Stuart Little

Margalo—a little brown bird of unknown species—is Stuart’s first friend his own size. White describes Stuart’s story as a quest for beauty. Margalo, however, is not an unusually beautiful bird. She is superficially quite ordinary. Her beauty lies in her description of herself: “I come from fields once tall with wheat, from pastures deep in fern and thistle; I come from vales of meadowsweet, and I love to whistle” (50). For Stuart, Margalo is a symbol of inspiration—her words inspire in Stuart a vision of a beautiful but far away world.

Margalo is the catalyst for change that disrupts the status quo of Stuart’s life. This is somewhat unusual because, in Western storytelling, such an event often happens at the very beginning of a story. Margalo does not appear in the book until Chapter 8, over halfway through. She also only lingers for a couple of chapters—during which time she rescues Stuart and inspires him to tell his family about his adventures—before flying away after learning that Snowbell the cat’s friend intends to kill her. The rest of the book follows Stuart’s journey as he goes after her, though the story ends before it is revealed whether or not he ever does.

Even before she flies away, Stuart views Margalo as a noble lady he can only love from afar. He acts as her knight when he defends her from Snowbell’s attack, but he never touches her or kisses her except from a distance. This is called a romantic love and means something different from a modern idea of romance. It means that for Stuart, Margalo is an ideal, something perfect in a way that the real world can never be.

Snowbell is the only real antagonist in the story. All of Stuart’s other obstacles are a result of his small size and big dreams. Snowbell dislikes and resents Stuart. He describes Stuart as a member of the family while Snowbell is a “permanent guest.” He knows better than to eat a member of the family, but he is not above malicious tricks. He goads Stuart into dangerous stunts, and, when Stuart finds himself in a predicament, tricks the family into believing Stuart ran away instead of helping his fellow animal. He is the antithesis of Embracing the Differences of Others and symbolizes the rejection faced by those who do not fit in.

Snowbell spends much of his time roaming the neighborhood with other cats. The other family members do not believe Snowbell has any negative feelings toward Stuart, and later Margalo, which implies that they do not know him or spend much time with him. This is emphasized when White reveals that Snowbell can talk to them. To a friend, Snowbell confesses that it’s difficult to live alongside creatures he instinctively wants to hunt. In this way, White draws attention to the anthropomorphism of his characters—though they behave like humans, they are not themselves people.

Snowbell presents a more direct and dangerous threat when he attempts to eat Margalo. Unlike the disastrous episode with the window shade, this time, Stuart defeats Snowbell because he is acting for himself, not reacting to someone else’s opinion. Ultimately, Snowbell is the instigation for Margalo’s departure, depriving Stuart of his soulmate and inspiration. Thus, Snowbell effectively drives Stuart out into the world.

Stuart’s parents are delighted to have a child as unusual as Stuart. Though they are initially unprepared for him, the Littles cherish his difference and quickly adjust their home to suit him. They accommodate his needs without limiting or infantilizing him. Mr. Little, in particular, envies Stuart’s freedom. In addition to ensuring Stuart can go about daily tasks on his own, he enables Stuart’s adventures, often providing him with tools. The family finds ways that Stuart can participate in family activities, such as playing ping-pong where he retrieves balls other people can’t reach or lifts the sticky key on the piano.

The Littles are so intent on Stuart’s well-being that, at times, they overcompensate. They take out the reference to mice in The Night Before Christmas, and they avoid nursery rhymes like “Three Blind Mice.” Stuart is very fond of his parents, though he does not share his adventures with them until after Margalo comes into his life.

George is the Littles’ oldest child, and he seems to think nothing of having a mouse for a brother. The two boys are very different. Where Stuart is mature beyond his age, George is a more typical child—enthusiastic, energetic, but easily distracted. George often starts projects to help his brother, like building a brace on the sink so Stuart can push the handle of the faucet, but he never gets around to finishing them. George’s schemes to help his brother tend to be impractical and often beyond his skill.

The Littles represent Stuart’s childhood. They provide him with comfort, security, and support. When he is thrust into an adventure for which he is unprepared—getting stuck on a garbage barge—he panics and wishes he were safely at home with them. However, when Margalo disappears, Stuart finds he is mostly ready to move forward in life. He leaves home without telling his family, taking only a strand of his mother’s hair from her comb as a memento of his childhood.