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Owen

by Kevin Henkes

Summary

Owen tells the story of an unconventional friendship between a young mouse and his blanket, Fuzzy.

Owen is a young mouse about to start school. Owen treats Fuzzy, his blanket, like it is his best friend. When Owen’s neighbor, Mrs. Tweezers, sees Owen playing with the blanket, she suggests ways for Owen’s parents to try to get Owen to get rid of Fuzzy before it’s time for him to start school. Owen is very upset. Everyone seems to be unhappy until Owen’s mother comes up with a solution that pleases everyone.

Read aloud video by Mr. Paulson

Guidelines for Philosophical Discussion

Owen tells the story of an unconventional friendship between a young mouse and his blanket, Fuzzy. The nature of this friendship is explored in the story as Owen plays and receives moral support from his blanket Fuzzy, whom he considers a friend. Does this raise the ethical issue of what makes a friend? Other questions stem from this relationship, such as whether physical objects or things such as a blanket can possess human-like characteristics such as liking food or playing. The story asks whether something like a blanket, which cannot talk, or perform anything solely on its own, has the capability of being Owen’s friend. Most would consider a friend, firstly, to be a person or something that is alive, as well as someone who can think, perform actions, and give pleasure to the other person he or she is a friend to. In the story, Fuzzy does not do anything that does not involve Owen using him in one way or another. Owen assigns characteristics to Fuzzy such as the fact that he likes the same food, based on no factual evidence. Also, Fuzzy cannot talk, which asks us to consider whether we can be friends with someone whom we cannot directly communicate with. While these scenarios present conflicts and difficulties, the question of whether we can be friends with an object remains central.

Owen can also be used to comment on the nature of perfection within the branch of Aesthetics. The idea of perfection describes an entity that is flawless and ideal. In the story, Owen sees Fuzzy as “perfect” and “essential,” whereby his parents and neighbor see Fuzzy as immature, “dirty,” “torn and ratty.” First, we must address the differences in subjectivity, where two groups of people can see one thing completely differently. Owen identifies Fuzzy as perfect, as he does not refer to the physical characteristic of the blanket, rather he associates the blanket as a source of comfort and friendship. The blanket has meaning to Owen, which surpasses how others may feel about him. Although the blanket is not “perfect” physically, Owen can still feel that Fuzzy possesses an ideal quality that is known to him alone, which he characterizes as “perfect.” Owen’s parents and neighbor see Fuzzy completely differently. They assign the property that Fuzzy is too immature, and that it is not even a good-looking blanket. They base their feelings about Fuzzy on the physical appearance and the strain that society places on children who hold onto things that are immature. How can two people see the same object as being completely different? Can something that is imperfect be seen to be perfect?

Lastly, when Owen’s mother decides to snip and sew Fuzzy into numerous tiny little handkerchiefs, questions can be drawn from the philosophical idea of identity through change, meaning “whatever makes an entity definable and recognizable, in terms of possessing a set of qualities or characteristics that distinguish it from entities of a different type.” Fuzzy is snipped, but Owen still uses the handkerchiefs in many of his activities. In fact, he can use them in the same way as he did even though Fuzzy is reduced in size. The handkerchiefs are also an acceptable compromise among Owen, his parents, and his neighbor Mrs. Tweezers. Why is this so? When Fuzzy is no longer a blanket, do all of the handkerchiefs become Fuzzy? Or is Fuzzy lost forever? If you manipulate the essential characteristic of any object, does it change? How much change is necessary for the actual thing to change? Owen is a charming and simple book, enjoyable for children of many ages. It can be useful when exploring different philosophical branches and is a great start for a lifetime full of philosophical debate.

Questions for Philosophical Discussion

Perfection

Owen sees “Fuzzy” as “perfect” and “essential,” his parents and Mrs. Tweezers see it as immature, “dirty,” “torn and ratty.”

  1. Why do Owen’s parents and Mrs. Tweezers think Fuzzy is immature, dirty, and ratty?
  2. Why does Owen think Fuzzy is perfect?
  3. Why doesn’t it matter to Owen what Fuzzy looks like?
  4. Can something that looks imperfect still be perfect?

Identity

Owen’s mother snips and sews Fuzzy into tiny little handkerchiefs.

  1. Do Owen’s feelings about Fuzzy change after Fuzzy is snipped into tiny little handkerchiefs?
  2. Is Fuzzy still Fuzzy after he is snipped? Why or Why not?
  3. For Owen, does Fuzzy need to be a blanket?
  4. How much can a thing be changed before it is no longer the same thing?

Friendship

Owen says, “Fuzzy goes where I go. And Fuzzy did…Fuzzy likes what I like. And Fuzzy did.”

  1. Can a blanket like food?
  2. Can a blanket go places?
  3. Does Fuzzy really play with Owen?
  4. Can objects, like Fuzzy, do things that people cannot?
  5. Fuzzy cannot speak. Is it necessary for a friend to talk?
  6. How can Fuzzy be Owen’s friend?
  7. Can you think of anything good about having a friend that cannot talk with you directly?
  8. Can you think of anything hard about having a friend that cannot talk with you directly?
  9. What makes a good friend?
  10. Can an object be a friend?

Original questions and guidelines for philosophical discussion by Alex Mercurio. Edited June 2020 by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics.

Find tips for leading a philosophical discussion on our Resources page.

Download & Print Email Book Module Back to All Books
Back to All Books Illustrated book cover for Owen featuring a young beige mouse carrying a yellow blanket across the grass. Behind him, an older white mouse peers over a wooden fence with binoculars. She looks in the opposite direction of the young mouse. Download & Print Email Book Module

About the Prindle Institute

As one of the largest collegiate ethics institutes in the country, the Prindle Institute for Ethics’ uniquely robust national outreach mission serves DePauw students, faculty and staff; academics and scholars throughout the United States and in the international community; life-long learners; and the Greencastle community in a variety of ways. In 2019, the Prindle Institute partrnered with Thomas Wartenberg and became the digital home of his Teaching Children Philosophy discussion guides.

Further Resources

Some of the books on this site may contain characterizations or illustrations that are culturally insensitive or inaccurate. We encourage educators to visit the Association for Library Service to Children’s resource guide for talking to children about issues of race and culture in literature. They also have a guide for navigating tough conversations.  PBS Kids’ set of resources for talking to young children about race and racism might also be useful for educators.

Philosophy often deals with big questions like the existence of a higher power or death. Find tips for leading a philosophical discussion on our resources page.

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