Redwall

“All in the space of a night events had moved from festivity to a crisis, and he, Matthias, had taken a major role in both. First the big grayling, then the sighting of the cart; large happenings for a small mouse.”

At this point in the story, Matthias still perceives himself as a novice monk. He is also aware of his diminutive size. Both these limiting forms of self-identification will change over the course of the story.

“‘Many times in our history has tragedy been forestalled by miraculous happenings.’ Constance grunted in agreement, not wishing to disillusion her trusting old friend. Deep within her she knew a dark shadow was casting itself over the Abbey. Furthermore, it was happening in the present, not in bygone days of fabled deeds.”

The abbot wishes for miracles to deliver Redwall. Constance and most of the other defenders are more pragmatic. They recognize evil when they see it and know that prayer won’t solve their problems with Cluny and his horde. 

“The mere sight of a fully armed horde had worked before, and he had little doubt it would prove effective now. Ordinary peaceful creatures were usually panic-stricken at the sight of Cluny the Scourge at the head of his army. […] Cluny knew the value of fear as a weapon.”

Cluny is quite aware of the intimidating image he presents in his battle regalia. This quote suggests that he isn’t simply a bully who relies on brute strength. He is something far worse because he understands the role that negative emotion plays in defeating his enemies. 

“Even the strongest and bravest must sometimes weep. It shows they have a great heart, one that can feel compassion for others.”

Matthias is ashamed to weep in front of Cornflower. He assumes that heroes should be heartless like Cluny. Wisely, Cornflower points out the importance of emotion in a hero. Matthias is strong because of his sympathies, and his feelings will soon be a valuable means of turning enemies into allies. 

“If anything were to happen to me, you’d all be a leaderless rabble, a headless mob. So, if the mice were to lose their most precious omen, the picture of Martin, where would that leave them?”

Because Cluny has shaped an army of spineless yes-rats, he correctly assumes they would all fall apart if he were gone. His error lies in assuming that the mice will behave the same. Their reliance on one another guarantees that they will carry on, even without their beloved tapestry. 

“Listen to me, friends. We of Redwall are a tough lot to kill off. They couldn’t finish Ambrose Spike, could they? Why, even the black one armed with a dagger couldn’t slay Mr. Fieldmouse.”

With this speech, Matthias rallies the abbey’s defenders. In taking the lead, Matthias begins to step into a warrior role. His courage will inspire others to fight on as well. Whereas Cluny always refers to himself alone, Matthias speaks of the collective “we.”

“I don’t want to capture the spirit of Redwall. I mean to kill it!”

As in an earlier quote, Cluny emphasizes the value of psychological warfare. He knows that demoralizing his enemies is more important than outmatching them in physical strength. Of course, he fails to recognize the determination of tiny creatures who work together. Size doesn’t matter.

“Who did that snotty weasel think he was? And as for Cluny promoting a weasel to captain over rats of his own kind, well Redtooth and Darkclaw and the others might have something to say about that!”

Because Cluny motivates his troops through fear and greed, it stands to reason that his captains would be jealous of one another. Rather than cooperating, each looks for the next opportunity to destroy a competitor. This quote also carries racist overtones since the rats consider themselves superior to their non-rat allies. 

“‘Well, wherever he is,’ the Abbot replied, ‘I’m certain that he is helping our cause, so we’ll just have to await his return and trust to Matthias’s judgment and good sense.’”

At many points, Matthias takes off on solo missions without informing his compatriots ahead of time. This quote demonstrates the faith that everyone places in him to do the right thing. In contrast, Cluny would immediately expect betrayal from an absent soldier. He would also be right to do so since the atmosphere he creates breeds mistrust.

“It goes well for us, old one, though how I can say that anything goes well which causes death and injury to living creatures is beyond me. We live in strange times, my friend.”

The abbot confides his views to Methuselah. Once again, we see how deeply he regrets the existence of conflict in his formerly peaceful world. He fails to understand the necessity of resistance in difficult times.

“Now that they were on the run, this was the proper time to consolidate a resounding Redwall victory! But the good Father Abbot would not hear of it. Like a true gentlemouse he believed in tempering triumph with mercy.”

This quote supports the preceding one in demonstrating how foolish the abbot’s pacifism can be in the current situation. Cluny’s army has retreated. Rather than taking advantage of their weakened state to drive them away completely, he gives them the opportunity to regroup. Luckily, Matthias is out learning how to be a warrior instead of a healer.

“The vixen watched Cluny’s eyes closing under the influence of her medicine. These warlords were all the same—they never gave credit for brains to anyone except themselves.”

Old Sela is a shrewd judge of character. Her comment about Cluny reveals yet another way the warlord isolates himself. He rules out the possibility that anybody else might have a better idea for defeating Redwall than he does. 

“Everything was going according to plan. He had lost Redtooth, but what the devil? Redtooth had been an ambitious rat. Cluny only admired ambition in one rodent—himself.”

Once again, Cluny demonstrates his separation from his horde. Previously, he withdrew into isolation because of his contempt for his brainless followers. In this quote, he expresses his mistrust of anyone who might be ambitious. Cluny regards his captains as competitors for his power.

“Matthias reflected that he had used desperate measures to secure a promise, but with justification. He was being uncompromising with himself as well as his captive. No more could he afford to be the silly little novice that had bumbled about the Abbey before the start of the present troubles.”

Matthias has just extorted information from Warbeak by threatening to let her fall to her death. While such an action hardly seems heroic, Matthias recognizes its necessity. He has begun to move out from under the kindly abbot’s influence. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

“We would not turn you away from our gates, unless you were an enemy that meant us harm. All creatures are cared for at Redwall Abbey and it is my task to care for the sick and injured.”

With these words, the abbot welcomes the injured Chickenhound into the abbey. His high principles are admirable. Initially, this kindness extracts a spontaneous confession from Chickenhound regarding Cluny’s tunnel plan. However, the abbot’s kindness to the thieving fox will also result in Methuselah’s death.

“He would remain in there brooding for days, suddenly emerging to fire his warriors with grandiose schemes and wild ideas. No one dared to disobey him, even though half an hour later he had forgotten his previous foolhardy notions and wandered off to hunt worms.”

King Bull Sparra is a bad monarch. He is emotionally impulsive and has a short attention span. His erratic behavior sets the tone for the quarrelsome sparrow flock, just as Cluny’s barbaric treatment of others sets the tone in his camp. Fortunately, the king dies, and Warbeak proves to be a monarch concerned with others and not just out for personal glory.

“Jess observed that it was the contrast between slaving under a tyrant and voluntary cooperation that arose from determination and good fellowship.”

Jess and Basil have just hatched a plan to recover the missing tapestry. They succeed by working as a team. This behavior stands in contrast to Cluny’s captains, who literally stab one another in the back at every opportunity. 

“All we face is a lot of peaceful mice and some local woodland creatures. Defeat them and I will give you rewards you never dreamed of. The enemy are not trained fighters like we are, not natural killers. There is not one among them who can lead as I lead you.”

In this speech to his troops, Cluny emphasizes their military training and his superior skills as a commander. His arrogance blinds him to the most crucial fact about his enemies: They work together toward a common goal. Cluny is only interested in the glory of Cluny.

“Cluny was a resourceful rat. He often wished that his army thought as he did instead of being just a mob of incompetents. But then, if the horde were as clever as he was, there would be no need of a leader. Such was life, he reflected. Nobody could think up a new strategy as he could.”

As in an earlier quote, we see Cluny’s mistrust of his underlings. While he bemoans their incompetence, he recruited them for precisely that reason. None of them represents a real threat to his leadership, and he likes it that way. 

“He struck for Redwall! He struck against evil! He struck for Martin! He struck for Log-a-Log and his shrews! He struck for dead Guosim! He struck as Methuselah would have wanted him to! He struck against Cluny the Scourge and tyranny! He struck out against Captain Snow’s ridicule! He struck for the world of light and freedom! He struck until his paws ached and the sword fell from them!”

Matthias attacks Asmodeus using Martin’s sword. Significantly, his reasons for the assault are about others. He acts as an agent on behalf of all those who could not strike for themselves. Personal glory is not a motivating factor.

“It contains no secret spell, nor holds within its blade any magical power. This sword is made for only one purpose, to kill. It will only be as good or evil as the one who wields it.”

Julian gives this advice to Matthias after the latter has defeated Asmodeus. Throughout the novel, Matthias has assumed that whatever strength he possesses resides in the magic sword. Julian helps him focus on the wielder as the source of magic, not the weapon.

“Basil Stag Hare nodded in agreement. ‘I know, old scout. But the Abbot’s such a decent old buffer that he believes there’s good in everyone, even Cluny. What?’ ‘And so do I,’ Jess muttered. ‘I believe Cluny will be good someday. Good and dead!’”

All the defenders of Redwall can plainly see the kindly abbot’s weakness. He is so good that he can’t see the evil in others. Such an angelic disposition is ill-adapted to life in the real world. This is especially true when the real world is threatened by a monster like Cluny. Fortunately, Basic and Jess know how to deal effectively with unrepentant evil. 

“Cluny grinned wickedly. There it was again, that stupid thing called honor, the code of the warrior! But it was not his code: he had won!”

Cluny holds Friar Hugo at knifepoint and demands Matthias’s surrender. He gloats because he expects the warrior mouse to capitulate for the sake of honor. However, throughout the story, Matthias has learned a few lessons about evil. He does surrender but not before severing the bell cord that will send a giant bell crashing down on Cluny’s head. He has kept his word, retained his honor, and still managed to slay the villain.