To be real; this is the wish of the lonesome Velveteen Rabbit,
who lives in the nursery, with his friend the wise old Skin Horse, the tin
toys, wind-up airplanes, and other stuffed animals. He is not a fancy toy,
nor expensive; he is filled only with sawdust and is sewn without any moving
parts. Many of the other toys make fun of him, or simply overlook him for
his simplicity, and even the young Boy who plays with the toys, pays him little
attention after Christmas morning. The little Rabbit becomes quite sad, feeling
the purposelessness of his existence as a toy, and confides in the Skin Horse,
asking him “What is REAL?” In response, the Skin Horse tells him,
“It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long,
long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
The Boy does come to love his Rabbit, very much so. He even professes that
his Rabbit isn’t a toy, he is real. Oh, how that warms the Rabbit’s
“little sawdust heart”! The Boy loves him until his eyes have no
more shine, and his velveteen fur becomes bare. But the Boy gets scarlet fever,
and after the long illness, the Rabbit must be destroyed, with all the other
toys that might have germs on them. The Velveteen Rabbit ends up outside in
a sack with the others, awaiting a final ending he truly doesn’t understand.
Lying with his head outside the sack, he sadly remembers all the wonderful
things he did with the Boy. In this moment of melancholy reflection, he sheds
a real tear, which makes him more real than anything else, figuratively and
literally. This tear brings forth a beautiful flower, and from within it,
a beautiful fairy, who teaches him an even deeper understanding of what it
means to be real.
This story always made me sad when I was a young child, despite
the happy ending. The story evokes sentimentality; I felt badly for the sweet
animal. I wished he could simply become real on his own, without depending
upon the love of another, no matter how bright or beautiful that love might
be. I still feel this way about The Velveteen Rabbit. As sweet a story
as it is, it leaves me feeling sad.
The positive insights this story offers to children are that love has the
capacity to bring about transformation, and that love should know no bounds
-- even the shabbiest of us is real enough to receive love.
The story is a classic, enjoyed by generations since its first publication
in 1922. The author, Margery Williams, was inspired by one of her own childhood
toys and wrote the story for her son. The Velveteen Rabbit has long
held the attention of children and parents alike.
In this animated DVD version, David Jorgensen’s lovely illustrations
are a perfect expression of the gentleness of the story and the sweet emotion
of the Rabbit. They are delicately done in soft colors, and move artistically
from frame to frame. Meryl Streep narrates the story in a clear, comforting,
emotive voice that is at once both quiet and strong. Music by George Winston
creates an atmosphere that reflects the mood of the story -- lonesome, excited,
forlorn, happy, suspenseful, and triumphant -- in musical language that can
be appreciated by little ones. This version of The Velveteen Rabbit
is quite charming, and is recommended for young children -- and their parents,
of course.
