“We mustn’t ask,” Big Rabbit said. “The Terrible Things don’t need a reason. Just be glad it wasn’t us they wanted.”
After the Terrible Things came for the Feathers, the only creature that dared to ask questions was the Little Rabbit who could not understand why no one was standing up for the rest of the animals. The Little Rabbit was the only one who thought that maybe they should have done something but Big Rabbit pointed out that it was not their job to do so. The Big Rabbit did not cared what happened to the others as long as he was safe. He could not understand why the Little Rabbit did not shared his opinion and tried to help him understand that his way of thinking could be dangerous and could expose him to unnecessary danger. What the Big Rabbit understood however was the fact that the Terrible Things did not needed a reason for what they were doing and because they did not needed a reason he knew that their actions are hard to understand and to explain.
“Nonsense,” said Big Rabbit. “Why should we move? This has always been our home. And the Terrible Things won’t come back. We are White Rabbits. It couldn’t happen to us.”
After the other animals were taken away by the Terrible Things, the Little Rabbit proposed to the Big Rabbit that maybe they should leave as well, should the Terrible Things come for them as well. The Big Rabbit however was sure that nothing bad will happen to them and insisted that they were safe in the place where they stayed all their lives. This however proved not to be true as the Terrible Things came for them as well and took them in the same manner the other animals were taken. This quote shows that many people during the Second World War believed themselves to be untouchable either because of their nationality, status or age. However, no one was safe and the white rabbits in the story soon learned that they were not safe the hard way, by being taken by the Horrible Things.
“I should have tried to help the other rabbits,” he thought. “If only we creatures had stuck together, it could have been different.”
At the end of the story, the only creature that remains in the clearing is the Little Rabbit who managed to hide from the Terrible Things. After he remains alone, the Little Rabbit thinks about the events that happened in the clearing and thinks about ways he could have changed the events that took place. He concluded that if the creatures were to remain together and act like one, then they would probably still be all in the clearing, living together and taking care of one another. Unfortunately, the Little Rabbit was the only one who thought about sticking together and acting as one.
