Alanna is one determined kid: she knows she'll have to masquerade as a boy for the eight years it'll take her to become a knight while also enduring some of the most physically demanding tasks of her life. Whew. We're exhausted just reading Alanna: The First Adventure. Training for knighthood isn't easy, and we see the toll it takes on Alanna in various ways: physical fatigue, broken bones, and bruises among other things. But she sticks with it because she's ridiculously stubborn—and because, in her view, taking a beating some of the time beats having to act ladylike all the time.
Questions About Perseverance
- If you were training to be a knight, which part do you think would be the most challenging for you and require the most perseverance?
- What is Alanna's response when Ralon breaks her arm? Why does she respond this way?
- Is Alanna's stubbornness ever a bad thing?
- Alanna isn't the only determined character in the book, is she? Which other characters might fit that description, and why?
Chew on This
Alanna's level of stubbornness is absurd and perhaps unhealthy.
You wouldn't want someone to become a knight who wasn't able to persevere through the challenges presented in training.