38 pages • 1 hour read
Beverly ClearyRalph S. Mouse
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Loneliness and the Search for Belonging
Through the characters of Ralph, Matt, Ryan, and Brad, Cleary explores the universal longing for connection and the sense of isolation that comes from being different. Though Ralph is not a human, he still desires to be a part of something larger than himself. Dissatisfied with a life spent scavenging for food and hiding from humans, Ralph searches for meaning and finds it at night atop his red motorcycle. Ralph doesn’t feel he fits in with his mice family, so he fosters relationships with humans, Matt the caretaker and young Ryan. However, as a small animal, Ralph doesn’t fully fit into the human world either. This disconnect leaves him feeling lonely, isolated from the world, and unsure of his identity. The only time Ralph truly feels like himself is when he rides his motorcycle. However, when his relatives beg for rides and Ralph becomes frustrated with their demands, he feels guilty over his reaction to them: “In his heart, he did not feel selfish. He only wanted something that was his alone. A mouse so rarely had something he could call his own” (22). Though Ralph finds friends like Matt and Ryan, who also struggle with loneliness, his search for identity is muddled with uncertainty and a lack of self-confidence.
When Ralph flees the inn to save Matt’s job and he loses touch with his mouse world and loses his motorcycle, he descends into an identity crisis and struggles to understand his place in the world. Apart from the safety of Matt’s acceptance and protection of Ralph and his family, the mouse is plunged into a world where people view mice as vermin. Despite the children in Room 5’s fascination with him, they still treat Ralph as a pet or curiosity and imprison him in a fishbowl. However, hearing Miss K and the students talk about him, Ralph sees himself in a different light. When Miss K praises his small yet miraculous body, Ralph thinks, “I’m beautiful? […] No adult, or child for that matter, had ever described him as beautiful. Far from it” (55). Though his time at the elementary school is fraught with danger and anxiety, the challenges Ralph faces teach him to believe in himself and to trust both his animal nature and his human-like abilities. At night he taps into his primal instincts to find food and shelter, and during the day, he uses his creativity and emotional intelligence to watch and learn from the interactions between Miss K and her students. All of Ralph’s unique abilities come to fruition when he outsmarts the mouse maze using his sense of smell and his advanced intelligence. In the end, Ralph learns that he is not defined by just one part of his personality and that he has other strengths and abilities beyond just riding a motorcycle. Once he realizes this truth, he harnesses all his newfound confidence to help two lonely boys find friendship.
Ralph isn’t the only lonely character in the novel. Ryan lives at a mountain ski resort with his mother; his father is absent and he shares his family situation with no one: “Ryan was sensitive about this subject” (128). As the new kid at school, he lacks any true friendships and uses Ralph to impress his classmates. Similarly, Brad lives with his divorced father and dog, and wields a bad attitude, poor performance at school, and physical violence as a shield for his pain. When Ralph summons his courage to speak to Brad, he opens the door for the two boys to overcome their differences and realize they have more in common than they thought. Through Ralph’s journey of self-acceptance, he helps Ryan and Brad find each other, better understand their struggles, and be more accepting of themselves and others. When Brad gifts Ralph the sportscar, he affirms Ralph’s identity as a mouse who enjoys driving and seals their friendship. The juxtaposition of Ralph’s story of loneliness and struggle alongside that of the human search for connection illustrates the plight of being an outsider and the joy that comes in finding a place to belong.
An Animal Trying to Live in a Human World
Through the perspective of one mouse, Beverly Cleary explores the complex relationship between humans and animals and the capacity of an animal to adapt and survive in perilous situations. From the beginning of the novel, the author establishes that Ralph and his other mice relatives live in a precarious situation as their habitat is also a human space. During the day, Ralph hides in the safe shadow of the grandfather clock and only emerges at night to ride his motorcycle after Matt the caretaker deems it safe. Despite living in a hotel, Ralph faces few dangers as the inn is rarely occupied and he’s adapted to the unique living situation. Though Ralph is still a mouse, he’s constructed his life at the inn to benefit his human-like characteristics. For example, he regularly converses with Matt, watches television with Ryan, and rides a tiny motorcycle through the halls at night. However, once Mr. Minch finds the mouse droppings in the lobby, all of Ralph’s carefully constructed life comes crashing down and he’s forced to abandon the safety of the inn and venture deeper into the human world. Ralph assumes the school will be a safe place, but all his assumptions about teachers and education come from his television viewing, and once Ralph lands at the school, he learns that living in an elementary school will be far more dangerous than he thought.
During his time at J. Sneed Elementary, Ralph must rely more on his animalistic nature to survive, yet he must also adapt those tendencies for sustenance. For example, he must abandon his instinctual nocturnal nature and stay awake during the day. By the evening, he is too exhausted to do more than scavenge for a bit of food and collapse into a makeshift nest in the library. When the students put him on display and conduct their mouse exhibit, Ralph must face all the human stereotypes of mice as the children deliver their presentation and Gordon states, “Mice are rodents. They gnaw things and they multiply rapidly” (84). As his presentation continues, the flood of information paralyzes Ralph in fear as he worries that he will be targeted for extermination. As Ralph contemplates all the misinformation and misguided beliefs humans have towards mice, the author explores humans’ fraught relationship with the natural world and how humans misjudge animals for their survival behavior. Ralph thinks, “We aren’t harmful on purpose. We’re just trying to get along in a harsh world” (86). Once the reporter publishes his story insinuating that the school is infested with mice, Ralph feels responsible and wrestles with carrying the heavy burden of human misunderstandings about his species: “Ralph felt that he was being blamed for everything that went wrong and that trying to be good was not worthwhile” (123). Ralph moves from thriving in a human space at the Mountain View Inn to clinging to survival at J. Sneed Elementary School as he understands the disconnect between the human and animal world more clearly than ever.
As Ralph clings to safety inside boots, mittens, and Ryan’s pocket, he observes how humans behave and interact and he begins to adapt his behavior. By enduring the trials of survival in an unfamiliar and often hostile environment, Ralph develops resilience which helps him survive and ultimately thrive in his life. Though he can’t escape the children’s exhibit and their forced intelligence test, Ralph resolves in his mind to retain his dignity. He proves his intelligence by defeating the maze twice using his creativity and instincts. Ralph builds a bridge between the animal and human world by exposing his communication gift to Brad which helps the boys resolve their conflict. By the end of the narrative, Ralph finds himself back in the safety of the inn and he takes the skills he learned from the humans at school and applies them to his interactions with his mice relatives which improves their relationships and Ralph’s quality of life. Through Cleary’s story, she highlights the resiliency of nature, depicts the impact of human interactions with the natural world, and underscores the importance of a peaceful, empathetic coexistence between humans and all creatures.
Using Imagination to Overcome Obstacles
Beverly Cleary values the power of a child’s imagination and makes it an integral part of each of her novels. In particular, she highlights the ability of children to harness their imagination and creativity to solve their problems without adult intervention. In Ralph S. Mouse, though Ralph isn’t a human child, his character still demonstrates the power of childlike imagination to inspire confidence in finding solutions to predicaments and resolving conflicts. Throughout the novel, Ralph lives up to the name Ryan gives him, with the S standing for smart, as the little mouse proves time and again that he is more intelligent than the average creature. Throughout his life at the inn, Ralph demonstrates himself to be a resourceful mouse as he creates a crash helmet from a ping-pong ball and collects items under the clock to create a comfortable nest. Ralph uses his imagination to power the miniature motorcycle he rides each night creating its signature sound that magically animates the vehicle giving Ralph the thrilling freedom to race through the lobby and hallways each night. However, when Ralph leaves the safety and stability of life at the inn, the dangers of unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances force him to use his ingenuity in new ways.
While living at the elementary school, Ralph’s diminutive size at first appears to be a debilitating obstacle. However, Ralph creatively adapts to his environment and searches for ways to survive and thrive. He chews a hole in Ryan’s shirt so he can observe the classroom from the warmth and safety of the pocket and lithely moves between books on the shelves to hide in plain sight. At night Ralph finds creative ways to sustain his needs, like eating beans from a school art project and emptying discarded sugar packets in the lunchroom. Ralph faces his greatest test of his creativity when the students force him to run the maze. Ralph knows he is intelligent and doesn’t need to complete the maze to prove his worth, yet when he enters the maze, stimuli overwhelm his senses, and he can’t perform. Ralph cleverly devises a way around the obstacle by climbing on top of the maze walls to visualize the end. When they make him start over, claiming he cheated, Ralph is angry. Instead of acceding to their demands, Ralph just repeats his ingenious maneuver and victoriously exits the maze. When Brad protests, Gordon steps in and defends Ralph’s artistry, stating, “He proved there was a better way to get the peanut butter than running into dead ends” (112). Ralph’s time in the maze shows how using imagination and creativity can allow a person to rise above the problem and visualize a way to success. After leaving the school and returning to the inn, Brad gifts Ralph a sportscar to replace his beloved motorcycle. At first, Ralph can’t power the car with the same sound that gave life to the motorcycle. With Brad’s imaginative help, however, Ralph learns a new sound to move the car forward and backward, and soon he is off to the races once again. Throughout his adventures both at the inn and at the elementary school, Ralph’s imagination not only adds a whimsical element to the story but also illustrates the power of creative and inventive thinking.
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