Thesis and Three Bodies

Q always often misunderstands (and is misunderstood by) others.

He often jumps to conclusions and makes false inferences that cause many of his discomforts.  After Q introduces Lll to his great grandfather Nb’a Ng’a, he thinks she doesn't like him, and when she asks about him, Q thinks:

“I suspected she was remaining silent in order to embarrass me later in some spectacular way, in front of her family, or else-and, for me, this was an even worse hypothesis- she was making an effort to talk about other things only because hes felt sorry for me... ‘Are you joking?’”(77)

Q is very self conscious and thinks that Lll may try to embarrass him.  This shows a lot about him because he does nothing to stop it, and  he thinks that maybe he deserved the embarrassment. Also, although Q assumes Lll might be “sorry for” him, it seems more likely that he is sorry for himself. Q could not believe his ears when she told him that she wanted to visit his great uncle again, and actually thought that it was some kind of a sick joke.

Also, Q believe that the New Ones would be terrified of him because he is a dinosaur.  As he takes time to drink for the springs, he believe that the reaction of the New one next to here would be terror:

“I could already imagine her desperate screams the moment she saw me, her breathless flight.  she would spread the alarm, and the New Ones and the new ones would come out and hunt me... I should tear her limb from limb at once”(98)

He seems to be over confident, in that he feels as if he is a great beast that everyone should fear.  But on the other hand, he fears that the New Ones will come and shows a little vulnerability, and feels like he should prevent this through violence.  His inference almost got him into a lot of trouble.  If he had killed her, then her tribe would Have gone after him and killed him.  Q was lucky that she talked to him before he got too hasty.

In addition to misunderstanding others, Q is often misunderstood by them.

“If he wanted to fight, I was ready. But the mood of the village had changed in recent time: they made a joke of everything... ‘Yes, I am one... a  Dinosaur!’... general snickering broke out.”(108)

throughout the The Aquatic Uncle and the Dinosaurs, Q is always an outsider.  Once he begins to adapt to his surroundings, the others change.  For example, before, Q does not want to fight, when Zahn did, now when Q wants to fight, Zahn does not.  Also, he tries to hide that he is a dinosaur throughout the story while the New Ones are suspicious, but when they become comfortable around him, he reveals his secret, but no one believes him.