38 pages • 1 hour read
Beverly ClearyRalph S. Mouse
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
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Important Quotes
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BetaChapters 1-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “A Dark and Snowy Night”
As a late-night snowstorm blows outside the fading ski resort the Mountain View Inn, young Ryan Bramble, whose mother works as a housekeeper at the inn, watches a television show that features car stunts. The show reminds him of his classmate Brad who races motorcycles. Ralph the mouse joins Ryan as he waits for everyone to retire to bed so he can ride his tiny red motorcycle through the hotel. Ralph is an inside mouse, so he hides his motorcycle under the loud grandfather clock during the day. He has many relatives who live outside, and his mother calls them a “rowdy bunch.” Ralph comments on the show’s car stunts and Ryan can understand him. Ralph has the special gift of being able to communicate with children. Matt, the inn’s caretaker, is the only adult who can understand Ralph.
Ryan’s mother, Mrs. Bramble, sends him to bed just as guests arrive at the hotel. Ralph hides under the clock as the guests check in for the night, frustrated that the shabby inn is their only option for lodging. Matt tries to help them with their bags, but they rudely refuse. As soon as the lobby is clear, Ralph dons his tiny red helmet and begins riding his motorcycle through the puddles left by melted snow. Ralph enjoys making motorcycle sounds and whizzing through the puddles. Knowing his relatives are watching, Ralph flaunts his skills and tries daring stunts. Matt is still awake and enjoys watching Ralph ride as he tends to the fire. Soon, the outdoor mice surround Ralph’s motorcycle and demand that he give them a ride. Distracted by their pleas, Ralph loses control of the motorcycle and falls into a puddle. The mice grab at his motorcycle, but Ralph manages to rescue it and ride away. The mice shout at Ralph that he is mean and greedy and threaten to tell his mother. Ralph stops to argue with them, and the mice surround the motorcycle, grabbing and pulling on it. Ralph explains that he doesn’t want to wear out the motorcycle giving them all rides. Seeing the large group pressing in on Ralph, Matt intervenes and sends them away.
When Ralph reaches the safety of his nest under the clock, he examines his motorcycle and sees that the confrontation caused some minor damage. He cleans it and searches in his nest for repair materials but doesn’t find what he needs. Ralph is upset about the damage, but he is more hurt over what the mice said about him and feels bad over the way he treated them. He contemplates leaving the inn so he doesn’t have to see them again.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Ralph’s Decision”
After the excitement of the previous night, Ralph sleeps deeply, but the sound of Mr. Minch, the hotel manager, complaining about the messy floor startles him from his sleep. Mrs. Bramble agrees that the floor is a mess but says it is Matt’s job to clean the lobby. Matt arrives, cheerfully greeting everyone, unaware of what awaits him. Ralph listens intently as he worries for his friend. Mr. Minch reprimands Matt for the condition of the floors and is especially upset over the mouse droppings. Matt pretends to know nothing about what happened overnight and promises to fix the situation immediately. Mr. Minch threatens to fire Matt if he finds any more signs of mice in the hotel. Ralph feels the threat is unwarranted since Matt is a long-time, loyal employee, and “most employees did not stay long at the Mountain View Inn” (31-32). Ralph also worries about his relatives and what will happen if Matt is forced to exterminate them all. A guest speaks up and suggests they purchase an “electronic mouser” that emits a high-pitched noise to drive the rodents away. As he begins to vacuum the lobby, careful to avoid the mice’s hiding places, Matt wonders to himself how he will fulfill Mr. Minch’s demands.
Ralph considers the situation and feels he is to blame for Matt’s trouble and his family’s potential extermination. He considers moving everyone upstairs but then realizes that there is nowhere to hide his motorcycle. When Ryan comes downstairs to go to school, Ralph begs him to take him and his motorcycle to school so he can hide. Ryan worries that his teacher, Miss Kuckenbacker—Miss K for short—might see him talking to Ralph, so they decide he will hide in a pair of boots Melissa Hopper leaves at school every day. As they walk to school, Ryan tells Ralph that his teacher assigned them to write a fictional story about the school’s namesake, Irwin J. Sneed. Since their town of Cucaracha was once a wild West gold-mining town, Ryan made Irwin a cowboy. Once they arrive at school, Ralph hides in Ryan’s pocket and Ryan warns him not to ride his motorcycle around the school. Ralph feels a mixture of emotions about his uncertain future.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Irwin J. Sneed Elementary School”
Ralph arrives at Ryan’s school, which is teeming with children. He looks at the long, smooth-floored hallways with excitement as he thinks about riding his motorcycle. The pocket’s warmth and Ryan’s rhythmic heartbeat soon put Ralph to sleep. Ryan shares a crumb of his sandwich at lunch and Ralph awakens, feeling claustrophobic. He chews a tiny hole in the fabric for air and to see what is happening outside. When he pokes his head through the hole, a girl spots him and becomes so distracted that Miss K notices and demands to know what’s in Ryan’s pocket. Ryan walks to the front of Room 5 and pulls a terrified Ralph from his pocket. Everyone stares in wonder and Miss K declares, “What a beautiful mouse!” (54). Ralph has never been called beautiful and his fright eases as the class admires him. Ryan explains that he found him at the inn and that he is exceptionally smart. Miss K suggests they find a cage for him, and Ralph instantly dislikes her.
Ryan returns Ralph to the safety of his pocket. Miss K suggests that they use mice as inspiration for their classwork and art projects. To illustrate Ralph’s intelligence, she tasks Ryan and Brad with creating a maze for Ralph; they will use a timer to see how long it takes Ralph to complete it. Ryan isn’t thrilled about working with Brad, but Ralph hates the idea of running the maze and tells Ryan he refuses to participate. Ryan says Ralph must run the maze because he’s new at school and wants to impress his classmates. Ralph angrily demands his motorcycle, but Ryan refuses, saying he doesn’t want Ralph riding through the halls and causing a disturbance. Ryan will return Ralph’s motorcycle after he runs the maze on Friday. A classmate sees Ryan talking to himself and Ryan lies, saying that he is perfecting a ventriloquism act. Ralph hides in Melissa’s boot overnight, sulking with anger and frustration over the unfairness of the situation.
Chapters 1-3 Analysis
In these chapters Cleary reintroduces Ralph the mouse, the main character of the novel and the series. Cleary also reestablishes the relationship between Ralph and young boys as the hallmark of the series. Cleary introduces the two main conceits of the novel through her use of anthropomorphism and the civilized animal trope. Anthropomorphism is a literary device in which nonhuman beings or items take on human-like characteristics. Ralph not only can speak to certain humans, but he also enjoys the human activity of riding a motorcycle. The incorporation of a talking animal establishes the novel as low fantasy but more importantly creates a dynamic relationship between Ralph and Ryan and introduces the theme of Loneliness and the Search for Belonging. Ralph’s magical ability is limited in that he can only speak to lonely children and the inn’s caretaker—characters who are isolated for different reasons. Matt is an older man who is overlooked as a service worker, as evidenced by the demeaning way the inn’s owner, Mr. Minch, speaks to him. However, Ralph appreciates Matt as a human and values Matt’s empathy for the mice living in the inn. Ryan is also isolated as he lives with his mother in the hotel, far away from other children. As they are new to the community, Ryan hasn’t had the opportunity to make many friends, so Ralph becomes his buddy.
Ralph’s anthropomorphism goes beyond an interest in humans and an ability to speak. The novel’s third-person narration focuses on Ralph’s perspective and reveals a deeply introspective character who desires to be more human than mouse. The civilized animal trope, also popular in television and film, features animals who maintain their instincts while also taking on human characteristics, and assimilating into human realms like a school or workplace. Conflict arises when their animalistic tendencies prevent them from being accepted by humans or impede their ability to succeed in the human world. In Ralph’s case, both types of conflict occur. As soon as Miss K discovers Ralph in Ryan’s pocket, Ralph’s situation becomes more precarious, with the teacher and students treating him more as a specimen than a living creature, staring at him, confining him, and forcing him to take part in an exhibition against his will. As Ralph faces the external conflict posed by humans, he inwardly struggles to control his animal nature, as when he fights his nocturnal instincts to stay awake during the school day.
Cleary uses the civilized animal trope not only to generate both external and internal conflict but also to develop the theme of An Animal Trying to Live in a Human World. Early in the narrative, Ralph distinguishes himself as a different kind of mouse, not just because he rides a motorcycle and talks to humans. Ralph draws a sharp distinction between mice who live inside, like him, and mice who live outside, who are an unruly, vulgar horde of pests. Though they are his relatives, Ralph feels disconnected from them and sees himself as more civilized and intelligent. Ralph, like Matt and Ryan, experiences social isolation and longs for a friend who understands his unique nature. However, when Ralph arrives at Ryan’s school, he struggles to comprehend the alien environment and he leans on what he’s learned from television to make sense of this new world. He doesn’t feel completely at home with humans or animals.
The inciting incident occurs when Mr. Minch blames Matt for the mouse infestation, though it was Ralph who attracted the mice with his motorcycle. Ralph feels deeply guilty and resolves that the only way to help Matt save his job is to leave. The external conflict between Matt and Mr. Minch leads to a profound internal conflict within Ralph as he decides to risk capture or worse to help his friend. Ralph’s internal monologue reveals a character grappling with human emotions such as self-doubt, regret, guilt, and fear
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By Beverly Cleary
