Analysis Of Literary Elements In The Tale Of Mr. Tod By Beatrix Potter

In “The Tale of Mr. Tod,” Beatrix Potter uses mundane spaces to create and entice emotions and reactions from the reader. She uses a rabbit hole and bed to convey violations of personal space and finding safety in unlikely places. Throughout the stories characters are put in spaces and experience feelings that would not ordinarily be attached to those places. When Mr. Tod encounters the badger, he discovers his most intimate possession inhabited by another individual. Ordinarily a bed is considered a safe haven many of the horrors or challenges the world has to offer. Beds are supposed to be neutral ground because it is where a person can be the most venerable; sick, beaten, broken down, or even happy beyond their wildest dreams. It is a confidant that never tells any secrets.

By the way Mr. Tod’s “whiskers bristled” and his “coat collar stood on end with rage,” it becomes clear the sight of the badger in his home was not a familiar one, despite how casual the living arrangement was conveyed in the storyline. Potter using the bed as the object for Tommy Brock to be found in creates a playful, uneasy feeling, similar to the one in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. To an adult the invasion is grotesque and causes pause because of the obvious violation to personal space and understanding of what it means to the security of a home. From a child’s perspective, the invasion is silly and near the bottom of the list for worst possible scenarios. ​ Much like a bed, a home is a sanctuary from the world. Mr. Bouncer allowed Tommy Brock into the rabbits’ home with little consideration for his reputation, giving him the opportunity to kidnap the bunnies while their parents were away. “Tommy Brock squeezed himself into the rabbit hole with alacrity. ” Everyone is aware of the horrible thing that can happen in other people’s home, but no one ever thinks their space will be violated. The “rabbit hole,” a home, symbolizes security, a place free from judgment and consequences, among other things relating to general comfort within a personal, private space. Potter clearly has no problem playing with ideas as they relate to personal space. A home is the first line of defense from almost any outside force. After a long day, the calming solitude of a home is longed for. When life could not be better, a house is the audience that’ll never stop cheering on your success.

For Tommy Brock to make his way into the rabbits’ home and kidnap those bunnies was an incredibly horrendous act disguised as an old man’s incompetence and the light-hearted antics of the neighborhood pest. Her playful aura around the rabbit hole being invaded by the badger, Tommy Brock, takes the severity of the situation and turns into a quest for the readers to go on with the rabbits rather than creating an anxious tone. ​Cousin Peter and Benjamin Bunny “rushed not their new tunnel, and hid themselves at the top of it, under Mr. Tod’s kitchen floor. ” The tunnel represents an uncertain space. Tunnels are often left unexplored because of the dangers that may lie in wait throughout the journey, or because of the fear of what’s on the other side. At one of the tunnels is certainty because it is the end the journey began on, the space in between and towards the other end is uncertain because that part has yet to be explored. Potter uses the bunny’s situation to highlight the point in the story where the hero’s face a tough decision, and the readers do not know if the quest will be completed as hoped. The tunnel represents success because it got the rabbits close enough the Mr. Tod’s kitchen for the completion of the quest to be completed. The tunnel represents uncertainty because there is the possibility of getting caught by Mr. Tod.

However, the tunnel also possesses the same implied safe space a bed and home have. Should Benjamin and Cousin Peter remain hidden, the safe space is maintained. ​Personal space can be violated, and an impromptu tunnel can serve as a safe haven from outside forces. Potter takes the antithesis of the expected tones and feelings associated with these ordinary spaces and makes them seem foreign, even to the characters. The rabbit hole, which is a home to the rabbits, was made unfamiliar when Tommy Brock was able to get in and out with their children with ease. Mr. Tod’s bed was made a foreign object when Tommy Brock was discovered beneath its’ sheets, almost as if it was exposing the most intimate parts of Mr. Tod. Finally, the tunnel, which usually carries uncertain and symbolizes a difficult journey, served as solace from the battle of Mr. Tod and Tommy Brock. Don’t judge a space by its cover.