Uprooted

Content Warning: The section includes discussion of rape, death, and graphic violence.

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what the stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon.”

The opening lines function on several levels at once. They establish the first-person narration and tone of the novel, introduce the Dragon as a potential antagonist while also explaining his importance to the valley, and establish the premise of the inciting incident (the Dragon’s selection of Agnieszka). These lines also introduce the motif of stories in a way that immediately differentiates them from reality and introduces their capacity to influence people’s perceptions.

“[H]e scowled. ‘Those with the gift must be taught: the king’s law requires it. In any case, it would have been idiotic of me to leave you sitting there like a ripe plum until something came along out of the Wood and ate you, and made itself into a truly remarkable horror.’”

Up to this point, Agnieszka has believed that the Dragon is casting spells on or through her. Now, he explains that he is teaching them to her. He also explains that he did not want to choose her but was required to once he sensed her magical potential. This exchange alters the dynamic between the characters and shifts the Dragon’s role from antagonist to mentor. The Dragon’s words also touch on the Wood’s ability to absorb the powers of those it infects, which is key to its depiction as a symbol of The Corrupting Influence of Power.