Plot Summary
In Chapter Eight of My Father's Dragon, titled "My Father Meets a Gorilla," Elmer Elevator pauses along the trail to eat four tangerines, conserving his limited supply. While resting under a baby banyan tree, he overhears two wild boars approaching, excitedly discussing the strange behavior of the island's animals—the tigers are chewing gum and the rhinoceros is obsessively brushing his tusk. Elmer hurries ahead, knowing the boars will be even more agitated when they discover the lion's mane tied in hair ribbons. He reaches a crossroads with signs pointing to the Beginning of the River, the Ocean Rocks, and the Dragon Ferry. A beautiful lioness passes without noticing him, and Elmer deduces that the dragon must be on this side of the river. However, when he reaches the river bank, the dragon is nowhere to be found.
As Elmer sits under a palm tree trying to think of a plan, an enormous gorilla leaps from the tree and demands that Elmer identify himself, threatening to twist his arms the way he twists the dragon's wings. Before the gorilla can carry out his threat, he is suddenly tormented by fleas and calls for six little monkeys—Rosie, Rhoda, Rachel, Ruthie, Ruby, and Roberta—to come help find them. Elmer seizes the opportunity and offers the gorilla six magnifying glasses from his knapsack, one for each monkey. The magnifying glasses work so well that more monkeys swarm in from the mangroves to see, completely surrounding the gorilla and allowing Elmer to slip away unharmed.
Character Development
Elmer continues to demonstrate remarkable composure and quick thinking under pressure. Rather than panicking when confronted by the intimidating gorilla, he observes the animal's weakness—his unbearable flea problem—and turns it into an escape strategy. This chapter also reveals the gorilla's role as the dragon's direct captor, the one who twists the dragon's wings to keep him enslaved as a ferry. The six monkeys, each given an alliterative "R" name, provide comic relief while also serving as unwitting accomplices in Elmer's escape.
Themes and Motifs
The chapter reinforces the book's central theme of brains over brawn. Elmer, a small boy with no physical power, repeatedly outsmarts much larger and more dangerous animals by understanding their needs and vulnerabilities. The knapsack continues to function as a motif of preparedness and resourcefulness—each item Elmer packed proves perfectly suited to a specific challenge. The chapter also touches on themes of captivity and cruelty, as the gorilla casually reveals that he twists the dragon's wings to control him, underscoring the urgency of Elmer's rescue mission.
Literary Devices
Gannett employs dramatic irony throughout: the reader understands that the animals' strange behaviors (gum-chewing tigers, the vain rhinoceros) are the result of Elmer's earlier tricks, while the boars remain baffled. The frame narrative voice—"my father"—maintains a storytelling warmth that balances the chapter's moments of genuine danger. The gorilla's rapid counting to ten creates comic tension, and the alliterative naming of the six monkeys (Rosie, Rhoda, Rachel, Ruthie, Ruby, Roberta) adds whimsy. Foreshadowing appears in the crossroads sign pointing to "Dragon Ferry," hinting at the chapter's climactic revelation about the dragon's captivity.