48 pages • 1 hour read
Mary NortonThe Borrowers
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1952A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: Post-War England
The Borrowers is part of a strong tradition of British children’s literature that emerged in the years following World War II. Britain’s economy and social structures were greatly impacted by the war, and many books from that time period reflect both the generalized turmoil of the era and the resilient attitude that post-war British families took pride in maintaining. These themes are visible in both the human family and the Clock family.
The wealthy human family lives in a crumbling old country home that was formerly full of people and elegant parties, a state of affairs designed to reflect the diminished stature of many upper-class English families in the first half of the 20th century, for many such families were unable to continue their lavish lifestyles after the British Empire began to decline. This pattern is reflected in Pod and Homily Clock’s reminiscences of years past when there were many other people in the house. At the time of the story, however, only Great Aunt Sophy and her employees reside in the house.
In many ways, the Borrowers can be viewed as a contrast to the presumably upper-class humans and a reflection of the average British citizens who struggled under both general societal austerity and class pressure during the post-war years. Many people in the country prided themselves on their frugality and resourcefulness, two qualities that make up the backbone of the Borrower lifestyle. The varied class structure within the Borrower community itself as Pod and Homily perceive it also reflects the pressure that real-world families of different income levels faced during the period when the book is set. While Borrower families like the Overmantles are wealthy and somewhat pretentious and those like the Rainbarrels are poor and destitute, every Borrower family has their own hardships to endure, and no one is exempt from difficulties.
Literary and Cultural Context: Miniature People in Literature and Folklore
For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by stories depicting tiny versions of themselves. In fact, tales of miniature people transcend cultural boundaries and can be found in literature and folklore across the world. In the United Kingdom, where The Borrowers originated, a genuine belief in fairies, pixies, elves, and similar creatures appears to have prevailed throughout society until around the Victorian period, and Norton’s Borrowers show strong similarities to many of these creatures, who were often believed to live in houses and take things from humans when no one was watching. They were also often believed to be visible only to children, a theme that the novel reflects in the fact that only the boy encounters the Borrowers personally.
Literature both before and after The Borrowers also regularly features miniature human species. Gulliver’s Travels, published in 1726 by Jonathan Swift, is one of the most well-known examples. In the book, the protagonist, Gulliver, is shipwrecked and washes up on the shore of Lilliput, an island inhabited entirely by tiny humans. In contrast to the Borrowers, however, the Lilliputians have full control over Gulliver, and although they see his size as a threat, they are able to imprison him. Tom Thumb, another miniature character from British literature, first appeared in the 16th century. He is featured in many books and plays and even appears tangentially in The Borrowers, as Arrietty owns a selection of Tom Thumb books, miniature editions that were popular during the Victorian period. Tom Thumb is traditionally described as being similar in size to the Borrowers and no bigger than his father’s thumb, but in Norton’s book, he is described as being two feet tall, possibly a reference to the real-life Tom Thumb, a 16-inch-tall man who may actually have lived during the 16th century.
