Dragonsong

Throughout the novel, music serves as a motif of Empowerment Through Self-Expression. Composing and performing music is integral to Menolly’s goals and to her understanding of who she is. The uniqueness of Menolly’s musical ability is immediately apparent in the fact that the teenager is the only member of the Sea Hold with perfect pitch and the skills to play multiple instruments. During her years in the restrictive society of Half-Circle, music is the “one thing that had made her life bearable” (44). Her parents’ systematic attempts to thwart their daughter’s dream of becoming a professional musician have a disastrous impact on her self-esteem and overall well-being. For example, she feels “desolation” when Yanus takes her gitar away, and she nearly loses her arm when Mavi lets her wounded hand worsen in an attempt to end her playing. By barring Menolly from making music, her parents seek to rob her of her power and force her to conform to their restrictive expectations that she docilely complete arduous daily tasks with no regard for her own expression or fulfillment.

Over time, the protagonist reclaims her love of music and starts singing and playing instruments again with the help of the fire lizards, and music and self-expression are also vital to the story’s happy ending.