Siffin Soffon Character Analysis in Ten Steps to Nanette

Overview

Siffin Soffon is the protagonist of the Prologue, a self-contained fairy tale that opens Ten Steps to Nanette. Born from an egg, Siffin survives a series of absurd and violent ordeals—snakes, sharks, a bus, and a dragon—before finding an unlikely friendship. The story is presented as a children's narrative, but its placement within a memoir about trauma and art invites readers to read it as a foundational myth. Gadsby does not explicitly connect Siffin to her own life, but the tale's themes of loss, survival, and connection resonate with the book's larger concerns. This analysis treats the Prologue as a distinct text, grounding every claim in the supplied evidence and clearly marking interpretation where it appears.

Plot Role

The Prologue functions as a narrative frame for the memoir. It is a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end, but it also introduces motifs that recur throughout the book: unexpected violence, bodily harm, the failure of adults to protect, and the possibility of companionship after catastrophe. Siffin's journey is not a conventional hero's arc; he does not seek adventure or triumph. Instead, he is acted upon by forces—snakes, sharks, a monster, a bus—and responds with instinctive survival tactics. His final act is not to defeat the dragon but to befriend it, which subverts the typical fairy-tale resolution. In the context of the memoir, the Prologue may be read as a parable about resilience and the need for connection, though Gadsby does not state this explicitly.

Motivations and Traits

The text reveals Siffin's motivations primarily through his actions rather than internal monologue. He is not described as ambitious or heroic; his choices are reactive. When he wakes at night and consumes all the jelly and lemonade, the act suggests hunger or curiosity, but no motive is given. Later, when snakes capture his family, Siffin attempts to rescue his mother but fails; he then flees, indicating self-preservation. His fight with the sharks is a direct response to the ship being cut in half—he kicks until the sharks are dead, an act of desperate survival. Similarly, he fights the champion Big Barnshed because the Chinese people demand it, and he is described as scared. These actions portray Siffin as resourceful and physically capable, but also passive in the sense that he rarely initiates conflict. His discomfort in the dress—the only clothing that fits—shows a sensitivity to social norms, though the text does not elaborate on his feelings. The most revealing trait is his openness to friendship: after the dragon eats his relatives, Siffin simply says “Hi,” and the dragon responds in kind. This suggests a capacity for connection that transcends fear or revenge.

Chronological Arc

The Prologue follows a linear sequence of events, though the pacing is rapid and episodic.

Birth and early mischief: Mrs. Soffon lays an egg; it hatches into Siffin. That night he drinks all the lemonade and eats all the jelly.
Move to a cave: The family seeks a bigger house and finds only a cave, which is full of snakes. The snakes capture them and behead Mr. Soffon.
Years pass: Siffin grows big and strong. When snakes prepare to hang his mother, he breaks through bars but is too late; he runs away.
Sea voyage: He boards a ship that sharks cut in half. He kicks the sharks to death and swims to China.
China: He is fed and forced to fight the champion Big Barnshed, whom he kills with a kick. He then dreams of being a dog.
Monster and relatives: A monster carries him to a land of creatures like him, where he finds Grandma, Uncle Joe, and cousin Andrew. Grandma plans a holiday to Hooky Pooky.
The dress and the bus: Andrew fetches clothes that are too small; only a dress fits. On the way to Hooky Pooky, a bus runs over Siffin, breaking his leg. An ambulance man treats him with Vicks VapoRub and plaster.
Hooky Pooky and the dragon: A dragon eats Grandma, Joe, and Andrew, then befriends Siffin. The dragon's magic kettle takes them to Holiday Island, which is full of food.

This arc moves from domestic life to catastrophic loss, then through a series of violent encounters, and finally to a peaceful, food-filled island with a companion. The story ends abruptly with “the end,” leaving Siffin's future open.

Relationships

Siffin's relationships are mostly fleeting and often severed by violence.

Parents: His father is beheaded by snakes; his mother is hanged despite his attempt to save her. The text does not describe his emotional response, but the loss is immediate and permanent.
Snakes: They are antagonists, but Siffin never confronts them directly after his mother's death; he flees.
Sharks: He kills them in self-defense.
Chinese people and Big Barnshed: The Chinese people feed him but also force him to fight. He kills the champion, and the relationship ends.
Relatives: Grandma, Joe, and Andrew appear suddenly. Grandma is authoritative, planning the holiday and ordering Andrew to get clothes. They are all eaten by the dragon, leaving Siffin alone again.
The dragon: This is the only relationship that endures. The dragon does not attack Siffin; instead, they exchange greetings and shake hands. The dragon then uses a magic kettle to transport them to Holiday Island, implying a shared future. The friendship is formed without explanation, suggesting that connection can arise from mutual recognition rather than shared history.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Siffin makes few deliberate choices, but each has significant consequences.

Eating the jelly and lemonade: This act is unexplained but leads to a change in breakfast plans; it does not affect the plot otherwise.
Moving to the cave: The family decides to move, not Siffin alone. This leads to the snakes' attack and his father's death.
Attempting to save his mother: He breaks through bars but is too late. This failure propels him to flee, setting the rest of the story in motion.
Kicking the sharks: This saves his life and allows him to reach China.
Fighting Big Barnshed: He has no choice; he kills the champion, which may be why the monster later takes him away, though the text does not connect these events.
Wearing the dress: He feels uncomfortable but complies. This is a moment of conformity to external expectation.
Being run over by the bus: This is an accident, not a decision. It results in a broken leg but does not stop the holiday.
Befriending the dragon: After the dragon eats his relatives, Siffin initiates a greeting. This decision leads to a new life on Holiday Island.

The consequences are often ironic: Siffin survives deadly threats but is injured by a mundane bus; he loses his family twice but gains a dragon friend.

Themes and Symbols

The Prologue resonates with several themes from the memoir, though Gadsby does not explicitly link them.

Art as reparative practice: The epigraphs by Louise Bourgeois speak of the needle as a tool to repair damage. Siffin's story can be seen as a kind of repair—he mends his broken leg, and he finds a companion after loss. The fairy tale itself may be a form of narrative repair, transforming trauma into a coherent story.
Trauma and non-linear memory: The Prologue is a linear tale, but its placement within a memoir that jumps between steps suggests that memory is not always chronological. Siffin's rapid succession of losses and recoveries mirrors the fragmented nature of traumatic recall.
Critique of redemption narratives: Siffin does not achieve a traditional happy ending through heroic triumph. He survives, but his survival is arbitrary and often violent. The dragon friendship is not earned through bravery but through a simple greeting. This subverts the expectation that suffering leads to moral growth or reward.
Women's work and repair: The epigraph about needles and the women in Bourgeois's household connects to themes of domestic labor and mending. In the Prologue, the ambulance man uses Vicks VapoRub and plaster to repair Siffin's leg—a practical, almost domestic act of care. The dragon's magic kettle also suggests a domestic object with transformative power.
Interconnectedness and wholeness: Siffin's journey is marked by fragmentation—his family is broken, his leg is broken, his ship is cut in half. Yet he ends on an island with a companion, suggesting a move toward wholeness, though the text does not state this explicitly.

These connections are interpretive; the Prologue itself does not comment on them.

Questions and Answers

How does Siffin survive the shark attack?

He holds onto one half of the cut ship and kicks repeatedly until all the sharks are dead, then swims to China.

What happens to Siffin's relatives at Hooky Pooky?

The dragon eats Grandma, Joe, and Andrew, but spares Siffin and befriends him.

Why does Siffin wear a dress?

Andrew brings clothes that are too small; the only garment that fits is a dress, which makes Siffin feel uncomfortable.

What is the dragon's magic kettle used for?

The dragon uses it to transport Siffin and himself to Holiday Island, where nobody lives and there is lots of food.

Does Siffin ever confront the snakes again?

No. After failing to save his mother, he runs away and never encounters the snakes again in the Prologue.

For further exploration of the memoir's themes, see the pages on art as reparative practice, trauma and non-linear memory, critique of redemption narratives, women's work and repair, and interconnectedness and wholeness. You can also read the ending explained or browse questions and answers.