Might Makes Right: The Moral of The Jungle Books

Though it was difficult to find a single overarching moral in Kipling’s rich and complex stories, the one that stuck out the most for me was “might makes right,” or, to be more specific, those with strength and cunning have the ability to do as they wish. The characters of The Jungle Books—Mowgli in particular—who possess more strength and/or cunning than others are able to overcome obstacles such as societal laws, to manipulate other characters, and to generally get their way.

Even considering the fact that most people would expect the beasts of the jungle to be wild and uncivilized, these animals have a societal code known as the Law of the Jungle, which all jungle residents are supposed to obey. These rules are based on necessity, as the Law of the Jungle “never orders anything without reason” (37). Still, it is obvious from the beginning of the stories that the rules aren’t always followed. In “Mowgli’s Brothers,” Tabaqui brings the news that Shere Khan plans to hunt nearby during the next moon. Father Wolf snaps that “by the Law of the Jungle he has no right to change his quarters without due warning” (36). Shere Khan also kills humans, an act that is against the Law of the Jungle as well, as the law “forbids every beast to eat man except when he is killing to show his children how to kill” (37). With the theme of “might makes right,” of course, Shere Khan is able to make his own right through his own power; no one dares oppose him and his strength is left unchecked, regardless of the Law of the Jungle.

Shere Khan, of course, is not the only animal subject to the moral “might makes right,” and not all of the examples of this moral exist in a wholly negative light. For example, in “Kaa’s Hunting,” the titular character is described as “very old and cunning,” and it is said of his strength that “when he had once lapped his huge coils round anybody there was no more to be said” (65). Many animals, notably the Bandar-log, fear Kaa as a result of such might, and it is only with the aid of Kaa that Mowgli is rescued from the mob of monkeys. On the other hand, Kaa also has the power to manipulate animals into following his will; he is able to subdue the monkeys, and even the cunning Bagheera later states, “in a little time, had I stayed, I should have walked down his throat” (77). Kaa’s power is no small matter. Unlike Shere Khan, he follows the Law of the Jungle, but the example of his command over the monkeys demonstrates that he is willing to use his power to the detriment of others.

Also, the moral “might makes right” is not exclusive to the animal kingdom. Man is paradoxically portrayed as both powerless and strong. While men are initially described as defenseless, it is also said that man’s destructive hunts for man-eaters in the jungle from time to time are the reason “everybody in the jungle suffers” (37). Mowgli initially shares in this paradox as well. Although he is physically weaker by far than the other animals of the jungle, he has a natural skill as a human that gives him the upper hand. He discovers that “if he stared hard at any wolf, the wolf would be forced to drop his eyes” (43). To make things better, Mowgli eventually learns everything from the Wood and Water Laws to the Master Words of the Jungle, and at one point he even boasts that “The jungle has many tongues. I know them all” (57). These words, representative of Mowgli’s knowledge of the jungle, allow him safe passage through different areas and put him in a position of power. Not only is he one of very few animals who are able to acquire safe passage from any group of creatures in the jungle, but he also has the added benefit of being human, which raises him above all animals. Once he is also aided by the “Red Flower,” Mowgli’s “might” has become very powerful. It is this might that allows Mowgli to initially drive Shere Khan away in “Mowgli’s Brothers” and in “‘Tiger! Tiger!’” to kill him. Mowgli’s cleverness in killing Shere Khan is portrayed in a positive light; it suggests to the reader that some types of “might makes right” can be used in a positive way.

However, it is worth noting that Kipling was doubtless in favor of one group’s supremacy over another, so this blog wouldn’t be complete without a look at the imperialist motives in his text. The idea of imperialism, like the moral, is first seen in the beginning of “Mowgli’s Brothers.” In the discussion of the Law of the Jungle, we read that man-killing leads to “the arrival of white men on elephants, with guns, and hundreds of brown men with gongs and rockets and torches” (37). The blatant binary between white and brown men, as well as the fact that white men are physically higher and have better, more advanced weapons than simpler aid hints at Kipling’s imperialist agenda. Many other instances in the text—such as the way that Mowgli is able to make other animals look away as though it is perfectly natural, or the way that he later commands the wolves and bulls in his fight against Shere Khan without doing the work himself—further support the rising theme of imperialism.

By the end of Mowgli’s stories—at least the stories we’ve read in class—the societal laws are negatively affected by “might makes right” ideology of some other characters, specifically Shere Khan. In the end, the tiger’s manipulations change the wolf pack from Free People in “Mowgli’s Brothers” to lawless, “lame,” and “mangy” animals at the end of “‘Tiger! Tiger!’” (95). The Law of the Jungle has been tossed aside, and the wolves have been thrown into disorder. Kipling may have intended for some of the “might makes right” moral—namely, the part about imperialism—to be seen in a positive light, but most of the power of the characters can be seen negatively as well. Shere Khan, of course, has led the wolfpack into disorder, but even Mowgli’s actions can be seen in a negative light. We get the story from Mowgli’s point of view—making us empathize with his situation—but what if we’d gotten the story from his wolfpack and bulls, whom he orders about without second thoughts? And of course, as modern readers we know that Kipling’s prized imperialism changed the culture of India in many ways.

Obviously, though the “might makes right” moral would have been accepted in Kipling’s time, it is more ambiguous in modern times. While Mowgli’s cleverness in escaping Shere Khan and the fact that we empathize with him as a protagonist make us see him in a positive light, there are also negative aspects of his actions as well. And if the moral of the story is supposed to teach the readers a lesson to bring with them into real life, the ideas of imperialism and manipulating others don’t seem like the best of themes for a didactic text.