Runaway Ralph

“Matt, who was not always popular with parents, was always liked by children.”

There are three models of adulthood in the novel. Matt represents an adult who has held on to the wonder and humor of childhood. His willingness to meet children (and mice) where they are can alienate him from the kind of adults who are perhaps too eager to get children to grow up.

“Up and down the hall zoomed Ralph, and the joy of speed made up for the long hours of hiding in dusty corners waiting for night to come.”

Ralph’s motorcycle allows him to experience small moments of freedom as he speeds through the hotel. Those small moments tease him into envisioning the larger freedom of running away and are the first elements of The Allure of Rebellion that he experiences at the story’s beginning. This experience also underscores the give-and-take nature of life, which helps lay the groundwork for The Reciprocal Nature of Empathy and The Relationship Between Personal Responsibility and Independence.

“Ralph was exhilarated by speed, danger, and his own daring.”

Ralph’s experience in the hotel on the motorcycle foreshadows the excitement he feels when he runs away and speeds down the highway. It also demonstrates the risky nature of rebellion and the potential danger and risk involved in his move to independence and freedom.