Jumping MouseThe story of Jumping Mouse may seem simple at first.
But it is far more than just a story about a small rodent. There are so many underlying themes that reflect society, faith, generosity, personal growth, and many other aspects of a persons daily life. The story starts out with a seemingly simple mouse, who hears what others do not. He dares to question what is out of the ordinary, and seeks out the truth instead of dismissing it as nothing. He shows curiosity, which leads him to new ideas.
When he has his experience at the river, he is given a new name, which signifies his own personal growth. When he takes his newfound ideas back to the mouse society they dont believe him because it is far too different than what they already know, and they decide that he is harmful. The society of mice reflects society in how they didnt understand something so they pushed it away. So many times people dont accept or understand things because they are out of the ordinary, so they shun it.
It happens every day; with racism and conflicts over human sexuality. Most people dont understand that there is no way to define normal. All around the world things are different, and one needs to be open minded enough to understand it. Now look what being open minded did for the mouse. His willingness to listen and his faith in the frog allowed him to see into the rest of the world, even deeper into his own mind.
There is a fine line between being open-minded and being gullible. Both will listen to anything to try to understand it, but gullible people lack common sense. The mouse seemed kind of gullible, in how hed risk his safety by jumping in the water all because the frog said to. Jumping mouse is like many people, always seeking a better way of life. The other mice were quite content with their busy life, because that was the way they have always known. But Jumping Mouse had a taste for what else the world had to offer him.
When Jumping Mouse met with the old mouse, he found a perfect place to live, free from harm and lots of food. He was told he should stay but somehow, he knew that he could have better. Even later on his journey to find the mountains he discovered a small “mouse utopia” with an abundant supply of food and shelter, everything a mouse could want. Yet he still wanted to keep searching for the mountains he knew were still ahead. The mouse in this story is a very kind and generous mouse.
He comes across the path of a sick buffalo that needs one thing to make him complete: an eye of a mouse. Now it doesnt take long for Jumping Mouse to decide what to do. He doesnt want the buffalo to die so he gives up half of his gift of sight by letting the buffalo have an eye. In return for his gift of life, the buffalo offered him protection from predators as Mouse continued on with his journey.
After he parts with the buffalo, Jumping Mouse meets with a gray wolf that for some reason cannot remember the simplest of things. But being the kind mouse that he is, our hero wishes to help and decides that by giving the wolf his remaining eye it would cure him of his problems. Now completely giving up his gift of sight is a very difficult thing to ever want to do, but Jumping Mouse decides that it is better to take care of others in need than him. The wolfs memory is restored and it can now function again, thanks to the selfless generosity that the little mouse displayed. And in turn for Mouses good deed, the wolf offered to be his eyes and help him continue on his way.
Jumping mouse finally makes his way to what he has been searching for: the medicine lake in the mountains. Only he cannot see anything and becomes very frightened at his situation. And just when he thinks hes hopeless and is surely dead, he wakes up from what he thought was his death and finds that he can now see. A familiar voice asks him to do something, and the ever-diligent mouse complies. After all of his journey, determination, and selfless good deeds, Jumping Mouse has been given the ultimate reward.
He has now become an eagle, free to do anything.
