The Secret World of ArriettyStephanie Hochhaus, John Bogdan, Elson Tanimoto, Daniel Ngyuen

Table of Contents:1. History – the book 2. Author – Mary Norton 3. Video clip4. Storyline 5. Characters 6. Theme 7. Film style 8. Cultural aspects 9. Class questions together10.References

The Book History• Stories of little people or fairies are an essential

part of Bristish folklore• “The novel examines how individuals, most

specifically Arrietty, grow and mature through their increased understanding of themselves in relation to their families, their natural environments, and their pasts, and how they create stories of their lives as part of this process of understanding and growth.”

About the Author: Mary Norton• December 10, 1903 (London, England) – August 29,

1992 ( Hartland, Devon) • Educated in a convent school in London and was

originally trained to become an actress• Had two book series:

• Bedknob and Broomstick• The Borrowers

• In each of her novels she has the reoccurring story of a young person’s growth to maturity

• Her works are bildungsroman’s, narratives of rites of passage that belong to story traditions extending back to the folktales, legends, and myths of most preliterate cultures

Video Clip: "First Borrowing"

WATCH ME!

Story Line• Almost 14 year old Arrietty and her family (the

Clocks) live in a peaceful, secret home made by items the borrow from the humans. Little do the humans know that the Clock family is living under their floorboards. When a new teenage boy moves into the house life starts to change when he sees Arrietty. In the mixt of him trying to help Arrietty and her family, the crazy housekeeper starts to get involved. Leaving the clock family with a decision to stay or retreat.

Character: Arrietty• Arrietty is the only child from the Clock family. She

has a mother and a father that love her dearly. During the movie we join in on Arrietty’s first borrowing. She is a very adventurous and very curious young girl. She is always looking to try something new. You can tell she wants to provide for her family as much as she can and will do whatever it takes to protect her family.

Character: Shawn•  Shawn is a teenage boy who is struggling with a

heart problem and his parent’s marriage is in turmoil. So he escapes to his mother’s childhood home in attempt to relax. You can tell he is very caring and respectful. He takes advantage of being able to take care of Arrietty and her family because he is always being cared for. Just an overall mellow and sweet

kid.

Character: Haru• Haru is the care taker of the house and of Shawn.

She is a rather grouchy and unhappy woman. . Haru is also the antagonist in the film. She has a constant suspicion that borrowers exsist, and once she finds proof she stops at nothing to capture one.

Character: Pod• Pod is Arrietty’s father. Pod is a very quiet and

good tempered man. His wife – Homily – is a rather excentric woman, so he balances out with her really well. He is a good father and provider for the family and knows Arrietty like

the back of his hand.

Character: Homily• Homily is Arrietty mother. She is the definition of

what a mother is. Very caring and loving towards her family, especially Arrietty. She is always worrying about Arrietty and what will happen when she goes out into the humans world. Her personality and emotions are very animated. She

always seems stressed.

Character: Spiller• Spiller is a beacon of hope to the Clock family. He

is the first borrower they have seen in ages and he also helps Pod home when he is injured from a borrowing. Spiller is an outdoor fellow and dresses like a caveman/Native American. He grunts and lives off the land. He is quite but a good guy. The family trusts him on their journey to a new life.

Theme• While there are many small themes in the movie the most major,

unifying idea is trust. Throughout the entirety of the film they are clear examples of trust. For example right from the start of the movie we see that Pod, Arrietty’s father, has complete trust in Arrietty and lets her go on her first “borrowing” with him. But what’s important is how confident and brave Arrietty was because this could just be the main reason the she was allowed to go on the adventure even at her mothers disapproval.

• And of course another good example of trust in the film is how Arrietty trusted Shawn with her and her families secret even though she could have put her family in danger. We can see even from this example how confident Arrietty really is and it pays off in the end because of the friendship between Shawn and Arrietty he eventually helps retrieve Homily Clock, Arrietty’s mother, from Haru.

Style, Animation, and Film Type• The animation and film style in this film takes from

many different movies especially from other Japanese filmmakers. This is because the director and animator of the film is Hiromasa Yonebayashi, he also directed and produced the films Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo.

• The plot of the movie is a classic tale of heroism but it differs from most films because the main character is the heroine and she is confident and courageous. This contrasts some of Yonebayashi’s other works where the main character would either be a male hero like in Princess Mononoki or a shy unconfident girl like in Spirited Away.

Cultural Aspects•   The Secret World of Arrietty has a few cultural

influences from Eastern culture. Particularly the faces of the characters have a very typical Japanese anime-type look to them with large eyes and sometimes over exaggerated facial expressions. The film itself has a distinctive anime-style animation. In addition, Arrietty’s father is the stereotypical hard working father who only wants the best for his children, typical of Asian families. The architecture of the house and vegetation surrounding the house also have an Asian feel to them 

HOW IT ENDS• While the Clock family has encountered numerous

near death experiences throughout the course of this film, they managed to get their things together and arrive safely at the desired destination so that they can continue on the journey for a new life. They stick together like a family should and continue through all the hurdles that life has thrown at them. Not only are the Clocks satisfied but Shawn is as well. He got to help someone for the first time and but their well being before his, and he got the surgery and survived.

Class Questions1. How does your opinion change on stealing or

“borrowing” ?2. Have you heard any bedtime stories or folktales

about little people?3. How would you react if you were in the human’s

position and you found little people living in your walls?

4. If you were in the same position as Arrietty’s family how would you feel about borrowing and what would you do about it?

References• http://

www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/420153/Mary-Norton

• “Mary Norton” by Jon C. Stott• Pg 136• Pg 36

Articles:• http://

muse.jhu.edu.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/journals/chq/summary/v025/25.1.hopkins.html (Have the downloaded PDF)

• http://muse.jhu.edu.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/journals/chl/summary/v031/31.1omalley.html (Have the downloaded PDF)

• http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/420153/Mary-Norton

• “Mary Norton” by Jon C. Stott• Pg 136• Pg 36