45 pages • 1 hour read
Bruce CovilleJeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Bruce CovilleFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Midsummer Night
Midsummer Night (June 23) is the date on which Tiamat must go home to her own world. It represents a time of transformation, both literal and metaphorical, is firmly tied into the story’s themes of Overcoming Insecurities through Responsibility and understanding The Mutual Benefits of Caregiving. For Jeremy, the date signifies both the end of his time with Tiamat and the end sixth grade, after which he will transition to a new school. In this way, Bruce Coville uses Midsummer Night as a symbol of all the transitions in Jeremy’s life. As he steels himself to say goodbye to Tiamat, the bittersweet nature of this parting emphasizes the necessity of closing important chapters in life and moving on to embrace new opportunities and experiences. This lesson is clear in the context of Jeremy’s personal growth and his relationship with Tiamat. Over the course of the novel, he evolves from a lonely boy with self-doubts to someone who has cared for and ultimately let go of a powerful, magical creature. This transformation parallels Tiamat’s growth from an egg into a formidable dragon. Midsummer Night therefore marks the culmination of these arcs and commemorates the threshold that both characters must cross so that they may live as they are meant to. When Tiamat returns to her world on Midsummer Night, this moment is symbolic of the inevitability of change and the necessity of embracing it. The choice to include Midsummer itself is laden with symbolic meaning, as it is traditionally a time associated with magic as the sun reaches the height of its power. Just as the sun reaches its zenith before it begins to wane, Jeremy’s time with Tiamat reaches its peak before she must leave. This cyclical view of time represents the perpetual motion of life and the ever-present potential for renewal and new beginnings.
Teeth, Skin, and Eggshells
Tiamat’s baby teeth, skins, and fragments of eggshell represent the growth and transformation of Jeremy and Tiamat and their bond as the boy works on Overcoming Insecurities through Responsibility. Jeremy collects these items as Tiamat grows, and they are eventually used in the ritual that sends her home to her world. Each lost tooth is a tangible reminder of Tiamat’s growth and the transient nature of childhood. This also mirrors Jeremy’s transitional phase as he learns to cope with responsibility and accept the pain of letting Tiamat go. The sharp teeth reflect the bittersweet reality that growth often involves a loss of innocence, of the past, and of the familiar comforts of childhood. Similarly, the shed skins represent the shedding of old identities and the process of embracing new ones. Across many mythologies and cultures, the act of shedding skin is associated with rebirth and transformation, signifying the creature’s ability to adapt and grow. In the novel, this image supports the idea that growth often requires leaving behind old roles and identities in order to move forward. Finally, the act of saving the eggshells signifies the importance of remembering one’s origins and the initial conditions that made early growth possible. The fragility of the eggshells also highlights the delicate nature of beginnings. At the end of the story, these three items are used to build the gate to send Tiamat home. Collectively, they represent the idea that life is a series of continuous changes, and that each stage, whether it involves growth, renewal, or new beginnings, is interconnected and essential for the good of the whole.
The Dragon’s Tear
Tiamat cries when Jeremy is packing her things for the ritual. Because dragon tears are made of diamond, Jeremy cherishes the gem as a keepsake after Tiamat is gone. Because of this, the tear serves as a physical manifestation of The Mutual Benefits of Caregiving and becomes a literal crystallization of their bond and their love. When Jeremy later notices at the Halloween party that Miss Priest also carries a matching tear, this detail implies that Miss Priest is also a Hatcher and once endured the same grief that Jeremy now faces. The visual of the diamond teardrop literally and symbolically connects Jeremy to Tiamat, just as Miss Priest’s diamond connects her to the dragon that she helped hatch in the past. Similarly, the shared symbol connects these two Hatchers to each other through their shared experiences of love and loss.
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