45 pages • 1 hour read
Cynthia LordBecause of the Rabbit
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Authorial Context: Cynthia Lord
Lord draws on her own experience as a basis for her books. This is particularly true for Because of the Rabbit (2019). Lord lives in Maine, where Because of the Rabbit and several of her other novels, such as Touch Blue (2010) and A Handful of Stars (2015), are set. The characters in Because of the Rabbit are largely based on her own life experiences, with Lord imparting much of herself in the character of Emma. Lord has an older sibling, a sister who she remembers as “my first friend” (“Cynthia Lord, Children’s Book Author, About Me.” Cynthialord.com). Lord felt left behind when her sister started having other interests and friends; she revives these emotions and gives them to Emma, who experiences the “left behind” feeling with her brother Owen.
Though Lord doesn’t label Jack with a diagnosis in Because of the Rabbit, she implies that he is on the autism spectrum. Lord also explores autism in her award-winning book Rules (2006). Lord’s understanding of children with autism stems from her experience of having a son with autism. Like Jack, Lord’s son loves animals and animal facts, but also finds animals overwhelming in person. Thinking about her son, Lord says: “Being different and thinking differently can be a big strength” (Author’s Note, Because of the Rabbit).
Each chapter in Because of the Rabbit opens with a rabbit fact that ties into the chapter. For example, Chapter 10 opens: “Rabbits have scent glands under their chins. They rub their chins on things to claim them as their own” (103). In this chapter, Lapi rubs his chin across the toe of Jack’s shoe as Jack builds up to touching him. Lord also has pet rabbits. She fostered 26 rabbits in the space of two years. This taught her about rabbit behavior and the field of animal rescue, both of which feature prominently in the novel.
Lord homeschooled her two children. She “had many honest conversations for this book about the excitement and hard parts of starting public school after homeschooling” with her daughter (Author’s Note, Because of the Rabbit). Again, Lord draws directly from her own experience to imagine her novels.
Cultural Context: Franco-American Culture
Emma and Owen’s French-speaking grandparents, Pépère and Mémère, were French Canadian and lived in Quebec, Canada. The animals in the beloved stories that Pépère used to tell Emma and Owen always went by their French names: “Monsieur Castor the beaver, Madam Tortue the turtle, Monsieur Renard the fox, Monsieur Corbeau the crow, Madame Sittelle the nuthatch, and Monsieur Hibou the owl” (11), and Monsieur Lapin, the rabbit. Emma and Owen are proud of their Franco-American heritage and have fond memories of their summers spent helping on their grandparents’ farm in Quebec.
Emma’s Franco-American heritage is not unique in Maine, where a large population of descendants from Quebec and the Canadian Maritime, an Eastern Canadian region, live. Franco-Canadian heritage is common throughout the New England states due to their proximity to Canada. A brief look at the history of French-speaking Quebec helps to explain the prevalence and persistence of Franco-American culture in Maine.
Before France ceded Québec to Great Britain in 1763, most of Québec was part of New France; as a result, the common language was French, and is still spoken there today. The biggest influx of French Canadians from Quebec to New England occurred later in the 19th century; they were drawn by the prospect of a better life working in the textile mills and logging industry, both of which were booming industries in Maine. When French Canadian American individuals settled, they built tight communities centered around their church and school, which taught children in the French language.
There was friction between Franco Americans and Irish Americans, who felt threatened by the newcomers from Canada. However, Franco Americans persisted, and their influence remains a strong part of Maine’s cultural fabric today. For example, there is a French immersions school in Freeport Maine, L’École Française du Maine, which states:
Recognizing the numbers of Franco-American citizens concentrated in this area, the founders hoped to create a French learning experience for the children of people who grew up with French-speaking parents and grandparents, thereby passing that cultural heritage to the younger, English-speaking generations (“About Us.” L’École Française du Maine, 2023).
Several Catholic churches still offer Mass in French, such as The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.
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