King and the Dragonflies

King and the Dragonflies is a coming-of-age story, meaning the protagonist, King, is on a journey of self-discovery. At the beginning of the novel, King recalls when his friend Sandy told him he was gay, and King responded that he might be gay, too. However, he decides that he can’t be Sandy’s friend anymore because his brother Khalid overheard their conversation and told King, “You don’t want people to think you’re gay, too, do you?” (27). Khalid is now gone, so King believes that being friends with Sandy would dishonor his dead brother’s memory. King’s father has also expressed anti-gay sentiments. He also recalls his father saying that being gay is “unnatural” (56). During a Thanksgiving Dinner, King’s father said, “Black people can’t be gay. [...] If a Black person is ever gay, it’s because they’ve been around white people too much” (57). Thus, for King to accept the feelings he has for other boys and finally embrace his own identity, he must overcome the anti-gay influence of two people he loves. It is not until the end of the novel that King admits to himself that what Khalid told him about being gay hurt him, even though Khalid meant no harm and was just trying to protect him. King eventually summons the courage to tell his father that he might be gay even though he thinks his dad will reject him as a son. While his father admits to not knowing how he feels about King’s being gay, he does not reject him.

Throughout the novel, King tries to understand the complicated feelings he has for other people. He knows he likes Jasmine as a friend but is confused about what that really means. When he notices that Jasmine may want to be his girlfriend, he asks himself, “Does Jasmine want to go out with me? I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I don’t think Jasmine’s ever had a boyfriend before. If we like each other, is that what we’re supposed to do? What’s the difference between liking Jasmine as a friend and liking Jasmine as a girlfriend?” (19). King even seeks advice about romance from his straight friend, Darrell: “How do you know if you like someone—you know, like that?” (113). Darrell responds, “Either you like someone or you don’t. [...] It’s easy enough to figure out” (113).

However, feelings are not easy to figure out for King. He thinks, “Jasmine is a friend, and I like her just fine—like her a lot, actually—but should that mean I want to hold her hand? To hug in the hallways, same way I see some of the upperclassmen doing before the bell rings? Should that mean I want to kiss her? God, no. No, I definitely don’t want to do that” (113). Nevertheless, when Jasmine tells King she would like to be his boyfriend, King says yes because he knows that’s what she wants to hear. It is not until the end of the novel, after everyone knows that he helped Sandy hide, that he admits to Jasmine that he likes her only as a friend. She is angry at first, but eventually accepts the situation.

This interaction characterizes King’s journey to self-discovery as a whole. Rather than considering how his identity will harm his relationships, he must decide to be himself despite external pressure. His development completes when he comes out to his parents and his friends and decides to attend therapy for his grief.