Plot Summary
In Chapter Two of My Father's Dragon, titled "My Father Runs Away," the old alley cat continues her story about Wild Island. She explains that the island is nearly divided in two by a wide, muddy river, and the lazy animals who live there have long resented having to walk all the way around the river to reach the other side. About four months before the cat arrived on Wild Island, a baby dragon fell from a low-flying cloud onto the riverbank. Too young to fly well and suffering from a badly bruised wing, the dragon was unable to return to his cloud. The animals discovered him and immediately saw a solution to their river-crossing problem. They tied a rope around his neck and forced him to ferry passengers and cargo back and forth across the river once his wing healed.
Elmer is captivated by the cat's description of the dragon—a creature about the size of a large black bear, with yellow and blue stripes, bright red horns, eyes, and feet, and gold-colored wings. The cat reveals that the animals overwork the dragon, beating him and twisting his wings if he complains, and that his only companions are crocodiles who occasionally say hello. She proposes that if Elmer could rescue the dragon, the grateful creature would fly him anywhere he wished. Elmer agrees enthusiastically, and that same afternoon he and the cat visit the docks to find a ship bound for the Island of Tangerina. They spend the following days secretly gathering supplies, which they hide behind a rock in the park. The night before the ship sails, Elmer packs his father's borrowed knapsack with an eccentric but carefully chosen assortment of items—chewing gum, pink lollipops, rubber bands, magnifying glasses, hair ribbons, a jackknife, and food for the voyage. With the cat creating a distraction for the night watchman, Elmer sneaks aboard the ship and hides in the hold among bags of wheat.
Character Development
This chapter deepens the portrayal of both Elmer and the cat. Elmer emerges as a brave, compassionate boy whose sense of justice is immediately stirred by the dragon's plight. His willingness to run away from home and undertake a dangerous rescue mission reveals his adventurous spirit and moral courage. The cat, meanwhile, is established as a wise and resourceful mentor figure. Despite being too old to join the journey herself, she contributes invaluable knowledge about Wild Island and practical suggestions about what supplies to bring. Her loyalty to the baby dragon—whom she befriended in secret—and her determination to keep her promise to help him demonstrate her own quiet heroism.
Themes and Motifs
The chapter introduces the central theme of compassion versus exploitation. The Wild Island animals represent selfish authority figures who enslave the baby dragon for their own convenience, while Elmer and the cat embody empathy and the willingness to act on behalf of the powerless. The motif of clever preparation appears prominently as Elmer packs his seemingly random assortment of supplies, foreshadowing the ingenuity he will need on his quest. Secrecy and stealth also emerge as recurring motifs, from hiding supplies behind a park rock to sneaking aboard the ship under cover of darkness.
Literary Devices
Gannett employs foreshadowing extensively: the detailed list of Elmer's peculiar supplies hints that each item will serve a specific purpose later in the story. The narrative frame—a son recounting his father's childhood adventure—creates an intimate, storytelling tone that invites the reader into a family legend. Anthropomorphism gives the Wild Island animals human social structures like mail delivery and holiday rushes, adding humor while also underscoring the injustice of their treatment of the dragon. The vivid physical description of the dragon, with his yellow and blue stripes and gold wings, appeals to the imagination and builds anticipation for Elmer's encounter with this fantastical creature.