Language & Logic

I climbed today. To me, the kitchen table looked like a mountain, its legs stretching endlessly upward. My hands clung to the grooves in the wood as I pulled myself higher, my heart pounding with the thrill of each step. At the top, I saw them: sugar crystals scattered near the teapot. To humans they were nothing but a mess. To me they shone like treasure.

I filled my pockets as quickly as I could, but then came the sound of footsteps. The ground trembled with each step, the way thunder shakes the earth. I froze. Father’s words echoed in my mind: “It’s no good thinking of being safe if people know you’re about.” If I was seen, everything could be lost.

When I made it home, Mother scolded me for taking such a risk. I pretended to listen, but inside, I could not quiet the longing that grows stronger each day. I do not want to live in the dark, hiding behind walls. I want to talk, to be seen. I want someone to look at me and realize that even though I am small, I am real. “We are as good as human, only smaller.” One day, I hope someone will believe that. Until then, I keep climbing.

The narrative above captures how Arrietty feels inside. The summary below explains the world she lives in.

Mary Norton’s The Borrowers tells the story of a family of tiny people who live under the floors of a human house. Pod, Homily, and their daughter Arrietty survive by “borrowing” small items from the humans above them. A pin can be used as a sword, a postage stamp as a painting, and scraps of food can last them for days. For the Borrowers, everyday objects hold an entirely different meaning.

The family’s greatest challenge is staying hidden. Pod warns Arrietty that being seen could ruin them, saying that discovery would mean the end of their life as they know it. Still, Arrietty feels restless. She wants more than secrecy and whispers, admitting, “I do so want to talk to somebody.” When she finally meets a human boy, her curiosity and courage grow, even though the encounter brings real danger to her family.

The novel shows how imagination and resourcefulness can turn survival into an art, but it also highlights how lonely invisibility can be. At the heart of the story is a question about recognition: what does it mean to live a life where no one sees you, and what might change if someone finally does?