How are The Borrowers dealing with Trump's administration?
In our current political climate we all know that our new president is the subject of debate, and everyone has a different feel on it. I realized recently however, that we hadn't yet heard from our friends who live the closest to us: The Borrowers. Therefore, I ventured to the cupboard under my kitchen sink to visit these tiny people and find out their take on our 45th president.
I first spoke with Peagreen Clock Jr., grandson of the famous Peagreen Clock who stared in the film, The Borrowers, about their biggest family crisis. Peagreen Clock Jr. admitted to me that he is concerned about our president. “It hits close to home” he says, talking about the exterminator that tried to force his family out of their home back in the 1990s. “The documentary made about our family really portrayed the Borrower people in a good light, and it highlighted some of the great obstacles we've overcome. There are, however, many people who don’t like us, and I do fear that because of new extermination policies implemented by our new president, that they will band together and force us from our homes.”
Peagreen Jr. and his family have become so fearful of venturing beyond their cupboard that he asked if I would pass him some sugar from the counter top of the kitchen to save him a trip. I kindly obliged.
I also spoke with Arietty Clock, the sister of Clock Sr., who says that she also has some fear about this new presidency, “I’m more scared of Trump than I am of Jeff, the exterminator who terrorized my family in the late 90’s. The president doesn’t just want to get rid of us Borrowers, he also wants to destroy anyone that doesn’t look like him.”
Arietty also mentioned the local Roach family that lives in the cupboard next to hers, and said that Mrs. Roach said that her family finds solace in knowing they can survive a nuclear catastrophe. "Mrs. Roach said that war seems imminent," Arietty said, "but it's not really keeping them up at night as it is my family. She did mention, however, that the Roaches are also worried about being kicked out of their homes and that they’ll have to seek crumbs elsewhere,
The Clocks thanked me for allowing them to live in my cupboard, I let them know that I’m welcoming of all people and and will fight for their right to live beneath my sink just as long as they keep paying rent.
UPDATE: The Clocks unfortunately had a scare this past Tuesday evening. Upon leaving their cupboard home to search for food, they were attacked by a mouse who had differing political views. The Clocks, like many Borrowers, have since disappeared, and I imagine they are seeking refuge elsewhere.
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Anevay Darlington is a student living in Brooklyn who was gifted the love of learning. Her favorite pastimes include people watching, feeding birds, staring into space with her mouth open, and playing various instruments in music shops. She's very passionate about solving social and environmental problems. A 2016-2017 Advice Project Media intern, she wrote this article while on assignment.
