Digging Deeper into Qfwfq's Character

Thesis: in "The Dinosaurs" from Cosmicomics, by Italo Calvino, Qfwfq, or Q, is a character who is frightened and lonely, but curious.

As a dinosaur, Q fought alongside dinosaurs in many victorious battles, but began to make errors, become doubtful, and soon started to become defeated in their fights.  As the only surviving dinosaur, Q traveled until he couldn't find anything, living or dead, and reflects: "I spent many, many years on those deserted plateaus.  I had survived ambushes, epidemics, starvation, frost: but I was alone" (Calvino 97).  Even though Q was able to survive all the things that all the other dinosaurs were not able to, he is the last surviving dinosaur, and is all alone in the world.  He wanders around on a "long migration" as far away from carcasses, the dead, and the living, to escape the remains of those he used to fight alongside.  He is lonely, and continues to stay that way until he decides to adventure down, and meets "a flock of New Ones".

Q is often used to scaring others that see him, so when he sees a flock of New Ones, he is scared of their reaction to him.  Q hasn't seen any living creature for a while, and he admits, "The first time I glimpsed some living beings, I hid" (Calvino 98).  He did not recognize his surroundings when he came down, and already felt lost, so when the New Ones saw him, he was scared for them to see him and run away in fright, like all the other creatures once did when there were more dinosaurs.  When the New Ones addressed him casually, he ran away because of the unfamiliar feeling he got since he was so used to the terror he caused around.  He was somewhat afraid of them noticing what he was, so he ran.  The New Ones were unaware of what dinosaurs looked like, aside from tales that they heard and their imagination, and are unafraid of Q, since they cannot recognize that he is a dinosaur.  Q is surprised that they were not frightened by him, and is curious to see how other New Ones would respond when they saw him.

Q leaves the flock of New Ones and continues to walk on, while reflecting on what happened with the flock of New Ones, and their reaction to him and how they couldn't recognize what he was.  Q "traveled on, cautious but also impatient to repeat the experiment" (Calvino 98).  Q is on edge and a bit frightened if someone realizes that he is a dinosaur, and runs away in fright, even though he was once really used to that.  He was still curious to see the reactions of other New Ones, who do not know of the appearances of dinosaurs, and are not aware of the fact that Q is a dinosaur, even though Q doesn't realize that until later in the story.