Belonging To The Dragon By Bernice Freisen

"Belonging to the Dragon," written by Bernice Freisen is narrated by the main character, Starla, a high school student who struggles with her independence and creating boundaries. To overcome this challenge, she will have to defy her controlling boyfriend, who feels a lack of empathy towards her, so she can begin her journey of self-love and confidence. This development is shown in the story as her emotions guide her through a journey to freedom. By the end of the story, Starla has transitioned from being a self-doubting and impressionable teenager to a courageous woman.
In the beginning, Starla presents her self-doubting characteristics multiple times throughout the story. One example is when Evan, an artistic new student at school, decides to draw on Starla’s denim jeans. However, Starla is hesitant to allow him to draw on her because she believes her boyfriend may witness the situation and become upset. So she thinks to herself, "It made me feel strange. I looked around as if I expected to see Steve, my boyfriend, even though I knew he was off playing football" (Freisen 120). These

Steve pressures Starla to feel guilty after an intense fight takes place between himself and the new guy at school. He confronts Starla for causing the fight and then attempts to make her feel that she was in the wrong, stating, "—I even fought another guy to have you, and I won. That means you're mine, too." (Friesen 125), which leads her to believe independence is not an option. Starla then experiences disbelief after hearing "I belong to you" (Freisen 125) come out of her own mouth. In spite of her words, Starla is aware and acknowledges that she should not see herself as someone else's person, and she begins to establish a different perspective on Steve. For this reason, Starla is an impressionable young woman but is slowly evolving through her challenges to understand her