by Rochelle Foulk

Created on: October 25, 2010

Dragons

Dragons are mythical creatures depicted differently in western and eastern civilizations. While the eastern philosophy introduces wisdom, luck and guardians of truth through these magical creatures; western mythologies create knight eating beasts that hoard treasures and virgin maidens. Sarah Wellington describes the character of her novella, The Stone People, as a dragon. “I have no scales –or wings- nor can I breathe fire or fly. However I am certain that once you know the truth, you will see what I see every day in the mirror” (6).  The prologue introduces one of the many themes of rage as the grounding point of change as the reader journeys through the chaotic life of Sarah, the main character.

            Wellington’s voice is reminiscent of a child speaking through an adult body, “Saucy was her name, a temperamental mare that preferred to eat instead of running” (7). The horse is “my kind of horse” (7) based on the desire for food over freedom. Indicating obesity or weight issues during childhood, food only mentioned in the first and third chapters are referenced for escape and fear of abandonment. “I was on the outside again, looking at my family” (27). Wellington’s perpetuation of mythological stories is riddled through every chapter, fashioning a hero in Sarah’s mind to slay the dragon.  The giant to a third grader is envisioned by the third grade Sarah is also a beast akin to western ideologies (9).

            The story jumps through time not following any literary standards which is confusing to the reader. Flashbacks and memories are utilized in storytelling giving the audience a picture, identifiers and hook into the piece. “I remember being seventeen” (21).  “Going back now…”(22) Wellington drifts from sitting in the IHOP at thirty, to being seventeen with closet lesbian role models then transitions to eighteen and flashes back to sixteen, all in the space of one chapter and two pages. The chaotic jumps reflect an uneducated writer, however the statement of seeing her in the reflection of a mirror indicates this novella is not based on literary knowledge. The emotional roller coaster of sexually molested and abused women is evident in Wellington’s composition.

           

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