donavN kienenbergeR
18 September 1994

Being a man: Heart's Blood

	Heart's Blood, the second book in an ongoing series by Jane Yolen, has a theme that revolves around the issues and questions of manhood. Who is a man? How does one come into manhood? What is it to be a man? This story is part of a series of novels, (Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood) the second of which dwells heavily on the theme of manhood and brings up many different aspects of manhood at different levels, both physical and mental. The main character in the story, called Jakkin, finds himself dealing with these questions throughout the story.
	In order to fully understand the theme of Heart's Blood its necessary to examine their roots from the first novel, Dragon's Blood ,  in which the author tackled a physical aspect of manhood: the ritualistic issue of coming of age and having to define one's self through a social process.  To illustrate her point, the author used the hunting and killing of a creature that was causing problems with the livestock of the dragon nursery where the main character lived. This situation was used as an introduction into one of the main themes of her next book. 
	The most over-examined physical characteristic of manhood that most other authors stress, was passed over by Yolen; that is, the physical side of manhood having to do with sexual characteristics and sexuality.  She only touched briefly on Jakkin's sexuality after he ritualistically proved himself a man.  
	The author placed him in a situation where he spoke haughtily and slightly rudely to a lady named Akki with whom he was falling in love. Her father, the owner of the nursery, wanted to see them together. Jakkin made a remark that echoes her father's views, stating now that he was a man, he could claim her as his woman. 
	Jakkin found out that this physical ritualistic manhood was not all it was cracked up to be when Akki abruptly left him saying, "You are such a boy, such a child, Jakkin And so is my father. Talk to me when you are a man" (37).  The stage is now set for the more detailed examination of manhood found in Heart's Blood.
	Now Jakkin faces the mental aspects of what manhood entails. He is continually asking himself the question "Am I a man yet?" The character tries to define for himself what manhood really is. The story forces him to dwell on this question when he receives a note from Akki, who has gotten into trouble with some rebels. The note says: "Ask Jakkin at my father's nursery -- are you a man yet? If so, I need you."
	Jakkin has to think about manhood throughout the story. He rejects the notion that physical characteristics/actions make an individual a man and digs deep within himself to find the true meaning of manhood. The author creates a great internal conflict in the character at this point. He ask himself if he should even go in search of her because of his own fear that he hasn't found the key to what makes him a man. 
	During the search for Akki, the theme continues to evolve, with Jakkin checking and wondering if he really is a man. When he runs into a rebel leader he is again asked a question that ties into manhood. 
	The leader asks Jakkin why he still wears a bag around his neck. The world on which Jakkin lives uses a caste system of government. In the first book Jakkin manages to buy himself out of being a bonder the way all bonders can, by filling a leather bag around his neck with gold and giving the gold to his master. But once he became his own master he kept wearing his bag, which is also a physical symbol for his lack of feeling that he is a man. His answer to the rebel leader is that he didn't yet feel like a man or the master of himself and until he does, he will continue to wear the bag.  Jakkin's bag becomes a symbol of his mental struggle of manhood. Until he comes to terms with mentally being a man, he feels he must wear the bag.
	Even after Jakkin accomplish his goal in finding Akki and she has obviously accepted him as a man, it still seems as if Jakkin is not quite sure of himself .  However; here are small incidents that indicates he has partially started to accept what it is to mentally be a man and that he is a man. 
	There is a point at the end of the story where Jakkin, Akki and another individual are running from the police, having been falsely accused of setting off bombs in a dragon fighting pit.  They return to the dragon farm and the police find them. When they try to get away, they run into a dragon trainer named Likkarn. He is a drug addict and by many definitions would be considered a low life.  Likkarn is a long-time bully/enemy of Jakkin. 
	Jakkin's friends are told when the police arrive that he is a rebel and Akki's father, the owner of the nursery, died in the bombing of some dragon pits caused by Jakkin. His friends immediately help the police try to find Jakkin and his party, all except Likkarn who helps Jakkin because he know that Jakkin would never hurt a dragon. 
	Just before fleeing, Jakkin acknowledges that Likkarn is a truly a man. Since here he is able to define another individual as a man, the reader can assume that he has come to terms, at least in part, with what a man is. In this incident the author is also partially giving her definition of a man: someone who sees the truth and does the right or good thing even for someone they dislike.  This is an internal goodness of character not always seen in actions.
	The next indication that Jakkin has mentally become a man occurs when his bag gets accidently lost and he realizes that he is glad that its gone. It is his final step before he comes to terms with what manhood means to him.
	At the very end, an incident happens which causes Jakkin and Akki to be able to clearly hear the thoughts of all the dragons about them and talk to each other telepathically. It is at this point that Jakkin comes fully to terms with physically and mentally being a man: "Jakkin no longer wondered if he was at last a man. He guessed he was part man -- and part dragon"(237).
	With the end of the story I have come to the conclusion that the author wasn't completely trying to give the reader a solid definition of manhood, but was rather using this theme to make the reader think about what manhood might actually consist of. She leaves the reader with only partial answers and hints as to what manhood entails.