Dealing with Dragons

“‘It’s… well, it’s simply not done.’

Cimorene considered. ‘Aren’t I a princess?’

‘Yes, of course you are, my dear,’ said her father with relief. He had been bracing himself for a storm or tears, which was the way his other daughters reacted to reprimands.

‘Well, I fence,’ Cimorene said with the air of one delivering an unshakable argument. ‘So it is too done by a princess.’”

This quotation establishes Cimorene’s determination to focus on Challenging the Status Quo in her ongoing quest to declare her own unique identity and gain a sense of agency in the world. Cimorene does not want to remain within the limited expectations of princess behavior, and she instead seeks to redefine society’s expectations for what a princess should or should not do. By choosing her own interests and path in life, she often defies traditional gender roles.

“‘Then you’ll tell your father you don’t want to marry me?’

‘I couldn’t do that!’ Therandil said, shocked. ‘It wouldn’t be right.’

‘Why not?’ Cimorene demanded crossly.

‘Because—because—well, because princes just don’t do that!’”

Like Cimorene, Prince Therandil often feels confined by expectations for people of his status, but rather than embracing an attitude of defiance, he unquestioningly accepts these limitations, even when doing so would seriously derail his own desires and ambitions in life. Unlike Cimorene, he doesn’t attempt to challenge gender roles or the status quo, believing that such defiance “isn’t right.” This exchanges demonstrates that Cimorene is unique among her peers.

“‘Kazul has not enchanted me, and I do not want to be rescued by anybody,’ Cimorene said, alarmed by the knight’s sudden enthusiasm. ‘This place suits me very well. I like polishing swords and cooking cherries jubilee and reading Latin scrolls. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone in Linderwall. They’ve been complaining about my un-princesslike behavior for years.”

This quotation demonstrates Cimorene’s ongoing determination to decide the attributes that will constitute her own identity. Although her world is full of fairy tale tropes and archetypes, Cimorene refuses to be defined by them. In this case, she contends with the assumption that princesses are usually kidnapped by a dragon and held in a tower until a knight comes to rescue and marry them.