Rodent Spotlight: Mouse (Redux)

When I began this spotlight series, I started off not really knowing how I wanted to present it. After doing two of them--those being the ones for mice and rats--I lost interest in it for nearly an entire year. Now that the drive for it has returned with great vigor, I feel the need to double back to the one that started it all--the mouse.

Mice are well-known for being very tiny, but for some reason, we have always portrayed them as being very courageous. It defies nature in most ways. Real mice are very cowardly, and will not dare to stand up to a larger animal--especially a predator. Fiction has traditionally dictated the opposing viewpoint. Let's have a look at some of them.

"No fear! No retreat!" Sounds like the battle cry of a brave knight who is facing unspeakable odds. In actuality, this courageous shout came from none other than Reepicheep the mouse--as seen in "The Chronicles of Narnia." Despite the fact that this mouse was armed to fight, there really should be no reason why he should be considered a remarkable combatant, but through raw courage and his own unique deftness, he was able to best even the largest foe. The most interesting thing is that we expect him to be brave, when logic would dictate otherwise.

I am an avid reader of the comic book series called "Mouse Guard." In this universe, mice really are like mice should be; however, there are an elite order of them that courageously defy their nature in order to protect the weak. Now, isn't that interesting? These mice choose to be more than they are naturally for the greater good. It seems to me that we could learn from these little guys. I understand we all have talents and skills, but far more credit should go to those who use them to help others for its own sake.

I would be remiss if I did not mention "Red Wall" which contains all kinds of mouse-like bravery. That is a popular one too. Most of my friends speak well of it, and what I have seen of it is very satisfying. It never hurts to pit a mouse against an evil rat.

Speaking of evil rats, there were plenty to do battle with in "The Tale of Despereaux." I saw the movie and was rather impressed by its message. In many ways, it was a mousy take on Don Quixote. In this case, the mouse defied his cowardly brethren for the sake of courage and honor. Very inspiring--if not sometimes a little weird.

Mice also have a cuter side to them which is also depicted heavily in fiction. Stewart Little is a prime example. I--for one--love the idea of being friends with a talking mouse. In Canada, there was a fun cartoon show called "Eckhart" about a little mouse trying to get along with his friends. I loved it. Christmas is no stranger to mice, and I likely have seen every single mouse-related special to date; however, my favorite will always be "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (1974) which focused almost entirely on the "mouse" from the poem.

Really, I could keep this up for another hour, but I am going long as it is. Needless to say, mice are everywhere, and they are dearly loved and appreciated by the masses. In my own personal fiction, I have written of mice many times. In my published story "The Imaginist," the main protagonist had a mouse companion by the name of Montague. He was a little mouse with a monocle who was rather fussy and arrogant. Despite his failings, he always seemed to steal the hearts of the readers.

In my unpublished universe of "Tooth and Tail," I portray mice as the ruling class. They also make for very brave knights in the military. The king is even a mouse! Mice really are my favorite rodent which is likely why I always seem to give them some level of authority.

In my "Fairyland" universe, I portray the rodent as more timid-natured; although, I believe they could be riled up to fight. I gave them a city called Mousania, and every year they have a march called the Annual Mousania Squeak Street Parade! Can you think of anything better than to watch a bunch of mice have a parade? I sure cant!

In closing, mice are just squeaking awesome! They have somehow captured our very hearts, and we just cannot get enough of them. The little guys really do well in showing us that we can be better than we think. Sometimes, we all can feel small. The world is a big place, and it is easy to feel unimportant. But whenever we see a mouse raise a sewing needle into the air and cry out for battle, we should take note of it and understand that in reality, we really can be great. We must only try to accomplish the goal with brave and willing hearts.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you liked it, you can leave a comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. Ta ta for now!