44 pages • 1 hour read
Deborah Howe, James HoweBunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1979A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Friendship
Friendship is one of the novel’s major themes. Harold immediately introduces Chester as his closest friend. He and Chester are united by being the only pets in the Monroe household. Although the two pets have very different personalities, they appreciate each other’s unique qualities and company. In the beginning of the novel, their friendship is built on routine. Each friend knows what to expect from the other. However, their friendship steadily unravels after Bunnicula’s arrival.
Bunnicula brings out an unexpected side of Chester. The cat is immediately suspicious of Bunnicula and fully believes that the creature is a vampire. Chester’s suspicions increase as he notes strange coincidences in the bunny’s appearance and habits. Harold has never seen this side of his friend before. Chester has always had a vivid imagination fueled by the books he reads, but this is the first time Harold has witnessed Chester’s imagination manifesting through paranoid actions. When Harold sees how Chester’s actions threaten Bunnicula’s life, he distances himself from his friend to save the bunny.
Harold’s relationship with Chester becomes strained, but he makes a new friend in Bunnicula. This newfound friendship causes Harold to experience a personal shift. Whereas Chester often belittled him for his lack of knowledge in certain areas, Bunnicula always listens to Harold. Harold was a follower of Chester in their friendship, but he gains autonomy with Bunnicula. By the end of the novel, Harold and Chester’s friendship isn’t the same as it once was, but Harold realizes it’s okay that things have changed. Chester is on a journey to find himself, and Harold is content snuggling next to Bunnicula by the fireplace for shared naps.
Overcoming Fear
The novel deals with the issue of fear and explores how the feeling can be overcome. Bunnicula arrives in the Monroe household on a dark and stormy night, and Harold and Chester are immediately fearful of the strange little creature. Harold is afraid of how the family dynamics might change, and Chester is afraid that the bunny is actually a vampire. These combined fears increase in the coming days as Chester’s vampire books align with his observations of Bunnicula. As Chester becomes increasingly convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire, his fear fuels Harold’s own uncertainty. This causes the situation between Harold, Chester, and Bunnicula to spiral out of control.
Harold overcomes his fear by getting to know Bunnicula. After frequent observations, he realizes that Bunnicula is just a hungry bunny who likes to suck the juice out of vegetables. He decides that even if Bunnicula were secretly a vampire, it’s clear that the bunny doesn’t intend to hurt anyone. This realization leads to a friendship between Harold and Bunnicula that quells his former fears.
Chester’s fear of Bunnicula is more stubborn. Up until the climactic moment when the Monroes catch the animals fighting near the dinner table, Chester’s frantic actions were prompted by the fear that Bunnicula would feast on the inhabitants of the Monroe household. This fear is finally resolved after his visit to the veterinarian. He still maintains that Bunnicula is a vampire, but his fear about the situation is replaced by his desire to better himself through self-help books and therapy.
The Combining of Mystery and Comedy
The story functions as a lighthearted mystery that’s underpinned by vampire tropes and humor. Bunnicula first appears on a dark and stormy night, and Chester immediately notices the bunny’s unusual appearance. From what Chester has read in his vampire books, Bunnicula looks like a vampire. The bunny’s black fur markings resemble a cape, and his teeth look like fangs. The author relies on these vampiric tropes to signal that Bunnicula may in fact be a vampire, a mystery that is complicated by the fact that Bunnicula was also found in the theater during a showing of Dracula.
Chester’s conclusion that Bunnicula is a vampire stems from the knowledge he’s acquired while reading vampire literature. While vampire folklore is usually considered a subset of the horror genre, Chester’s attempts to stop what he believes to be a vampire bunny delve into comedy. He read that staking a vampire will end its life, so he tries to stake Bunnicula with a piece of raw steak. Chester also read that garlic immobilizes vampires, so he strings pieces of garlic all over the living room. This results in Mrs. Monroe giving him what cats hate most: a bath. Moments like these infuse the vampire tropes with enough playful humor to make this story suitable for its intended younger audience.
