“Your father had an accident there, he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.”
The frightening warning of Mrs. Rabbit to her children, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter from the Tale of Peter Rabbit, appears on the first page, setting the tone from the start. The horrors that abound in the world must be faced calmly, life goes on – disappointments faced, tragedies overcome. While family members may be devoured by a vengeful property owner, your tail ripped off by an angry owl, an invading rat might tie you up in a string and include you as a key ingredient in pudding, such is the circle of life.
As Beatrix Potter depicted a world of mice wearing aprons and rabbits smoking pipes, these stories reveal much about human virtue as they do the natural world. The writing style is the tone of observational detachment, but the characters and their plots are complex as any novel. Industriousness is a cardinal virtue, whether it is the tailor of Gloucester, the domestic goddess Thomasina Tittlemouse, or the squirrels who diligently gather nuts on Owl Island. It is the ingenuity of these characters that is admired.
Indolence is the greatest sin, no matter the class of person. Samuel Whiskers wears the jacket and waistcoat of a landed gentleman but mostly sits around all day enjoying snuff while his wife waits on him. Squirrel Nutkin lets his more mature peers collect nuts while he plays. The Flopsy Bunnies are stolen by Mr. McGregor because of their gluttony, falling asleep after eating too much. The perils of animal life are akin to any human experience, deriving their meaning from a droll interplay of words, the images and wit from anatomically accurate animals acting as humans.
This commentary can be directly linked to Beatrix’s own experiences. Home life was a version of the Victorian stereotype, father spent his days at the club, mother was expected to do nothing; however both objected to Beatrix’s engagement at the age of 39, to her publisher, Norman Warne, because he was ‘in a trade’. The fact the family made their money in the same manner was inconsequential. Warne died before the wedding, but Beatrix managed to get married at 47 to William Hellis, unbecoming as that was since he was a lawyer. Perhaps, in this bit of history, we find the reasons why her animals don’t just talk, they have something to say.
The Rabbit family and their tales are bits of memory, something our grandparents shared with us. Beatrix Potter, July, 28, 1866-December 22, 1943, enjoys immense popularity to this era, and I cannot think of spring without images of Peter Rabbit. What stories did your descendants share with you? Uncle Wiggily Longears, the Teeny Weenies? Rose Red or Jack and the Beanstalk? Let’s share and discuss!
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