One of the most prominent and recurring messages in Kipling’s The Jungle Books is the importance of power. Those who can properly use their resources should do whatever must be done to obtain supremacy. Though this theme is established throughout the five texts read in class, it reaches its apex in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" and "‘Tiger! Tiger!’". The common bond of the two main characters, Rikki-tikki and Mowgli, is the ultimate killing of those who threaten their rise to power, using all available resources to do so.
Rikki first establishes his superiority during his first encounter with the tailor-birds, Darzee and his wife. He appeals to the birds' sympathies, consoling them after learning that Nag had eaten one of their chicks (90). This, I believe, gains their trust so that they will later help Rikki-tikki defeat Nagaina. This idea is confirmed when, after only just meeting Rikki, Darzee warns him of “Nag’s wicked wife” as she sneaks up behind him from the grass (91).
After the close—and near deadly—encounter with the two cobras, Rikki does not feel that he alone “could manage two snakes at once” (91), indicating that the mongoose cannot rise to power without help. However, to further assert his power Rikki kills Karait, the “dusty brown snakeling,” who warns he and Teddy of his presence (92). Rikki-tikki is slowly working his way to the top by both making necessary allies and ridding the garden of the competition.
Later that night, Rikki meets Chuchundra, the skulking musk-rat who, after being intimidated by the mongoose, reveals that Nag and Nagaina are in the bungalow (93). With this information, he eavesdrops on the two cobras, listening to their plans to kill Teddy and his parents. He uses this information much to his advantage, and kills Nag after learning that he planned on waiting to strike the “big man” in the bathroom (95).
Now only Nagaina remains in his path to becoming head of the garden. Rikki again uses his allies and intimidation tactics to obtain information. After three unsuccessful attempts to get Darzee’s attention, the mongoose resorts to threats: “'If I could get up to your nest, I'd roll all your babies out’” (97)! Only then does the bird respond with what Rikki needs. After, he uses Darzee's wife, who feigns a broken wing, to distract the cobra in order to destroy all but one of Nagaina's eggs. This was necessary to truly defeat the snake and to prevent any eventual threats to Rikki's power. Once all snakes are gone, Rikki has nothing more to worry about, and curls up in the grass to sleep. He is pampered by the humans. I don’t think it would have been possible for Rikki to get to this point of control if the birds and the musk-rat had not helped. Kipling shows that by using all possible resources, one can become the most powerful.
Similarly, Mowgli elicits the help of Gray Brother and Akela in order to defeat Shere Khan, the boy’s only hindrance to become leader of the Pack. To become the most powerful in the jungle, Mowgli takes full advantage of his resources. With the help of Gray Brother and Akela, his “brother” and “father,” he drives the buffalo-herd to trample Shere Khan.. By killing the tiger, Mowgli ultimately and unabashedly obtains the power needed to lead the Wolfpack. This ruthlessness, I believe, is the outstanding lesson to be learned from these stories.
I think it is important to briefly mention Mowgli's ignorance of human hierarchy. The boy “had not the faintest idea of the difference that caste makes between man and man” (51). He talks down to Buldeo, the hunter, and later has Gray Brother hold him down—quite a low form of disrespect. I believe that Mowgli stays intentionally unaware of this system, for he can gain no status or power from it.
Thus Mowgli and Rikki-tikki really are quite merciless characters. During his relatively brief stay with Man, Mowgli confounds the people with his superiority, kills his nemesis, and shames the town hunter. Likewise, in the few days Rikki spends in the garden, he kills all known snakes, as well as their offspring. He has also scared all of his allies into submission. This brutality is necessary to become the head of the garden. I believe this is the outstanding moral in The Jungle Books; for both protagonists follow the same pattern of callous will to rise to power And yet, Kipling also demonstrates this moral through the defeated—Shere Khan and the two cobras. Nagaina, more so than Nag, is ruthless in her pursuit to become “queen of the garden” (94). She intends on killing the family living in the bungalow, as well as Rikki-tikki. She, too, uses all resources—her stealth, cunning, patience—but because the mongoose used his resources more efficiently, the cobras ultimately fail. Perhaps if they had allied with Darzee and the musk-rat, events would have turned in their favor. Shere Khan, too, makes the wrong allies. Though he and the young wolves in Mowgli’s Brothers briefly side with one another, the alliance does not help Shere Khan kill Mowgli.
Through both the victors and the defeated, the author weaves an important moral. Time and time again Kipling iterates that power and the ruthless will to get there is the most important lesson to be learned in The Jungle Books.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind
“Better he should be bruised from head to foot by me who love him than that he should come to harm through ignorance.”
Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Books all are heavily moralistic and ripe for scrutiny and close reading, but I feel that the most universal moral that can be taken from the Jungle Books is that knowledge is power. Throughout these short stories it is shown that the animals that have the most knowledge are the ones who survive the jungle.
There are at work in the Mowgli stories two types of knowledge that work to protect the young man-cub. The first and most important is knowledge of nature and its creatures. The second is the knowledge of man and by that I mean technology. Throughout the Mowgli stories the animals embody various qualities. The wolf pack is loyal, Bandar-log monkeys are stupid, Kaa is sly, and Shere Khan is wrathful. But it is from the wisdom and knowledge of Baloo, the bear, that Mowgli learns the lessons he needs to survive not only in the jungle, but also among men. In “Kaa’s Hunting” it is only because Mowgli has learned the Stranger’s Call from Baloo that he is able to communicate with the kite and send for help. Later, in the story it is this Stranger’s Call that protects him in the cobra’s den. Throughout this story knowledge of the Law of the Jungle saves Mowgli’s life.
Later, in “Tiger! Tiger!” Mowgli is “saved” from the jungle by the villagers. They bring him into and introduce him to the comfort and advantages of the village. Because of Mowgli’s knowledge of the language of pigs and bucks he easily imitated and assimilated the words of the villagers. Soon it is clear he has adopted some of the technology of the people when we discover he wears a small knife around his neck. This knowledge is also presented in “Mowgli’s Brothers” when he wields mans oldest and most important technology, fire, to overthrow the wolves and Shere Khan.
When Mowgli traps Shere Khan it is because of his merging of these two knowledges. He uses the nature-knowledge of the jungle and its creatures to know when to attack the tiger and he uses the man-knowledge of domestication and control over beasts to spring a trap on Shere Khan. In a final act of man over beast he uses his knife to cut open and skin the tiger.
The idea of knowledge as power is not limited to Mowgli’s stories, though. There is in the story of “Toomai of the Elephants” great power in having knowledge of the elephant dance. In the tale a young boy is made a forester because of his knowledge of the secrets of the elephants. This knowledge not only elevates him among the ranks of the other natives who make him Toomai of the Elephants, but also the white men promote Little Toomai to a forester. Both groups of men recognize that the knowledge gained from the elephants has the power to help control them.
The message that knowledge is power pervades Kipling’s Jungle Books in order to establish the right of Britain to colonize under an empire. The stories pit the characters against each other in many veiled roles as colonizer and colonized. It is difficult to pick up upon casual reading because of the fact that these roles are not static throughout the stories or even in the course of one story but upon close reading it is clear what different situations are meant to represent. I see Kipling utilizing the varying roles to show that using knowledge to control or help others has the highest value in people. Naturally extended this means that the “savages” that colonizers come upon are in need of the knowledge (and by extension power) that they bring with them. These tales establish not just the right but also the obligation to provide the colonized with the knowledge that the colonizer has. However, I think that Kipling realizes that part of “knowledge is power” is knowing when to use the stick and when to use the carrot. He opens the short story “Toomai of the Elephants” with a poem that reminds the colonizers to allow the colonized some modicum of their old lives in order to keep them loyal. Essentially, if you let them dance at night they will work tirelessly during the day.
I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chain – I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs.
I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar-cane: I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs.
I will go out until the day, until the morning break – Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress;
I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake. I will revisit my lost loves, and playmates masterless!
Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Books all are heavily moralistic and ripe for scrutiny and close reading, but I feel that the most universal moral that can be taken from the Jungle Books is that knowledge is power. Throughout these short stories it is shown that the animals that have the most knowledge are the ones who survive the jungle.
There are at work in the Mowgli stories two types of knowledge that work to protect the young man-cub. The first and most important is knowledge of nature and its creatures. The second is the knowledge of man and by that I mean technology. Throughout the Mowgli stories the animals embody various qualities. The wolf pack is loyal, Bandar-log monkeys are stupid, Kaa is sly, and Shere Khan is wrathful. But it is from the wisdom and knowledge of Baloo, the bear, that Mowgli learns the lessons he needs to survive not only in the jungle, but also among men. In “Kaa’s Hunting” it is only because Mowgli has learned the Stranger’s Call from Baloo that he is able to communicate with the kite and send for help. Later, in the story it is this Stranger’s Call that protects him in the cobra’s den. Throughout this story knowledge of the Law of the Jungle saves Mowgli’s life.
Later, in “Tiger! Tiger!” Mowgli is “saved” from the jungle by the villagers. They bring him into and introduce him to the comfort and advantages of the village. Because of Mowgli’s knowledge of the language of pigs and bucks he easily imitated and assimilated the words of the villagers. Soon it is clear he has adopted some of the technology of the people when we discover he wears a small knife around his neck. This knowledge is also presented in “Mowgli’s Brothers” when he wields mans oldest and most important technology, fire, to overthrow the wolves and Shere Khan.
When Mowgli traps Shere Khan it is because of his merging of these two knowledges. He uses the nature-knowledge of the jungle and its creatures to know when to attack the tiger and he uses the man-knowledge of domestication and control over beasts to spring a trap on Shere Khan. In a final act of man over beast he uses his knife to cut open and skin the tiger.
The idea of knowledge as power is not limited to Mowgli’s stories, though. There is in the story of “Toomai of the Elephants” great power in having knowledge of the elephant dance. In the tale a young boy is made a forester because of his knowledge of the secrets of the elephants. This knowledge not only elevates him among the ranks of the other natives who make him Toomai of the Elephants, but also the white men promote Little Toomai to a forester. Both groups of men recognize that the knowledge gained from the elephants has the power to help control them.
The message that knowledge is power pervades Kipling’s Jungle Books in order to establish the right of Britain to colonize under an empire. The stories pit the characters against each other in many veiled roles as colonizer and colonized. It is difficult to pick up upon casual reading because of the fact that these roles are not static throughout the stories or even in the course of one story but upon close reading it is clear what different situations are meant to represent. I see Kipling utilizing the varying roles to show that using knowledge to control or help others has the highest value in people. Naturally extended this means that the “savages” that colonizers come upon are in need of the knowledge (and by extension power) that they bring with them. These tales establish not just the right but also the obligation to provide the colonized with the knowledge that the colonizer has. However, I think that Kipling realizes that part of “knowledge is power” is knowing when to use the stick and when to use the carrot. He opens the short story “Toomai of the Elephants” with a poem that reminds the colonizers to allow the colonized some modicum of their old lives in order to keep them loyal. Essentially, if you let them dance at night they will work tirelessly during the day.
I will remember what I was, I am sick of rope and chain – I will remember my old strength and all my forest affairs.
I will not sell my back to man for a bundle of sugar-cane: I will go out to my own kind, and the wood-folk in their lairs.
I will go out until the day, until the morning break – Out to the wind's untainted kiss, the water's clean caress;
I will forget my ankle-ring and snap my picket stake. I will revisit my lost loves, and playmates masterless!
The Imperialist Cookbook
Kipling's Recipe for Power
WARNING! THIS RECIPE MAY CONTAIN IMPERIALIST IDEALS AND/OR MAY CONTAIN INGREDIENTS THAT ARE LIKELY TO HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH IMPERIALISM. DO NOT CONSUME IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO IMPERIALIST THOUGHT, AS A SEVERE REACTION IS LIKELY TO OCCUR.
- 1 fresh man-cub
- 1 pack Seeonee wolves
- 1 devilish jackal
- 10-foot lame tiger, to garnish
- 1 brown bear, heavily seasoned
- 1 black panther, bred in captivity
- Approx. 1,500 lbs. Bandar-Log brand raw, imitation man
- 1 snake, artificially sweet
- 1 pot all-purpose Red Flower
- 1 village of Indians
- 1 herd buffalo
- 2 gallons pride
- 1 dash destiny
Directions:
In a mysterious jungle where all of these ingredients can inexplicably be found, mix fresh man-cub with 2 Seeonee wolves and cubs in cave.
Add a few drops of pride, and continue gradually adding pride throughout the course of preparation. Pride is a key ingredient to this recipe. Most man-cubs are born with pride in their meat, but it is good practice to continue adding small amounts as they get older. Be careful not to add too much at once. If you do, your man-cub's head will swell bigger than a watermelon, and your dish will be ruined. Add enough so that the man-cub stares down other animals for fun to frighten them.
Mix in jackal and lame tiger, making sure that your tiger and your man-cub are kept a safe distance away from each other so that your tiger does not devour your man-cub before he has had a chance to ripen. Add a dash of destiny in the constant reminders to the man-cub that "the time will come when thou [the man-cub] will hunt Shere Khan [the tiger]" (9).
Stir in the remainder of the pack of Seeonee and slowly divide them. Some of your wolves should drift towards your tiger while most remain together. Over the course of preparation, plan for more of your wolves to side with your tiger.
Meanwhile, season man-cub with knowledge, particularly the laws and languages of the jungle, extracted from bear and panther. Beat man-cub with bear until dizzy if he does not learn quickly enough.
Pour Bandar-log brand imitation man over the man cub. Let the man-cub stew in the foolishness of the Bandar-log brand imitation man so that he knows what not to become. Mix in snake to get rid of the stench of Bandar-log and to recover your man-cub.
Don't forget to keep adding drops of pride. If your man-cub is unafraid to meet the gaze of your snake, when your bear and panther are hypnotized by it, you have added just the right amount. Tenderize bear and panther as they marinate in the presence of the man-cub.
By now, your wolves should be divided so that nearly half side with your tiger. Turn wolves in on each other, discarding the leader. Add your man-cub mixed with a pot of all-purpose Red Flower to the next gathering of the wolves. Make wolves promise not to kill their leader. Remove man-cub from jungle, and place in separate bowl with Indian village.
Try mixing your man-cub with Indian villagers. If the effect is similar to attempting to mix oil and water, you are doing well so far.
Put man-cub in charge of herding buffalo. Around this time, your tiger should be done stewing. With advice extracted from your jackal, he should be plotting to hunt your man-cub. Add an extra drop of pride, and this shouldn't be a problem for the man-cub.
Put your man-cub on top of the largest buffalo. He should rise to power. If everything has been prepared correctly until this point, he will order the wolves to divide the buffalo for him. The buffalo will move in the direction of your lame tiger, battering him in stampede and making your tiger's death nothing more than his buffalo "stumbling" over "something soft" (41). Have your man-cub skin the lame tiger.
The men from the village should accuse him of sorcery and shun him, if the recipe has been followed properly. This should not effect the man-cub a great deal, if you have consistently remembered to carefully mixing in pride.
Have your man-cub restore order to the Seeonee wolves.
Once your man-cub has fully risen, your dish is done.
Prep time: The man-cub's childhood-adolescent years
Difficulty: As easy as skinning a ten-foot tiger by yourself
Serves: The majority of the animals in the jungle and the neighboring village of humans are served by Mowgli's power, as all of them were burdened by Shere Khan the lame tiger's existence, but above all, this recipe for power serves Mowgli the man-cub. After a challenging life of rejection by the wolves who raise him and the humans whose blood he shares, Mowgli stays strong and is able to assert dominance over the animals of the jungle and uses that dominance to fulfill his destiny as the hunter of Shere Khan. Within the stories of The Jungle Books that focus on Mowgli the man-cub (specifically "Mowgli's Brothers," "Kaa's Hunting," and "'Tiger-Tiger!'"), the most poignant moral that Rudyard Kipling presents is the notion that power (meaning control over other beings) is the driving force in the life of man, and for men who persevere proudly, obtaining power is an inevitability.
Amelie Daigle's Jungle Book Moral
Moral: Man has gained dominion over nature not through physical prowess but through his wits and his ability to create laws and live in civilized society.
Freedom within the (natural) law
The life of the people of the jungle (in fact, animals) is clearly structured, and dominated by one compulsory aspect: the Law of the Jungle. This law is the oldest law of the world, “as old and as true as the sky” (165). So it is a natural one, not created by the people of the jungle but established at the beginning of the world; it is 'given.’ Everyone follows the law, except for the Bandar-log, the monkey-folk. But they are “outcasts” (26), despised and ignored by the people of the jungle.
The law is a very rational one, it always explains why someone has to behave in the way the law says it. For example, it is forbidden to kill men because then other men will come and hunt the animals (cf. 3). Basic elements of the law are politeness, control over one’s own temper (this goes back to the rationality of the law as the people of the jungle mostly fear uncontrollable, unpredictable madness, dewanee (cf. 1)) and respect for others and their possessions and habitats. It does not mean that animals do not kill each other if this belongs to their way of living, but the law ensures that this happens in a respectful and fair way.
Within the law exists a strict hierarchy of fear: the tiger, the panther, and the bear are the “lords” (166) of the jungle. All people fear Bagheera, the Bandar-log fear Kaa, all fear men. And values such as honor and pride also play an important role (cf. the scene when Bagheera, Baloo and Kha rescue Mowgli from the monkey-folk). Since such feelings influence the people’s behavior, the rules of the law create the freedom to act in a socially secured system because there is a mutual agreement to obey the law. In case of disobeying the law, the punishment is reciprocally organized, too.
From the very moment Mowgli enters the world of the jungle, he is other(ed): he is a man-cub in a world of animals. Being adopted by the wolves, Mowgli, however, calls himself a wolf and sees the wolf-cubs as his brothers. But the wolves not only take care of him out of compassion for this helpless little orphan. They know very well that he will become a man and hope that he “may be a help in a time” (9), that he will behave different than other men when he knows the jungle, its inhabitants and rules.
Mowgli’s education is dominated by a social and a biological impact. The social impact is shown in the fact that he is taught by Baloo and has to learn all the rules of the law. He has to learn them for two reasons: first, for his own protection, as he is different and physically the weakest being in the jungle. The Master Words shall enable him to claim protection from all animals that follow the law of the jungle. Second, he is taught for the animal’s protection too, as they know that he outclasses them mentally, or at least will outclass them in the future. And it seems that the wolves are right in their consideration and expectation. Soon, Mowgli is able to speak all tongues of the jungle whereas Baloo cannot pronounce every Master Word (cf. 24). Even when Mowgli is still a child, he “used to stare [at the animals] for fun” (10) because they are not able to stand his gaze. Playfully and apparently innocent, Mowgli presents and tests his power.
This directly leads to the second impact in his education, the biological one. Although Mowgli becomes part of the jungle-society, he is still other(ed) – and constantly reminded of this difference: Mother Wolf says that he has to kill Shere Khan; and Begheera repeats that Mowgli is a man – and even "the master" (18). Finally, Mowgli accepts this role. Is he trained to do so, can such a role model be taught? In other words, this is a question of nature vs. nurture. I am sure that such a behavior can be strengthened by teaching someone the same ‘facts’ again and again, but it seems that in this case, nature plays the more powerful, determining role as Mowgli has shown his superiority already without being told to do so (cf. Master Words, gaze). The aspect of ‘nurture’ only speeds up this process.
It can even be argued that Mowgli eventually becomes double superior. I already mentioned his power over the animals, which is emphasized by him climbing on the rock where Akela, the former lead wolf used to sit. I have to submit that in this short moment, Mowgli becomes a bit dislikable for me. He creates a distance between him and the animals, his former brothers: “so I do not call ye my brothers any more, but sag (dogs), as a man should. What ye will do, and what ye will not do, is not yours to say. That matter is with me” (18). But he not only claims the first position among, better said above the animals. He even puts himself in a position beyond the Law of the Jungle itself as he orders that the wolves will not kill Akela because “that is not my will” (19). He inverts the law, disrupts the eternal cyclic order of nature. He, the man, encroaches upon the rights and rules of the Law of the Jungle. Interestingly, even this behavior was anticipated and wished by Bagheera from the very beginning: “’Truly, a help in time of need; for none can hope to lead the Pack for ever,’ said Bagheera” (9).
Despite Mowgli’s ostensible acting against the rule by stating himself on the very top of it, the animals’ plan to educate and teach Mowgli in everyone’s best interest is still successful. Except for this short ‘uncomfortable’ moment when Mowgli presents his superiority, he is depicted as an honorable man. He promises that he will not hunt the people of the jungle (except Shere Khan), and when Mowgli comes back to the jungle, after he killed the tiger so effortlessly because he knows how to organize, delegate and to give orders, he again is presented very noble: he will not hurt the villagers, although they treated him badly, and says to the wolves that he has “kept his word” (64) and fulfilled his duty (killing Shere Khan).
Mowgli is not only a man-cub that happens to grow up among animals in the jungle; he also serves as a model to show how nature, freedom, power and law can work together. John Locke, one of the most influential English philosophers of the Enlightment era, says in his political theory “Two Treatises of Government” (published in 1689) that the state of nature is “a state of perfect freedom to order their (men's) actions (...) within the bounds of the law of nature” and “a state also of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal” (both Locke II, ch. 2, §4, my emphasis). Locke also mentions that there has to be a power that controls the law and that everyone has to obey (cf. Locke II, ch. 2, §6-7). Mowgli becomes this person; he becomes THE universalized Lockeian character. He shows how the biological and social impacts upon life have to work hand in hand in order to create a stable system. He brings order in the jungle again because he has killed Shere Khan who twice acted against the law of the jungle by a) hunting men on b) the wolves’ ground. But to kill the tiger, Mowgli first has to understand the system, i.e. the law of the jungle, and then his position as the “master,” because he is the only one who can fulfill this task. We must not forget, however, that Mowgli was only able to kill Shere Khan with the aid of Akela, whom he saved before. It is a circle, every action calls for another one.
In order to create a system in which everyone can act without fearing to be treated in a bad and unfair way, in which everyone can follow his way of living without arbitrarily interfering someone else’s living space and habits, they all have to give up a part of their personal freedom and mutually agree on the law. But this acceptance of the law, of certain limitations allows the greatest freedom possible for everyone, and not only for a few powerful beings. Since the law is a natural one, it is already there, we ‘only’ have to follow its rules in order to create or sustain a stable, just social system. This is the moral of the Jungle. Mowgli, as the Lockeian character and representative of Man, allows us, human readers, to understand this concept of freedom within the law.
References:
Mowgli's Brothers;
Kaa's Hunting;
'Tiger! Tiger!';
The Law of the Jungle.
all from:
Kipling, Rudyard: The Jungle Books. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 1998.
Locke, John: Two Treatises of Government. The Second Treatise of Government: An Essay Concerning the True Origin, Extent, and End of Civil Government. Chapter 2, §4, 6, 7.
The law is a very rational one, it always explains why someone has to behave in the way the law says it. For example, it is forbidden to kill men because then other men will come and hunt the animals (cf. 3). Basic elements of the law are politeness, control over one’s own temper (this goes back to the rationality of the law as the people of the jungle mostly fear uncontrollable, unpredictable madness, dewanee (cf. 1)) and respect for others and their possessions and habitats. It does not mean that animals do not kill each other if this belongs to their way of living, but the law ensures that this happens in a respectful and fair way.
Within the law exists a strict hierarchy of fear: the tiger, the panther, and the bear are the “lords” (166) of the jungle. All people fear Bagheera, the Bandar-log fear Kaa, all fear men. And values such as honor and pride also play an important role (cf. the scene when Bagheera, Baloo and Kha rescue Mowgli from the monkey-folk). Since such feelings influence the people’s behavior, the rules of the law create the freedom to act in a socially secured system because there is a mutual agreement to obey the law. In case of disobeying the law, the punishment is reciprocally organized, too.
From the very moment Mowgli enters the world of the jungle, he is other(ed): he is a man-cub in a world of animals. Being adopted by the wolves, Mowgli, however, calls himself a wolf and sees the wolf-cubs as his brothers. But the wolves not only take care of him out of compassion for this helpless little orphan. They know very well that he will become a man and hope that he “may be a help in a time” (9), that he will behave different than other men when he knows the jungle, its inhabitants and rules.
Mowgli’s education is dominated by a social and a biological impact. The social impact is shown in the fact that he is taught by Baloo and has to learn all the rules of the law. He has to learn them for two reasons: first, for his own protection, as he is different and physically the weakest being in the jungle. The Master Words shall enable him to claim protection from all animals that follow the law of the jungle. Second, he is taught for the animal’s protection too, as they know that he outclasses them mentally, or at least will outclass them in the future. And it seems that the wolves are right in their consideration and expectation. Soon, Mowgli is able to speak all tongues of the jungle whereas Baloo cannot pronounce every Master Word (cf. 24). Even when Mowgli is still a child, he “used to stare [at the animals] for fun” (10) because they are not able to stand his gaze. Playfully and apparently innocent, Mowgli presents and tests his power.
This directly leads to the second impact in his education, the biological one. Although Mowgli becomes part of the jungle-society, he is still other(ed) – and constantly reminded of this difference: Mother Wolf says that he has to kill Shere Khan; and Begheera repeats that Mowgli is a man – and even "the master" (18). Finally, Mowgli accepts this role. Is he trained to do so, can such a role model be taught? In other words, this is a question of nature vs. nurture. I am sure that such a behavior can be strengthened by teaching someone the same ‘facts’ again and again, but it seems that in this case, nature plays the more powerful, determining role as Mowgli has shown his superiority already without being told to do so (cf. Master Words, gaze). The aspect of ‘nurture’ only speeds up this process.
It can even be argued that Mowgli eventually becomes double superior. I already mentioned his power over the animals, which is emphasized by him climbing on the rock where Akela, the former lead wolf used to sit. I have to submit that in this short moment, Mowgli becomes a bit dislikable for me. He creates a distance between him and the animals, his former brothers: “so I do not call ye my brothers any more, but sag (dogs), as a man should. What ye will do, and what ye will not do, is not yours to say. That matter is with me” (18). But he not only claims the first position among, better said above the animals. He even puts himself in a position beyond the Law of the Jungle itself as he orders that the wolves will not kill Akela because “that is not my will” (19). He inverts the law, disrupts the eternal cyclic order of nature. He, the man, encroaches upon the rights and rules of the Law of the Jungle. Interestingly, even this behavior was anticipated and wished by Bagheera from the very beginning: “’Truly, a help in time of need; for none can hope to lead the Pack for ever,’ said Bagheera” (9).
Despite Mowgli’s ostensible acting against the rule by stating himself on the very top of it, the animals’ plan to educate and teach Mowgli in everyone’s best interest is still successful. Except for this short ‘uncomfortable’ moment when Mowgli presents his superiority, he is depicted as an honorable man. He promises that he will not hunt the people of the jungle (except Shere Khan), and when Mowgli comes back to the jungle, after he killed the tiger so effortlessly because he knows how to organize, delegate and to give orders, he again is presented very noble: he will not hurt the villagers, although they treated him badly, and says to the wolves that he has “kept his word” (64) and fulfilled his duty (killing Shere Khan).
Mowgli is not only a man-cub that happens to grow up among animals in the jungle; he also serves as a model to show how nature, freedom, power and law can work together. John Locke, one of the most influential English philosophers of the Enlightment era, says in his political theory “Two Treatises of Government” (published in 1689) that the state of nature is “a state of perfect freedom to order their (men's) actions (...) within the bounds of the law of nature” and “a state also of equality, wherein all the power and jurisdiction is reciprocal” (both Locke II, ch. 2, §4, my emphasis). Locke also mentions that there has to be a power that controls the law and that everyone has to obey (cf. Locke II, ch. 2, §6-7). Mowgli becomes this person; he becomes THE universalized Lockeian character. He shows how the biological and social impacts upon life have to work hand in hand in order to create a stable system. He brings order in the jungle again because he has killed Shere Khan who twice acted against the law of the jungle by a) hunting men on b) the wolves’ ground. But to kill the tiger, Mowgli first has to understand the system, i.e. the law of the jungle, and then his position as the “master,” because he is the only one who can fulfill this task. We must not forget, however, that Mowgli was only able to kill Shere Khan with the aid of Akela, whom he saved before. It is a circle, every action calls for another one.
In order to create a system in which everyone can act without fearing to be treated in a bad and unfair way, in which everyone can follow his way of living without arbitrarily interfering someone else’s living space and habits, they all have to give up a part of their personal freedom and mutually agree on the law. But this acceptance of the law, of certain limitations allows the greatest freedom possible for everyone, and not only for a few powerful beings. Since the law is a natural one, it is already there, we ‘only’ have to follow its rules in order to create or sustain a stable, just social system. This is the moral of the Jungle. Mowgli, as the Lockeian character and representative of Man, allows us, human readers, to understand this concept of freedom within the law.
References:
Mowgli's Brothers;
Kaa's Hunting;
'Tiger! Tiger!';
The Law of the Jungle.
all from:
Kipling, Rudyard: The Jungle Books. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 1998.
Locke, John: Two Treatises of Government. The Second Treatise of Government: An Essay Concerning the True Origin, Extent, and End of Civil Government. Chapter 2, §4, 6, 7.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
My Opinion
Tuesday's introduction to this course gave me a sharper focus on what exactly we'll be studying and examining. I found the new Sherlock Holmes film to be very relative to the subjects we will be studying. What I thought was most interesting was the early,yet advance study in science and logic. Many folks around this time seem to be have moved away from simply taking something at face value. For example, someone drowned in the river because their body was found there. There's actual investigation going on using scientific techniques. The Victorian Era is a time of investigation; not only in policing the streets of London,but within the individual. How esle could one explain the gradual emergence of The New Woman if women had not investigated the role they played in society.
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