Is there anything worse than a poor defenseless bunny out there in the world? How about a sweet and vulnerable velveteen rabbit? Now that really tugs on your heartstrings. The Rabbit in our story is a stuffed animal, so by definition that means he's totally passive. He can't move unless a human moves him. He can't jump or hop like the wild rabbits because he doesn't have hind legs. And when he gets into trouble, there's not much he can do but accept his fate and let loose a tear or two.
Luckily, by the end of the story, the Rabbit gets a taste of action when he becomes Real and gets to hop around with the other rabbits in the woods. Now he's just…vulnerable to an attack from predators or a hunter. Ugh. Forget we said anything.
Questions About Passivity
- Why do you think the toys in this book aren't able to move on their own like they do in Toy Story? How would that change things?
- How would the story be different if the Boy wasn't kind to the Rabbit?
- Do you think you another toy in the nursery would have reacted to being thrown in a bag to be burned up? Is the Velveteen Rabbit's reaction almost too accepting?
Chew on This
The first time the Rabbit meets the wild rabbits in the woods, he realizes that he's not a flesh and blood rabbit and understands just how incapacitated he is by the way he's made.
The Rabbit isn't totally passive throughout the story since he decides to help the Boy get better and succeeds. He gets to make a choice in that instance.