Where the Mountain Meets the Moon tells of a classic journey with a young duo, Minli and Dragon, working to find their way to the mountain that leads to the moon. From that alone, we know that the story is transcendentalist in nature, dealing with an ascent into a new realm, and it's no surprise that instead of Minli killing the Dragon, they combine forces. That's also a mystic symbol, the partnership of the hero with a serpent, whereas in Western literature, the serpent is typically regarded as a negative symbol.
Another main feature of the narrative is that the child is motivated to do her difficult quest our of love for her parents. In their current state, they are subjects to the capricious rulers above them. They are depending on her to deliver them from their lot in life, and that makes Minli keenly aware of what must be done, and it helps give her the courage to do it in the first place.
When Minli chooses the dragon over herself, she manages to reverse the karma of her family's situation. She defeats her ego-centricism. As payment for that, she becomes the benefactor of the dragon's power and inheritance. The Jade Dragon is also thankful to Minli for her humility in helping her son, Minli's Dragon, and so the family receives a new fate, a fruitful fate.
This basic story constitutes a mythology. Its mythological intent is to instill the values of selflessness and sacrifice, as well as training a child to say yes to the adventure of their life, instead of allowing fear to stop them.
