Recently, on the LifeCourse forums, I responded to a thread about some quintessential generation X films. Every John Hughes film ends up on that list. Angsty teens frustrated with their self-absorbed, often spiritual parents was a recurring theme. This was alongside those Rosemary’s Baby-like films depicting children as minitature demons.
When asked to provide another example, I realized that a film I watched entirely too much as a child could easily qualify as an example. When I was a child, The Secret of NIMH was on the VCR about a million times. It turns out that this movie was a great example, too.
Setting the Stage
The aging, spiritual leader of an intelligent community of rats, Nicodemus (Prophet Archetype), is trying to move his community from their home beneath a thornbush to the safety of Thorn Valley. There they will be free from interference from any humans.
Justin (Hero Archetype) is a younger rat deeply inspired by Nicodemus; his peer of the same age-group is Jenner, who wants their community to stay put. He doesn’t believe there’s an existential threat to the rats and it’s clear from the outset that there will be a confrontation between the two.
Mrs. Brisby: Single-Mom
Enter Mrs. Brisby (Nomad Archetype), an ordinary field mouse that mated with one of the NIMH mice when they first made their home at the farm. Her husband dies mysteriously and she is left alone to tend to their children. When her house is threatened by the start of harvesting season, she must find a way to move the family. The complication is that one of her sons is sick with pneumonia, so she can’t just move everyone without risking his life.
She seeks the help of these special rats and, in return, she helps them with a crucial part of their plan to depart their endangered home. When she learns that the rats are in more immediate danger, she escapes capture by a human child to inform them. There’s other stuff: a magical amulet, cool rat-on-rat battles, lots of stuff to keep a kid’s interest.
Not Exactly Kid Stuff
The story is more than that, though. While Justin emerges as the new leader in the wake of Nicodemus’ death, it’s Mrs. Brisby that’s the actual hero of the story. She risks everything and nearly loses her family, but manages to save them and see the rats off to the safety of Thorn Valley.
What makes her a clearer example of the Nomad archetype is how the story ends: She doesn’t lead anyone off triumphantly, she turns over this powerful amulet to Justin, which is appropriate – he’s the hero of the rats. This is the narrative of Generation X after the passage of their youth. Mrs. Brisby is content to raise her family now that their home has been moved to safety; she doesn’t enter the promised land.
Archetype Key
This chart explains the generational archetypes as they apply to The Secret of NIMH. Among these perspectives, Mrs. Brisby qualifies as a nomad - hard bitten, pragmatic, and enjoying the simple results of the heroic struggle while missing out on the glory.
