Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" is a children's novel by Robert C. O'Brien that tells the story of Mrs. Frisby, a field mouse who faces a dire situation when her son, Timothy, falls ill during winter. To save him, she discovers the extraordinary abilities of a group of genetically enhanced rats who had escaped from a research facility known as NIMH. These rats possess human-like intelligence, having gained advanced knowledge and skills through scientific experimentation. They offer to help Mrs. Frisby by moving her home out of harm's way from an impending plow.
The narrative intertwines themes of survival, society, and the consequences of scientific intervention, exploring the moral dilemmas faced by the rats as they strive to establish their own civilization. The book skillfully balances elements of fantasy with realistic portrayals of animal behavior, making it a unique contribution to children's literature. Awarded the Newbery Medal, it invites readers to reflect on the nature of intelligence and the responsibilities that come with it. O'Brien's work raises thought-provoking questions about civilization and coexistence, making it a significant read for both children and adults interested in the themes of community and adaptation.
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Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
First published: 1971; illustrated
Type of work: Fantasy
Themes: Animals, friendship, and science
Time of work: The twentieth century
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: Mr. Fitzgibbon’s farm
Principal Characters:
Mrs. Frisby , a widowed mouse with four childrenMartin , ,Cynthia , andTheresa , her three older childrenTimothy , her youngest child, who is very sickly and now has pneumoniaMr. Ages , a sort of “medicine mouse,” a friend of the ratsJustin , andNicodemus , two of the leaders of the rats of NIMHDragon , the cat, a feared enemy of all the animals
The Story
Despite the advice that helps set the plot of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH in motion, Mrs. Frisby does not see how a group of ordinary rats can help her save her ill son, Timothy, who will die if he is moved from the winter house. The whole family will be crushed by the plow, however, if they remain with Timothy.
Mrs. Frisby discovers that the rats of NIMH are no ordinary rats. Not only do they have a stone arch at the entrance to their home; they also have electric lights, running water, and an elevator, and they are able to read and write. To Mrs. Frisby’s delight, they have a solution to her dilemma. They will move the house into the lee of the stone so the plow will not disturb it. In order to accomplish this task at night, undisturbed, someone must put sleeping powder into the cat Dragon’s food. Since the rats are too large to squeeze into the hole in the farmhouse and Mr. Ages has been injured, Mrs. Frisby bravely volunteers to do it.
While she is waiting for Mr. Ages to get the sleeping powder, Mrs. Frisby hears the astonishing tale of the rats of NIMH, told by old Nicodemus. Ordinary rats and several mice were captured by scientists and taken to a large white building called the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). One group was given daily injections which changed their whole lives. Although they did not know it at the time, these injections enabled them to learn, made them bigger and stronger, and doubled their life span. Their learning how to think and reason and how to read helped them to escape from NIMH. The two mice also escaped, one of whom was Jonathan Frisby, Mrs. Frisby’s late husband. They managed to get a toy-sized generator and some toy-sized tools and built their dwelling on Mr. Fitzgibbon’s farm, tapping into his electric and water supply.
The rats then began working on THE PLAN, an ambitious idea to quit the petty pilfering they did on the farm and start their own civilization, planting and harvesting their own food. The site chosen by the rats for their new life was Thorn Valley. It was an ideal place, deep in the forest with forbidding mountains surrounding it, too steep even for jeeps, and covered with thorn bushes. A small faction of rats argued that there was no need for such a drastic move, that they already had a civilization. The majority argued, however, that they were merely living off of somebody else’s civilization, like parasites. The dissident group split off from the main group, and, in their attempt to steal a generator, led the scientists from NIMH to the Fitzgibbon farm.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Frisby successfully puts the sleeping powder in Dragon’s bowl but is caught by the Fitzgibbon boy before she can escape. Imprisoned in an empty bird cage, Mrs. Frisby hears the farmer tell his wife that the scientists are coming to look at the rats on their farm and to exterminate them. Mrs. Frisby searches frantically for a way to escape. When Justin comes that night to help liberate her, she tells him about her discovery. The rats move her house and then escape to Thorn Valley before the scientists can arrive. They leave a rear guard of ten rats to fool the scientists into thinking that they have all the animals. Two rats are trapped by cyanide gas, and another rat heroically saves one but is overcome by the gas when he goes back for the other.
The Frisby family never sees the rats again, and they fear that the heroic rat was their friend Justin. Mrs. Frisby’s oldest son, Martin, vows to find Thorn Valley some day and find out how the rats fared. Mrs. Frisby hopes passionately that THE PLAN works. She believes it to be a noble and brave plan, the first time that intelligent beings other than human beings have ever tried to start a civilization on their own.
Context
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is the best-known book by Robert C. O’Brien. His first book, The Silver Crown, written for children, was published in 1968. His second book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, in 1972 won the Newbery Medal and also received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.
Critics have written that Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH successfully melds two narrative themes which are seemingly incompatible: animals having human names in situations that are human and a study of wildlife that is accurately presented. The themes of scientific research and survival of a civilization, which are found in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, were subsequently developed in O’Brien’s later works. In A Report from Group 17, O’Brien’s 1972 adult novel, he tells a tale of political intrigue and scientific research. Z for Zachariah (1974), a children’s book finished posthumously by O’Brien’s daughter, focuses on two survivors of a nuclear war.
About Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, O’Brien has said that he had long mulled over the question of survival and what society would be like if humans had evolved from another animal other than a primate. He was drawn to the rat as a likely candidate because of its toughness and adaptability, but according to O’Brien, once he began writing his story, the imaginary rats took charge and turned out to be pleasanter and saner than people.