Milknhoney Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 ....using the "Deconstructing Penguins" definition. We identified Nicodemus as the protagonist right away. At first we thought Jenner was the antagonist, but I think that even though he was not in favor of the Plan, he didn't get in the way of it for others, he just left. Dr. Schultz seems like a good option, since he is the main one getting in the way of what the rats want. However, he doesn't have anything to do with Mrs. Frisby's conflict. The only figure that presents an obstacle for both Mrs. Frisby and the rats is Dragon. So we settled on him as the antagonist. However, is Dragon really a character? Because unlike all the other animals in the story, Dragon doesn't talk or have any "human-like" characteristics. He's almost more of a "thing" than a character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I think the antagonist isn't a person-it's the conflict between the human society and the rat/mouse one. It's one of the things that makes Mrs. Frisby such a great book. DD is reading the sequels by O'Brian's daughter now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I thought NIMH was the antagonist. It was what had created Jenner and the other rats etc. Mrs. Frisby just wants a cure for her son. Everything that gets in her way is tied back to NIMH, so to me it would be the central antagonist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 The protagonist is Mrs. Frisby, imo. She wants her house moved. She talks the rats into helping her. She is the one who goes to drug the cat, gets captured, hears the plan to get rid of the rats. She is the one driving the action. She is the one who undergoes a character change. The antagonist is NIMH or the humans of NIMH. Because they are so far above the mice, it almost a man vs. god conflict with the mice and rats playing the part of humans and the humans playing the god part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingmydream Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 NIMH, but dragon did cause a few problems lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 The protagonist is Mrs. Frisby, imo. She wants her house moved. She talks the rats into helping her. She is the one who goes to drug the cat, gets captured, hears the plan to get rid of the rats. She is the one driving the action. She is the one who undergoes a character change. The antagonist is NIMH or the humans of NIMH. Because they are so far above the mice, it almost a man vs. god conflict with the mice and rats playing the part of humans and the humans playing the god part. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 The protagonist is Mrs. Frisby, imo. She wants her house moved. She talks the rats into helping her. She is the one who goes to drug the cat, gets captured, hears the plan to get rid of the rats. She is the one driving the action. She is the one who undergoes a character change. The antagonist is NIMH or the humans of NIMH. Because they are so far above the mice, it almost a man vs. god conflict with the mice and rats playing the part of humans and the humans playing the god part. :iagree: with Mrs. Frisby driving the action. I hadn't thought about the second paragraph you wrote. That is very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 There doesn't need to be just one protagonist or antagonist. I think an argument could me made that Dragon is Mrs. Frisby's antagonist (killed her husband, in the way of saving her child) and NIMH is the antagonist of the rats (including Nicodemus). Since Mrs. Frisby is the center of the novel, I would argue that hers is the main protagonist/antagonist relationship. We also relate to her more. However, the rats trials are certainly more epic and lend a really interesting spin on the novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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