Full text of "Mrs. Beauty O'Brien Frisby and the Rats of Nimes"

Full text of "Mrs. Beauty O'Brien Frisby and the Rats of Nimes" | Appreciation | After-reading

Robert O'Brien (1918-1973) was engaged in Journalist and editor, mainly writing for children, published fairy tales, children's science fiction and novels, but is most famous for "Mrs. Frisby and the Mice of Nimes" published in 1971, which won the Boston Globe Hearn Book Award (1917), Lewis Carroll Book Award (1972), National Book Award (1972), Library of America Newbery Medal (1972), Mark Twain Award (1973), Pacific Northwest Books Library Association Youth Book Award (1974), Massachusetts Literary Award (1978).

This novella fairy tale tells the story of a group of mice who were captured by a scientific institution referred to as "Nim", injected with drugs and subjected to various trainings, so that they acquired human intelligence and were able to read and think. Later, they escaped from the scientific institution and came to a farm, where they lived a modern life in a hole in the ground. But as their spiritual lives became richer and more fulfilling, they became dissatisfied with their parasitic life, and finally lived a new life of self-reliance. Here is a selection of the chapter "Valley of Thorns".

Once a mouse has human intelligence (that is, it has not yet developed enough to shed its tail and stand up and walk), then it can go to the library to look up documents and maps, secretly connect power and tap water, and install telephones. It is reasonable to live a modern material and spiritual life with refrigerators, electric fans, reading books, and listening to music.

This is a fairy tale that not only inherits Andersen's humanitarian tradition, but also challenges the traditional fairy tale norms. It has a novel style and a strong sense of reality; rich, novel, and humorous imaginations are hidden in a seemingly plain and simple self-narration of a mouse. It opens up a new way for fairy tale creation and provides a new topic for the study of children's literature.

In this chapter, some "mouse logic" makes readers laugh. Farmers milk cows and take eggs from chickens - this is also "stealing" in the eyes of mice. "Actually, humans are also our cattle." Their stealing is nothing more than "milking" humans. Fortunately, they later became self-conscious: "Living quietly near people's houses is like fleas attached to a dog."

The rat's self-narration is eloquent and brings readers into a pure and beautiful world. , and has a subtle influence on children readers in establishing the concept of labor and the collective spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance.

·Wei Wei Yan Chunlai·

Thorn Valley

(After the mice with human intelligence escaped from the laboratory, They came to a farm. There, they laid carpets, installed telephones, used refrigerators and electric fans, and lived a comfortable material life. At the same time, they also read and listened to music, and gained a lot from it. However, the richer and more fulfilling the spiritual life of this group of mice was, the less satisfied they were with the parasitic way of stealing the fruits of other people's labor. Finally, they decided to move to an uninhabited forest reserve to open up a new world and make a living on their own. In the forest, they found an old truck owned by a mobile toy repairman. The owner died suddenly, so the mice took the truck as their own. Everything is complete. It's probably easier to say what's missing from the truck than what's in it. Nicodemus the Mouse went on to say that the old man did not waste a square foot of space in the car. It’s not that things are scattered around; on the contrary, everything is arranged neatly, either on shelves or in cabinets, or hung on the walls of the carriage.

Soon we realized how valuable these things were to us. The truck was filled with many toys, as well as simple daily necessities for the elderly: a narrow bed, a work table, a folding chair, a bucket, a plate, and some pots and pans. You wouldn't believe it, but there was a small refrigerator with groceries and some canned food - green beans, lentils, peaches and so on.

Most toys - as we began to think - have no special use for us. These are toy cars and trucks, windmills, turntables, airplanes, boats and other toys, all powered by batteries. It was so fun to look at these toys and we even tried playing with them. At that moment, the ground was full of toys, like Christmas morning.

When we got tired of playing, we rummaged around in the truck. We found several large cardboard boxes. After opening them, we saw that they contained some electric motors of different sizes - used for repairing electric toys. There are about a dozen specifications of replacement parts. The smallest ones are smaller than the spool, and the largest ones cannot be carried on our backs.

Then, we discovered the real treasure - some tools used by the old man. These tools are arranged in rows in a box-like iron cabinet, including screwdrivers, saws, hammers, clamps, vises, screw pliers, pliers, as well as welding tools, soldering irons and electric drills. The wonderful thing is that these tools are used to repair toys. They are small and easy for us to master. Although they are small, they are still tools, and they are made of high-quality steel, just like the tools used by watch repairmen or dentists. .

Arthur was still quick-thinking, he said:

"What are the uses of these things we got? Have you thought about it? I think these tools and motors can be equipped with a mouse Workshop, make the products we need."

"It can work!" Jenner said, "But you overlooked something."

"What did you ignore?"

"We don't have a power source. The old man can't use these tools solely on batteries. Batteries can be used to start those small engines, but not with power tools. He needs to be connected to a strong power source. You see, the wall of the car There's a wire hanging on it."

There is a long black wire hanging on the hook, with an electric plug on one end and a socket on the other.

Another mouse named Sullivan spoke. He was Arthur's good friend. Like Arthur, he was particularly interested in engines and electricity.

"Maybe," he said, "We can also connect the electricity in the house."

"How?" I said, "Who will let us connect it? "

"Don't you remember the hole we found one day? The hole we decided to live in was very close to the Fitzgibbon farmhouse. "

That's just the thing. You will see for yourself what happens next. The hole he's talking about is the one you're looking at today.

We turned back to the hole and took a closer look. It's closer to residential areas, at least much closer than we planned. Later we saw the rose bushes near the tractor shed and spent a lot of effort digging an entrance through the bushes. We noticed that there were electric lights in the garage, which was very important.

Mr. Fitzgibbon's house has electrical wiring leading to the garage. We dug a tunnel and connected the power supply. There was a water pipe nearby, and we were connected to it. We moved the engine and tools from the toy repairman's truck into the hole one after another. We almost emptied the truck of everything before it left. One day, we went to Thorn Valley again and saw that the car was gone and only the pit left by the wheel was left on the ground. A ranger must have spotted the car and driven it away. But they never found the old man's grave.

In this way, we have established our own little world, which you have seen. Our kingdom is prospering and there are now one hundred and fifteen mice. We teach our children to read and read. We had enough food, running water, electricity, fans to bring fresh air in, an elevator and a refrigerator. Our home is deep in the earth, warm in winter and cool in summer, safe and comfortable, and even a bit luxurious.

It’s time to say it’s all you want. When the machinery was brought in, the tunnels and rooms were dug, and everything was ready, a feeling of dissatisfaction gradually spread among us like a chronic disease.

We don't want to admit it at first, and we try to ignore this feeling, or actually build bigger rooms, make nicer furniture, put carpets in halls and foyers, etc. We don't need anything to offset this feeling. At that time, I remembered a story I read in a book at Boniface Manor: Mrs. Jones bought a vacuum cleaner in a small town. Before that, she, like the women in the neighborhood, used a broom and mop to clean the house. But using a vacuum cleaner was fast and good, and soon all the women in the town were envious of Mrs. Jones—and they bought a vacuum cleaner, too.

The vacuum cleaner business is booming, and the vacuum cleaner manufacturing factory has set up a branch factory in this town. Of course, the factory consumes a lot of electricity, and the women using vacuum cleaners also consume electricity, so the local power plant had to expand a new factory in order to provide more power. Power plants consume coal, so the factory's chimneys emit black smoke day and night, making soot everywhere in the town. As a result, women in the town spend twice as much effort and time cleaning as they did before using vacuum cleaners.

Too bad, we are now among those who compete for possession of expensive household items to show their social status. Such foolishness is not the work of a sensible rat. Our lives are so convenient and comfortable that I think of the scientist who studied the ancestors of field dogs and feel even more worried.

Many other mice shared my concerns. We held a series of meetings over more than a year. We discussed, argued, and mulled over the evenings spent in the Boniface Manor library. At that time, we discussed what a civilized world for rats would look like. Oddly enough, my best friend Jenner rarely attended these seminars. He was unhappy, silent, and seemingly uninterested. But most of the other mice felt much the same way I did; things gradually became clearer, we figured out the problem and came up with solutions where possible.

Discovering that repairing the toy master's truck seemed like we were getting lucky, but in fact, it made us fall into a trap that we should beware of. As a result, we steal more and more skillfully than before. Not only do they steal food, but they also steal water and electricity. Even the air we breathe is blown in by using stolen fans connected to stolen power supplies.

Of course, all this makes our lives comfortable and convenient, but it is meaningless.

We have no work to do, because a thief's life is based on the labor of others.

Besides, deep in our hearts, we always have a sense of fear, fear of being caught. Maybe we won't get caught because we take strict defensive measures, but we are also afraid of being discovered. Mr. Fitzgibbon must have sensed that some of his grain had been tampered with. Our family is getting bigger and bigger, and we are stealing more and more violently.

Mr. Fitzgibbon has fenced in his barn with steel panels. This is not a problem for us because we know how to open the door. But what if he puts a lock on the door? Of course we can pick the lock or even drill a hole in the steel plate because we have the tools. But doing so would reveal the secret. Mr. Fitzgibbon discovered that rats can drill holes in steel plates, so what the hell!

We were anxious about it all, and it was no use having meetings to find a clear answer - because no one could. answer.

Actually, there should be an answer, but it is a grim answer.

I started taking long walks in the woods, thinking in the back of my mind. Sometimes I walk alone, sometimes with other companions.

One day, Jenner and I went for a walk with our lunch. I didn't reveal my thoughts, and I didn't say anything before setting off. I just suggested the direction of the walk. I remember it was a clear and cool autumn morning. The wind rustled the leaves, and some of them had begun to turn yellow.

Along the way I paid attention to the jeep trails, trying to find the wildest spots in the woods where no ranger wanted to go.

I also tried to get information from the animals I encountered. For example, I asked two squirrels if they knew what was on that side of the mountain. But they were timid fools. They looked at me in amazement, jumped to a tree, swung their tails and scolded me loudly. They waited until I left before they shut up. I also talked to a few chipmunks. They were polite but couldn't answer my questions. Because they have never been to a place more than a hundred meters away from their nest. But they suggested that I ask the birds—especially the old owl who was so famous in the woods. The chipmunk also told me how to find the big tree where the owl lived.

This is how my relationship with owls began. Owls know every tree, path, and stone in the woods. Although he was certainly not friendly to rats (as you know), nor to voles, he was quite interested in our life in Nimes and our escape; although he did not say so, I imagine he flew in the air at night Have seen our activities. Anyway, I told him about our difficulties and thoughts. He was curious and listened very carefully. I talked to him many times after that.

Later, the owl introduced me to the situation in Thorn Valley.

This valley is in the deep mountains and old forests. There is no road for jeeps nearby, because the surrounding mountains are steep, jagged rocks, and full of thorns, making it impossible for jeeps to drive in. The owl said that in all the years he had flown over the valley, he had never seen a human figure.

There is a mile-long flat land halfway up the valley, surrounded by cliffs. There is also a small pond where three mountain springs converge, which will never dry up. According to the owl, when the weather is clear, he can sometimes see fish swimming in the pond. I wonder if we can learn to weave fishing nets or make fish hooks.

Jenner and I went out looking for this valley that day. Although I learned the detailed route from the owl, I walked very quickly and had already walked all morning when I reached the foot of the mountain. We climbed up the steep cliff for more than an hour - this was not difficult for us, because mice are better at climbing than people; besides, we are small, and thorns are not an obstacle to us. Finally, we stood on the ridge looking down and saw the valley we were looking for.

It is a beautiful, quiet, empty and lonely place. Through the yellow and green mottled leaves, you can see a pool of clear water under the sun, with microwave ripples. I thought that Jenner and I were the first people in the world to see this clear water, but that was not the case, because when we came down, a deer suddenly appeared in the trees in front and ran down the hillside again. There used to be wild animals here, but I wonder if they thought that beyond this mountain barrier were cities, roads, and humans.

Most of the trees behind the mountain are lush, including tall oaks and maples. Next to the pond I found the place we were looking for. It was a flat patch of land covered with weeds and wildflowers. And clusters of raspberries. This basin is far away from the valley, and next to it is a steep, undulating granite rock.

"We can live here." I said to Jenner.

"I guess so," he said. "It's a beautiful place, but it's too far from the barn. Think of how far you'd have to walk to get food! And there's no electricity here."

"We can grow our own food." I wanted to say something more, but didn't. Maybe in the future when we need electricity, we can generate our own electricity.

"I don't know how to plant it. Besides, where do we plant the food?"

"Plant it here. It's easy to pull out these weeds and trees.

If we found a cave under that granite mountain, it would be dry and warm inside, and it would have a nice roof that could house a thousand rats. ”

“We don’t have a thousand. ”

“There may be in the future. "

"But why is this? Why do we need to move? Our current residence is full! We have enough food, electricity, lights, and running water. I don't understand why everyone likes to talk about changing the status quo. ”

“Because everything we have is stolen. "

"This is all nonsense. When farmers milk cows and take eggs from chickens, is this considered stealing? Just because humans are smarter than cows and chickens, that's all. In fact, humans are also our cattle. Since we are smart, why can't we take food from them?"

"This is different. Farmers feed and care for cows and chickens. We didn't pay anything for what we took. Besides, if we keep going like this, we will definitely be discovered one day. "

"So what? People have tried to get rid of rats for centuries, but they haven't succeeded because we are smarter than other animals. What are they going to do? Blow us up? Let them try! We can find explosives and blow them up. "

"Then we will be completely exposed. Don't you understand? Jenner, if we do this, people will figure out what kind of animals we are and what knowledge we have. There are several possibilities: they may hunt us down and kill us all; they may capture us and send us to the circus, or they may send us back to Nimes. At that time, we will never be able to escape. ”

“I don’t believe it at all. "Jenner said. "You always cling to this idea. We started from scratch and worked hard to build a civilized world of mice. Now that we already have a family foundation, why should we abandon it and start from scratch? We already have a civilized world. ”

“No, we don’t have a civilized world. We are living near people’s houses, just like fleas attached to a dog. If the dog drowns, the fleas will drown.” ”

We argued like this, and no one could convince the other. Jenner always disagreed with my point of view. This was not because he was lazy or unwilling to work; nor was he as confident in life as we are. , and stealing is not a psychological burden to him. He is very pessimistic and never believes that we can really create our own world. However, the other mice and I think we should give it a try. . If we fail - well, let's go back or find another farm; or we may end up forgetting everything we learned, and then we'll have to go back and steal garbage.

This is how we formulated our plan. Later, we spent a lot of time on this. Three years ago in the spring, we began to observe how Mr. Fitzgibbon grew food, and we also collected some agricultural books. And magazines. In order to never steal in the future, we had to steal more food for two years. Even if our farming failed in the first year, we would not starve to death. , in a dry cave. We collected seeds, built a plow, and hoeed a field next to the pond. In a few days we would start planting. , in case of drought.

We set a timetable counting down the days until early June when we would all be evacuated from what is now the cave, Mr. Fitzgibbon's yard, and hopefully never again. Not coming back.

(Translated by Jia Shuqin)