Ralph S. Mouse

Synonymous with speed, adventure, and daredevil tricks, motorcycles have long been seen as the most daring form of transportation. In book one of the series, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ralph’s friend Kevin gifts him the toy motorcycle. In book two, Ralph Rides Again, Ralph uses the motorcycle to escape the inn and embarks on an adventure at a camp. By book three, Ralph’s motorcycle is a part of his identity, and he can’t imagine life without it. Each day he waits patiently for the night, when he can emerge from his hiding place under the clock and zoom freely through the empty halls. Ralph’s motorcycle symbolizes his desire for freedom, adventure, and an escape from the limitations of his mouse-sized world. Ralph loves his motorcycle, but it drives a wedge between him and his family, whose constant requests for rides frustrate Ralph. The motorcycle also causes him stress and anxiety. When Ralph becomes separated from his motorcycle, he must reckon with who he is apart from his treasured vehicle. The motorcycle that once symbolized freedom now symbolizes placing too much value on material possessions.

Ralph’s motorcycle also represents his tie to the human world and his alienation from the mouse world.