Arabesque—The Mouse by A. E. Coppard
"Arabesque—The Mouse" by A. E. Coppard is a poignant short story that explores themes of compassion, loss, and the complexities of human emotions through the experiences of its protagonist, Filip. Set in a city where he lives alone in an old building, Filip grapples with the presence of a small mouse that invades his space while he reads a Russian novel. As he attempts to capture the mouse, his mind drifts into memories of his childhood, marked by a sensitive nature and a deep connection to his mother, whose tragic death profoundly shaped his worldview.
The narrative unfolds with Filip reflecting on past moments that illustrate his struggles with love and loss, particularly his encounter with a young woman named Cassia during a village festival. The story juxtaposes his tender memories against the harshness of his current reality, culminating in a moment of moral crisis when he accidentally injures the mouse. The act of flinging the creature from his window serves as a catalyst for Filip's feelings of remorse and guilt, prompting him to confront his own fragility and the weight of his emotional baggage. Overall, the story invites readers to consider the delicate interplay between cruelty and compassion, as well as the lasting impact of childhood traumas on adult life.
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Arabesque—The Mouse by A. E. Coppard
First published: 1921
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The early twentieth century
Locale: England
Principal Characters:
Filip , a middle-aged manHis mother Cassia , a young woman he met years earlierThe mouse
The Story
Filip, a middle-aged man, sits in his room on the fourth floor of an old house in the commercial area of a city. He is reading a Russian novel, as is his late-evening habit. After becoming aware of a small mouse scurrying about the room, he baits a trap to catch it. There are many mice in the building; he knows he must try to eradicate them but feels pity for the bright-eyed rodent. He says, "Mean—so mean, to appeal to the hunger of any living thing just in order to destroy it." This sentence becomes a key to the flashbacks that follow.
Filip remembers having been a sensitive child who was upset at having to carry dead larks, tied by the feet, home for supper. When he got home, his face stained with tears, he discovered his mother expressing breast milk into their fire; she was weaning his baby sister. As his mother allowed him to help squeeze out her milk, he noticed her heart beating, then felt his own heart beat. His mother noted that the heart must beat for one to live. Filip kissed his mother and cried out, "Little mother! Little mother!"
The next day Filip's world changed forever when his mother was knocked down in the street by a horse, and a cart ran over her hands, crushing them. Her hands were amputated and she died shortly thereafter.
Haunted by the image of his handless mother, Filip grew into a questioning man who found justice and sin and property and virtue incompatible. His rebellious spirit was rebuffed by others and he became timid and misanthropic, easily offended by small slights and moved by imagined grievances.
As Filip's awareness of the mouse returns momentarily, his mind flashes back to another moment when he was a young man and met a beautiful young woman named Cassia at the village festival. During their only meeting, Filip and Cassia were exuberant and full of life. They danced and strolled together; then he carried her home. When he set her down on her porch, she put her hand on his heart and remarked on its beating. He cried "Little mother, little mother!"
Hearing a snap, Filip is brought back to the present by the realization that the mouse has sprung the trap. The mouse, however, is not caught; it stares at him mutely. Horrified to see that the trap has amputated both of the mouse's forefeet, Filip picks it up, and it promptly bites him. Uncertain what to do, he flings the mouse out the window. Filled with remorse, he runs outside and searches unsuccessfully for the mouse until he is chilled to the bone. He returns to his room, retrieves the mouse's feet from the trap, throws them into the fire, and rebaits the trap.