When Women Were Dragons

Dragons symbolize a plethora of complex ideas throughout the novel. The act of dragoning, while considered inexcusably subversive by the repressive society that Barnhill creates, is a symbol of women’s determination to fulfill their inner potential and embrace their true identities in open defiance of the social strictures that would condemn their choice. Thus, dragons also come to represent women who embrace the values of feminism; while Barnhill’s women become literal dragons, there are many real-world women who have become metaphorical “dragons” by daring to subvert the expectations of 1950s-era American values. They may not sprout wings, tails, or claws, but their presence and influence in society cannot be ignored any more than the oppressive elements of Barnhill’s world can persist in ignoring the existence of true dragons in their midst.

Thus, dragons become a symbol of space and transformation: femininity’s defiance of the shame and fear that society would impose upon women’s choice to embody their true selves. Conversely, from the point of view of the larger, restrictive society, dragons are condemned as unnatural monstrosities and sources of silent shame; they represent the untamed power of femininity that refuses to conform to traditional

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