The Smallest Dragonboy

Conflict pays a pivotal role in the development and execution of “The Smallest Dragonboy.” The conflicts Keevan faces serve as catalysts for his growth and development as a character, allowing him to find success and let go of the pressure to prove himself worthy in the eyes of others. These issues can be categorized into three types: external, internal, and societal.

The story’s external conflict is the physical obstacle that Keevan faces due to his small size. The other boys, who are all larger and stronger than he is, do not take him seriously as a candidate for dragonrider. They belittle and taunt Keevan, stirring feelings of inadequacy and inferiority in him. Beterli, the senior bully among the group of candidates, tells him that “there are enough of us without a babe” (10). These conflicts emphasize his isolation from the other candidates. Primarily driven physically and verbally by Beterli, these interpersonal struggles add to the hopelessness and alienation Keevan already feels regarding his dreams of Impressing a dragon and becoming a dragonrider. This conflict also establishes Beterli as the story’s antagonist and as a foil character to Keevan by demonstrating that they are both physical and moral opposites.

The internal conflict in the story derives from the emotional turmoil Keevan experiences due to personal insecurities about his size. This is exacerbated both by the constant bullying he faces from other boys and by the dragonriders’ discussions about eliminating smaller contenders from the competition. Symbols such as the dragon eggs and the hot sands are used both concretely and abstractly to represent this struggle. The dragon eggs represent the potential for greatness, but they also perpetuate the value Keevan’s society places on size due to the perception that dragons choose to Impress based on a person’s physical power. Keevan is drawn to the eggs because they represent hope and opportunity for him and a means to overcome the marginalization he suffers based on his small size. In contrast, the hot sands he must cross to complete his quest represent Keevan’s harsh realities and the pressure he puts on himself to succeed. The heat and discomfort of the sands are a physical reminder of his internal challenges, and his repeated stumbles as he crosses them emphasize the challenges he most overcome to make rank as a dragonrider.

The story’s third level of conflict is a societal struggle against the cultural norms that dictate the roles and expectations of individuals within Keevan’s community. In his world, being a dragonrider is the highest honor one can achieve. However, this honor is reserved for those who are physically strong and capable. Keevan’s small size makes fulfilling this dream harder for him than for anyone else. He is well aware of his disadvantages, having “been reminded too often that he was eligible to be a candidate by one day only. He, of all the hopefuls, was most likely to be left standing on the great day. One more reason why he simply had to Impress at his first hatching” (9).

Keevan’s family dynamic presents a microcosm of this societal conflict, as he and his father, K’last, are nothing alike. K’last embodies societal expectations: He is large, tall, and strong, and he Impressed a brown at his own hatching. This reinforces the cultural expectation that physical strength and size are necessary to gain respect within the community. It also supports the story’s theme that the combination of Character and Individuality determines a person’s desirability, not simply their size. K’last is strong and powerful, but the dragons resisted Beterli on eight prior occasions. This indicates that the dragons’ choices are rooted in candidates’ unique attributes, not simply their size.

All three types of conflict are interconnected and work together to create a sense of tension and drama throughout the story. The external conflict creates obstacles for Keevan that he must overcome through non-physical means due to the constraints of his size. Meanwhile, his internal conflict creates an emotional stake in his success while also emphasizing his strength of character, which outshines his physical qualities. Finally, the societal conflict provides a larger context for his struggle, employing moments of foreshadowing among community members—most significantly, Lessa, K’last, and Mende—to emphasize the role of the story’s themes in Keevan’s journey to becoming a dragonrider.

Conflict is essential to the development of the story as it creates a narrative that adds complexity and empathetic appeal to Keevan’s character, allowing Anne McCaffrey to explore themes like Character and Individuality, Loneliness and Self-Doubt, and The Payoff of Perseverance. Though Keevan’s smaller and weaker size distinguishes him from the other candidates, his ability to think creatively in the face of adversity and approach problems in unique ways sets him apart from the other candidates. For example, when Keevan is faced with going down the ramp in his injured state, he’s afraid he might fall if he races down it standing. However, he realizes that “he could, of course, go flat on his rear end, the way crawling children did” (25). In making this choice, Keevan uses his small size and behaviors that people expect of a child—which he is often perceived to be—to gain a physical advantage that allows him to get to the Hatching Ground and Impress Heth. The use of his individuality to succeed emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s unique qualities, even if they aren’t valued by one’s society.

Conflict also allows McCaffrey to make extensive use of hyperbole and metaphorical language to further heighten the drama and tension surrounding the obstacles Keevan must overcome to attend Impression. This is most significant during his journey from the living caverns to the Hatching Grounds while suffering from the injuries Beterli recently inflicted upon him. The conflict additionally works to bring about opportunities for juxtaposition: Opposing the large Beterli—who not only fails to Impress but is also banned indefinitely due to unworthy behavior—to petite Keevan elevates the intangible qualities that make him unique and worthy of Impression.

The ending of the story, in which Keevan and Heth exit the Hatching Ground together full of “pride and joy” (32), paints the picture of Keevan completing his journey to both success and self-discovery and returning home. Through conflict and struggle, Keevan learns to value his individuality and his newly formed bond with Heth more than the opinions of others. This newfound lack of concern with others’ approval is evident in the story’s conclusion: He “wasn’t even aware that he was ringed by the boys passed over, while thirty-one pairs of resentful eyes watched him Impress the dragon” (31).