LogFAQs > #961513186

Zigzagoon posted...

Rats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_ijc7A5oAc

Rats are... a complicated animal to say the least. Widely considered pests by a majority of the world, their penchant and association with being the top spreader of pestilence and infestation makes it easy to see why. I wouldn't say I'm scared of rats; I've seen them in my apartment building staircase or in the garbage room and walk around them no problem, but I certainly wouldn't want to get up close and personal with one either. From a distance or isolated in a vacuum, I actually think rats can be adorable, just about as much as mice can really. Personally, I got no problem with rats overall. Yet, it's quite hard to shake that social stigma that surrounds them. The Black Death, the most deadly pandemic in our history, instantly makes you think of swarming rats over running the streets and invading homes. Now, that's far from the truth, but our perception of rats, like most things, is colored by our stories in fiction and culture. Dishonored, which depicts a Victorian Era fictional alternate history, takes inspiration from the bubonic plague and Black Death, using rats as a conduit for horror, a representation of personal choice, and as a common enemy that has no care for heroes or villains. The game clearly portrays rats as disgusting and something to be dreadfully avoided at all costs, while also using them to demonstrate the power imbalance between the upper and lower classes; as Corvo, you can gain the power to control and become the beasts, infiltrating the electric fences and large walls of the rich, and if as a player you choose to cause chaos and death around Dunwall, you see the effects first hand as rats appear in more and more areas and swarm people and bodies literally stripping them bare down to their very flesh and bones. It's one of the more up close sickening depictions of rats but highly effective in terms of demonstrating rats' danger and more symbolic meaning as well. Arguably more symbolic is the use of rats in Brian Jacques' Redwall series. The very first book in the series depicts Cluny the Scourge, a fearsome rat warlord with a poisoned-tip tail that commands a vast army of rodents. Without fail, rats are always depicted as villains in the series against the heroic mice, and they're not very flattering depictions either, as rats are portrayed as cruel, deceitful, and ultimately, cowardly. You can probably see where I'm going with that.

With all that being said, are there any heroic portrayals of rats? Yes, of course, one I would imagine most are familiar with, that's right, Marcell from Ratatoing.

Oh wait wait, no it's actually Remy from Ratatouille, easy mistake to make, apologies! It's a film that shows both sides, the rat as pest, and the rat as pet, and offers a more thoughtful portrayal of rats that shows off their intelligence and ability to work and learn simple tasks and behaviors. Another fantastic example is Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH which depict rats in an advanced technological society and cleverly commentates on the ethics of animal testing whilst telling a compelling family drama in the process. The rat is also featured in the Chinese zodiac, and is not a bad thing at all as the rat zodiac is associated with intelligence and drive.

While it's easy to tell rats are still more associated with negativity, it's also important to remember they are animals and simply living beings too and do not mean to spread the harm or diseases they bring about. That sort of makes me root for the rat just a little bit more then most. Sure, caution is definitely advised with wild rats, but they can also make truly excellent companions for the right person too and I think both sides of the animal should be viewed and respected in equal measures.