Analysis

This book is indicative of its time. This book was written in the 1970's, after the experiments by Professor Calhoun were published and became well-known in the 1960's. The rats in the book are even from the same organization as the rats that Calhoun studied, The National Institute of Mental Health. As can be seen from the rats perspective from the book, "The public image of what Calhoun had achieved was largely negative" (Ramsden, 2009). Although the book showed a positive outcome that could come from animal research, it also showed the negative.

John B Calhoun

The rats (and mice) that were experimented on were given injections that the professor said made them one thousand percent more intelligent, although the leading rat believes it affected them even moreso than that. "The rats are willing to help Mrs. Frisby, at the risk of their own close-guarded safety. This willingness to sacrifice their own comfort in order to do the right thing by others is indeed one of the linchpins of the story." (Conly, 2011). Because the rats become more intelligent and have the ability to reason, they help others if they are able to do so. The rats are able and willing to help Mrs. Frisby move her house. The rats became intelligent enough to read, escape and attempt to make their own society but at what cost?

One reason the rats felt compelled to make it out on their own was because they felt they would be ostracized from their old family. They knew they would not be able to go back to eating garbage and living how they did before. They felt they were too different to go back so they were forced to make their own home. Their longer (and possibly immortal?) lives do not necessarily mean a happier life either. Jonathon Frisby had died an early death by the hands of the farmer's cat, but if he had survived, it is assumed he would have stayed young while Mrs Frisby would have aged and died. The rats also run away from the people who are coming for them. They believe they are likely from NIMH and they want to be on their own. This shows that even though good has come from the animal research, the rats refuse to go back. Some of them even die in their quest to evade the people.