Stuart Little

Children are born small in a world where everything around them is sized for adults. This changes as humans age and grow, but Stuart, as an anthropomorphized mouse, must deal with being small in a big world forever. Much of Stuart’s life is spent overcoming the obstacles of a world far too big for him; however, Stuart hardly seems to recognize those obstacles. The sink is too high up for him, and he can’t turn on the water, so he simply climbs a rope ladder to the sink and uses a mallet to open the faucet. His way of doing things is different from that of other people, but to him it is perfectly ordinary, neither better nor worse. His brother often expresses ideas to accommodate Stuart, but he rarely follows through; instead, his father gives him helpful tools that promote independent problem-solving.

A full-sized person might assume that Stuart’s dreams of adventure are out of his reach, but Stuart finds or makes opportunities to live out his dreams. Now and then, he finds something built to his scale. His parents buy him dolls’ clothes, toothbrushes, and furniture just the perfect size for him. His father and brother make him toys and tools his own size. He can’t carry a real dime for the bus, but rather than carrying him everywhere as though Stuart was helpless, his father makes him a fake dime out of tin foil. Like Stuart, children love to find—or make—toys and furniture fit to their scale. They make little worlds of their own in which to play at being adults, just as Stuart does when he sails Doctor Carey’s ship.

Ironically, Stuart’s small size allows him greater freedom than he would have as a regular child. Stuart matures much more quickly than a regular human, walking, talking, and climbing shortly after his birth. Additionally, he is able to use small things as if they were their real counterparts. He uses a tiny bow and arrow to fend off Snowbell, and he drives Doctor Carey’s model car when he leaves home in search of Margalo. While Stuart—and other mouse-sized children—is often treated as unremarkable, White does occasionally acknowledge the oddity of a small, anthropomorphized mouse making his way through the world. However, he quickly waves this off with fantasy and humor. When Stuart notes that his tiny car might draw too much attention from regular-sized people, Doctor Carey simply replies that the car has a button which turns it invisible. Stuart does not use the button on the road, and though people stare, he is inexplicably able to take to the roads alongside every other driver.

Even for adults, the miniature can be a vehicle for imagination. For Doctor Carey, his model ships and cars are an opportunity to pretend that he is on a road trip around the country, or that he is a ship’s captain plying the high seas. Doctor Carey cannot go to sea himself because he must do his work as a dentist. Many people also grow more cautious with age, preferring to keep their fantasies firmly in the realm of pretend; in which case, Doctor Carey may very well be content with his model vehicles. Stuart fulfills his own dream by sailing Doctor Carey’s ship, but Stuart also gives Doctor Carey (and the reader) a chance to imagine himself at the helm without the dangers of actually being out on the high seas.

Being smaller than everyone else means that Stuart must make an effort to make sure he is not forgotten or overlooked. If he is rolled up in the window blind or slips into the refrigerator in search of a snack, his family sometimes can’t find him for hours. He learns that if he doesn’t want to be overlooked, he must call attention to himself and make sure other people see him. This is reflective of regular-sized children as well. Many children’s stories feature busy adults who fail to notice, or outright ignore, children. When the superintendent asks Stuart if he can keep a classroom under control, Stuart replies that he can; indeed, he proves that by listening to the children, acknowledging their thoughts and ideas, and respectfully involving them in discussions, there is no need for stern discipline.

Even full-sized people can be overlooked or forgotten. White was physically a small man. He was also quite shy; he didn’t like parties or unexpected visitors to his home (Straw, Deborah. “E. B. White: A Shy Man Fond of Creatures.” Literary Traveler, 2006). However, he was highly eloquent and had a rich imagination. Similarly, Stuart does not tell his parents about his dreams and adventures until after Margalo arrives.

Sometimes people who are thoughtful and introverted have difficulty calling attention to themselves even when they want to be involved, and are consequently overlooked. Like Stuart, their private lives may be enormous, and they could possess amazing ideas and capabilities, but because their presence seems “small,” they are invisible to other people. There is a difference between respecting the boundaries of introverted people and leaving them out completely, and Stuart illustrates the importance of not overlooking someone’s potential simply because they are “small” or quiet.

In the final scene, when Stuart sets out toward the horizon, he is stepping into a world so vast and full of wonder that it dwarfs even adult humans. Stuart’s small stature, as compared to other people, is nothing in the face of such enormity. In the grand scheme of things, everyone is a small person in a large world.