
Elmer knows that time is running out for him to save the dragon. The monkeys will not distract the gorilla forever, and the boars will soon discover the lion in hair braids and come back up the trail searching for him. While his sense of urgency increases, Elmer remains focused on solving the problem at hand: crossing the river. He shows both mental and physical courage as he logically assesses the rope and crank system, evaluates his options, and determines that he must take the dangerous physical route, going hand over hand above the perilous river. Elmer’s decision reveals his bravery and commitment to his quest. Should he fall, “unfriendly things” in the river could attack him. Elmer is again prepared to risk his life to save the dragon.
Elmer reveals his empathy and strong sense of justice when contemplating the baby dragon’s plight. The dragon’s situation is particularly egregious because the dragon is innocent, a child. The dragon is also the only truly “fantastical” animal in the story, meaning that his existence is not presented as an ordinary fact of life. This makes the dragon’s subjugation even crueler: The animals are subjugating not only a minor, but one they possibly see as an “other.”
Elmer realizes that the dragon is completely at the mercy of the animals’ agendas and the gorilla’s commands. Gorilla will either twist the dragon’s wings or turn the crank until the rope chokes him. Elmer recognizes that the dragon is living a terrible life of forced servitude and understands that the gorilla’s job is that of taskmaster. The sign on the crank confirms Gorilla’s role and instructs passengers to report “disorderly conduct,” an umbrella term for undesirable behavior. The sign suggests the animals have a very human social structure—including the flaws of human society. The gorilla says that twisting Elmer’s arms is his “work.” Meeting the gorilla enforcer, reading the sign, and observing the torturous crank justifies Elmer’s drive to rescue the dragon.
Elmer’s concerns about the river’s dangers prove justified when the crocodile invites him to “swim.” Elmer respectfully declines and shows his cleverness by presenting an alternative: lollipops (75). Elmer not only distracts the crocodiles from eating him, but uses them as tools to solve his problem. Elmer’s ingenuity and preparation pay off.
Rescuing the excitable baby dragon is the climax, where the story’s conflicts come to a head and resolve. Gannett continues to build tension up to the moment the dragon is safe. The enraged animals follow Elmer across the bridge, howling for his blood. Even though he is racing against time, Elmer bravely keeps his cool; he urges the dragon to stay calm, showing both courage and focus.
Elmer addresses the dragon as “old boy.” The term colloquially—and datedly—means buddy, friend, or “old chap.” Elmer’s use is amusing, as Elmer is a child himself.
Elmer saves the dragon—the opposite of what fairy tale heroes, who typically slay dragons to save princesses, do. When the two are safe, Elmer takes the lead: He makes plans for the night and the trip home. Elmer’s young age does not hinder his success. Elmer completes his dangerous mission on his own, without any help from adults. Elmer proves he is a brave, resourceful, kind-hearted explorer, and a positive role model for young readers. Through him, the novel shows how courage allows one to realize their dreams.
