Literary Devices in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
When you think of a farm, you probably think about the silo, the barn, the horse stables, maybe an attractive cowboy or cowgirl hauling hay. You get the picture, right? But what you might not immed...
Narrator Point of View
Nicodemus spends about half of the book telling Mrs. Frisby his story, which is also the story of the other rats. When Nicodemus is the central narrator, it sounds like this: "We lived near the mar...
Genre
Young adult literature used to get a bad rap. But you know who gave it a bad rap? Adults, who like Old Adult Literature. A look around at any of the authors today who are raking in the big bucks (l...
Tone
Just the Facts, Ma'amO'Brien's direct, all-business tone has a lot to do with keeping the reader glued to the story. This isn't one of those stories where you are doing a lot of guessing or trying...
Writing Style
For some reason, calling something simple is sometimes synonymous with calling it easy, or not very smart. But we want to call your attention to some simple (and awesome) things for just a minute t...
What's Up With the Title?
Wouldn't Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH make an excellent title for a rock band, with Mrs. Frisby as the lead singer and the rats backing her up on vocals and guitar? Can't you just see the band...
What's Up With the Ending?
Shmoop has a bone to pick with this ending: sure, the Frisbys end up safe in their vacation home, and the rats escape from the NIMHers once again, proving that brains beat brawn once again. But the...
Tough-o-Meter
You won't need hiking boots or a pick ax or loads of dried buffalo jerky to conquer this novel, Nature Lovers. In addition to being a fiction writer, Robert O'Brien was also a journalist. As you pr...
Plot Analysis
Of Mice and MenMrs. Frisby and her family live in an adorable overturned cinder block, where they all cozy up together in an adorable pile of fur and whiskers. Their cute house and sweet personalit...
Trivia
Brace yourselves because you're either about to have your mind blown, or you're about to blow chunks: the largest rats can weigh up to 2.2 lbs. (Source.)Okay, this one's just cool: rats dream and t...
Steaminess Rating
If this book were any less steamy, you would need to buy a humidifier for your house to prevent nosebleeds. There is no sex or romantic interest between the characters. We know that Mr. and Mrs. Fr...