Although it may seem quite absurd, the role of animals in The
Eyes of the Dragon is a very supreme and dignified part of the
novel. Through the development of the novel, the animal kingdom
roars novel from insects to dogs and they all play their own,
individual roles. The great black and white Anduan Husky named
Frisky who is, out of all of her dogs, Naomis favorite, leads
Ben Staad and Naomi directly to the whereabouts of Dennis,
Peters butler. Flaggs animals are symbols of his plans for the
downfall of Delain. The dragon that is killed by King Roland may
be considered the most the memorable of all. In this archetypal
tale, Thomas sees Flagg murder Thomass father through the eyes
of the dragon. In the end of the novel, though, all of the
animals roles fall into place.
Frisky, Naomis companion, is a strong-willed, over-
confident, Anduan Husky who may have been the greatest tracking
dog that ever lived. This dog sums up the meaning of a mans
best friend. Frisky, who can track a three-day-old scent in the
middle winter, is the reason the story takes place as it does.
Just as arson dogs help pinpoint the location of substances used
to start fires, Frisky uses her keen sense of smell to pinpoint
exactly where Dennis, son of Brandon, has journeyed to from
Peynas farmhouse. Denniss mission is to go back to the castle
where Thomas the Tax-Bringer and Flagg, the kings magician, live
and are at high power. Peyna, who has just given up his Judge-
Generals bench, has a feeling that there is some reason why
Peter has asked for the Royal Napkins and his mothers dollhouse.
Dennis is to find this reason by sending a letter to Peter, who
is imprisoned at the time. Dennis journeys from Peynas farm in
the Inner Baronies back to the fearful castle with nothing
except for the risks of getting killed. Five days later, with not
a soul knowing the whereabouts of Dennis, Naomi and Ben Staad
(Peters best friend) come upon the deserted farm. Naomis dogs
have been pulling the sleds for thirty miles all the way from a
snowy hollow in which they were camping. The two now feel
helpless. With no clue on where there friend had traveled to,
they search diligently for any signs of what they are to do next
and find nothing at all. If only there were a way to track him,
Ben says and, thereafter, a light bulb lights in Naomis head
like the sun on a due-soaked morning (King 296). This is the
epitome of where Frisky fits into the picture. After brief
discussion and argument, Ben and Naomi discover that there are
traces of Dennis in this abandoned shed but it cannot be detected
by humans and Friskys sense of smell is like the eyesight of a
man with the gaze of a hawk (King 299). Stephen King
substantially points out that Denniss scent is a bright electric
blue and that Frisky has the scent stored away in her library of
scents (King 299).
Frisky leads her companions far and high, through many miles
of snow to the deserted farmhouse and eventually to a place in
which they are forced to pause. One may appear dumbfounded
considering why Frisky is referred to above as being over-
confident. At the moat, after some minor conflict, the Anduan
Husky personally expedites the situation and takes a leap of
faith into the great sewer pipe which takes the travelers under
the castle and directly to Denniss location. Besides the fact
that Friskys noble nose is a main theme and could be
considered by some a moral, there is more educational and
entertainment values here than in any other part of the story.
Flaggs animals aide him in all of his attempts to doom the
kingdom of Delain. For example, the deathwatch spider that Flagg
kept encaged for twenty years is his way to attempt to kill
Sasha, the Kings beloved wife. The spider has been feeding on
newborn baby mice that are dying from poison. The spider is blood
red and as big as a rat (King 31). Flagg squeezes the spider to
death and mixes the deadly insides with a glass of brandy,
something that Sasha drinks a glass of each night to help her
sleep. Flagg rings for a servant to come and take the glass to
her. Sasha never finds out how close to death she came that
night (King 33). Another example is the mouse Flagg uses to set
up Peter. Flagg is a very powerful magician. With this knowledge,
no one would question Flaggs abilities to place Dragon Sand,
the most deadly substance of the time, into a box that he stole
from Peter long ago and hide the box, along with a cursed mouse,
into a secret place that, allegedly, only Peter knows about.
Because the evidence of the crime is found in a place that only
Peter knows about, people begin to see a murderers face behind a
mask of affection and respect (King 116). Peter is then tried
before a jury and taken to the top of the needle where he is to
spend the rest of his life.
The reader is introduced to the dragon at the beginning of
the novel when King Roland and others are hunting and ire-
breathing creature. The young dragon is killed when the brave
King nocks his arrow, draws, and fires. Roland makes a direct
hit in the spot under the dragons throat where it takes in air
to create fire (King 13). The dragon dies immediately. Otherwise
called the Niner, the dragons head is hung up in King Rolands
sitting room along with the head of every other animal in which
the King had considered worth keeping (King 92). The dragons
head is a major secret of the castle. Flagg, being the magician
he is, knows most secrets of the castle (No one, not even he,
know all of them) (King 81). Flagg, after Thomas has a bad day at
a luncheon with his father, shows the secrets to Thomas, for he
has a feeling it may lead to mischief. This turns out to be true.
The secret is this: After one is led through a maze of corridors
and through the dim door, he must press a certain stone in
order to access the passageway that is revealed after the click
is heard (King 89). At the end of the passageway, there are two
little panels. After sliding these panels, one find himself
behind the Niner and will discover that he can see directly
through the dragons eyes. Though heeding Flaggs advice not to
go too often, Thomas is watching the night in which Flagg poisons
King Roland. But after Thomas is declared King, and years of
dealing with terrible nightmares, Thomas discovers one thing:
guilt and secrets, like murdered bones, never rest easy (King
167).
Stated in this collection of ideas is that the role of the
animals in The Eyes of the Dragon is a supreme and dignified
part of the novel. The reader must reread the novel for any
further confirmation. In conclusion, one can now acknowledge
that animals effect on how something takes place is important to
everyday living as well as important to the world of literature.
