“The Jungle Book” is a collection of short stories featuring anthropomorphic animals told in fable style. In the main stories, Mowgli, an abandoned baby, is adopted by wolf parents in the Indian jungle and raised by the panther Bagheera and the bear Baloo. He has several adventures in the jungle and tries to avoid death at the hands of a tiger, Shere Khan, his mortal enemy. The novel explores abandonment, belonging, rules and responsibility, loyalty, and coming-of-age themes.
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a British author and poet best known for his captivating storytelling and exploration of colonial and cultural themes. Born in Bombay, India, Kipling spent his early years there and returned to India after a decade in England, and his Indian experience influenced his work. His notable achievements include iconic works such as “The Jungle Book“, “Just So Stories” and “Kim“, and the classic poem “If—“, known for its timeless wisdom. Kipling’s writing often reflects the cultural blend of the colonial British living in and immersed in the Indian culture. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907.
Kipling’s storytelling prowess is evident in the engaging narrative that weaves together the adventures of Mowgli and other characters in “The Jungle Book“. The stories’ premises are wild and exciting and transport young readers to an exotic world rich and full of life. The episodic structure also keeps readers intrigued. The structure of the stories is straightforward, and the conflicts are resolved cleanly and swiftly. However, this simplistic structure limits how deeply the characters may be developed. Also, its episodic formula and the lack of a continuous and overarching plot stand in the way of more elaborate storytelling.
Most of “The Jungle Book” is set in India, and for most of the English reading world of his time and certainly for us modern readers, it is an exotic world. Kipling richly draws it with lush vegetation, colorful and exciting wildlife, and captivating vistas. Kipling’s vivid descriptions create an immersive environment that captures the imagination of readers. The setting allowed Kipling to explore the contrasts between cultures and how rich their diversity is, as he infused elements of Indian folklore, mythology, and traditions in his stories.
In addition, this choice setting lends a vibrancy and authenticity to his fables, making them more believable in their exotic context. However, Kipling has been criticized for colonial biases, perpetuating certain stereotypes about the exoticism of India and its wildlife. His portrayal is mainly Eurocentric, and he does not fully represent the cultures he highlights by treating the place he portrays as the other.
The characters in “The Jungle Book” are diverse, well-developed, and memorable. From the wise and crafty Bagheera to the upbeat and earnest Baloo and the menacing Shere Khan, each character is well-defined and unique to bring an explosive reaction, and the narrative comes alive with their personalities. Kipling does not present us with “good” or “bad” characters; each character’s motives and actions seem justified and natural even when disagreeing. Shere Khan is a man-cub eater because he is lame and cannot hunt as effectively as other predators. And our hero, Mowgli, is not above using sneak tactics to attack and eliminate his tiger archenemy. However, the book is limited in its representation of female characters. The focus is predominantly on male characters, and the absence of well-defined females is a noticeable limitation.
The book’s timeless appeal and ability to speak across generations lie in the universal themes it explores. These themes, which include courage, friendship, and living harmoniously with nature and society, also make it enjoyable to readers of various ages and backgrounds. Kipling embeds moral and ethical themes throughout the stories, offering valuable lessons and giving readers opportunities for reflection. While modern reviewers criticize Kipling colonial biases, reflecting the condescending imperialistic attitudes of the time, his storytelling also demonstrates a cultural sensitivity by incorporating ideals and elements of Indian folklore and mythology.
The dialogue in “The Jungle Book” is conversational, paunchy, and vibrant. The characters’ speech is rich in humor and idiom, and Kipling’s skill as a masterful poet shines here as he creates a dialogue with a rhythmic quality. The only shortcoming is that the characters talk in a dated style that might have been better appreciated in the Victorian Era.
Kipling’s narrative style is known for its vivid descriptions and his masterful employment of language to create rich imagery. Readers can vividly imagine the lush landscapes and eclectic characters, deepening the narrative’s immersive quality. The prose has a rhythmic musical quality to the narrative, contributing to the oral storytelling tradition. The cadence makes it especially enjoyable to read aloud. Kipling skillfully employs anthropomorphism, giving human qualities to animals. This literary device allows a unique exploration of human themes and behaviors through the animals living in human-like social groups.
“The Jungle Book” has several strong points. Foremost, it is a collection of lively adventure tales, and their plots, settings, and characters engage the reader from the beginning till the end. Furthermore, the themes Kipling deals with have a moral aspect. He promotes such character-molding traits as courage, respect for authority, and self-reliance in the stories, which make them good for teaching children. Finally, Kipling’s mastery of the English language and his use of verse distinguish the book, making it a pleasure to the ear and the imagination.
The book is not without its shortcomings, however. One of the most damning, especially for the modern cosmopolitan reader, is Kipling’s promotion of imperialist views in his writings. His belief in the idea that it is the duty of Europe to show the light of civilization is most pronounced in “The White Seal”. Also, in Kipling’s world, females are scarce and play mostly secondary roles. The she-wolf Raksha is Mowgli’s brave savior and foster mother, but beyond that, she does little else in the story. The book’s episodic format detracts from being a cohesive work.
Hardly any children’s book has had, and continues to have, the far-reaching influence of “The Jungle Book“. Since it was first published in 1894, it has been reissued in different print editions and audiobook formats. It has inspired books by other writers like Heinlein and Gaiman. This masterpiece has been adapted into popular movies, radio broadcasts, and cartoons every decade since the 1930s and the inception of mass media. It is a credit to Kipling’s narrative genius that this work still resonates with many readers, even today.
The Jungle Book Review: A Series of Rollicking Adventures with Anthropomorphic Animals
Book Title: The Jungle Book
Book Description: 'The Jungle Book' by Rudyard Kipling is a timeless collection of stories set in the Indian jungle. The main stories follow Mowgli, a young boy raised in a wolf pack by Father and Mother Wolf, his foster parents, and the panther Bagheera and the bear Baloo as mentors, as he faces off against his nemesis, a lame tiger Shere Khan. Filled with vivid descriptions, moral lessons, and a sense of adventure, Kipling's classic work explores themes of identity, belonging, and what it takes to live in harmony in society.
Book Author: Rudyard Kipling
Book Edition: Ape Books Classics
Book Format: Paperback
Publisher - Organization: Ape Books
Date published: August 16, 2016
Illustrator: John Lockwood Kipling
ISBN: 978-3961300402
Number Of Pages: 154
- Plot
- Setting
- Characters
- Writing Style
- Dialogue
- Lasting Effect on Reader
The Jungle Book Review
‘The Jungle Book‘ by Rudyard Kipling presents memorable characters in exotic plots, crafting eternally enchanting tales with mastery and sensitivity. However, a tinge of imperialism, reflecting the prejudices of his time, pervades Kipling’s narratives.
Pros
- lively adventure tales
- replete with moral lessons
- narrated in colorful and rhythmic language
Cons
- promotes imperialistic views
- broken-up narrative
- lack of female characters
