Social Ranking in Dealing with Dragons

     Do you ever feel like you get treated differently because of how much money you have and your place in society? In Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, this topic is focused on quite a bit. The book is about Cimoreene, a headstrong, unique princess who runs away from her kingdom to work for a dragon named Kazul. There are two different settings, almost like two different worlds, in which social ranking is explored in this book. Dealing with Dragons really exhibits how people are treated differently based on their social ranking.
     The first setting in which social ranking is discussed is Linderwall, the kingdom where Cimoreene lives. Linderwall is your average fairy tale kingdom, with a king, a queen, a court magician, fairy godmothers, frog princes, etc. The king, the queen, and their seven daughters - Cimoreene being one of them - are highly respected because of their titles. Although they have power, if one of them steps out of their role in the kingdom, it's almost as if they lose that. Cimoreene is not content with her princess duties, which consist mainly of embroidery and dancing, and getting married off to a wealthy prince. In Linderwall, it is almost as if your social ranking and how you are treated because of it are based on your gender. The king certainly has more power than the queen, and the princesses aren't supposed to do anything. Although such a concept might seem old-fashioned, in modern times you can still find traces of it. The interesting thing that is still true today is that the king did nothing to become the king - he was born that way. He didn't have to earn the power and respect.
     The second setting where social ranking is a prominent theme is the dragon territory where Cimoreene runs away to. Although most of the dragons are not menacing creatures, Cimoreene's kingdom views them as just that. Just the dragons' place in society made me think about how we stereotype based on social ranking. Like how we often assume that many rich people are snotty and that many poor people are kind. Just like with the dragons, this is not always true. In Dealing with Dragons, the dragons can boost their social ranking by capturing a princess. This just plays into the stereotype of them being fearsome, though in the book many of the dragons who capture princesses do it to gain respect and not to scare people. It seems that social ranking really plays a big part in their lives. The dragons also have a leader. The interesting part, though, is that the dragon king can be either male or female. The dragon queen, however, is a different position entirely, and again, can be done by both genders. The title of king is not passed down from father to son here. Instead, the dragons have to pass a test with a magical stone to become the king. It takes more effort to become king of the dragons than it does to become king of a human kingdom. However, while the king of dragons is respected, they do not have as many advisors as the king of Linderwall and are not as materialistic. It's almost like king of the dragons is a less prestigious title, although it takes more effort. I contemplated if this had something to do with the fact that it's available to both genders. This made me think that sometimes equality will not always gain you more respect.
     In conclusion, social ranking and how characters are treated based on that is a big topic in Dealing with Dragons. Although it is completely unrealistic and sort of your traditional fantasy book in many ways, Patricia C. Wrede subtly sneaks in some deep information about social ranking. This book is really thought-provoking, and it made me reflect on equality in our society. Some people are born with a lot of money, and because their parents have good connections or whatever, they easily end up with a good job and a nice house. Other people actually have to work for it. It's like sometimes you work hard and don't achieve as much as someone who didn't even try at all. It's one of those strange facts of life. However, Dealing with Dragons made me think that even if you don't get as far as someone else, you should always try your best.