Jungle Book

Author: Rudyard Kipling
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: If you can understand how a healthy and active mind was once stirred by Tikki with such desires, hopes, and ambitions, you will surely believe in the true identity of the ape. For the passions within him alone, you can accept the fact: Tarzan's mother is a gentle British lady, and his father is a British nobleman of noble blood. Tarzan's true identity is John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, who still held a seat in the House of Lords. The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book together contain fifteen stories, and in the Jungle Book we have compiled, eleven are included, including all seven from The Jungle Book, followed by three from The Second Jungle Book. The last story, "In the Jungle," is taken from the short story collection Many Inventions. Among the fifteen stories included in The Jungle Book and its sequel, seven are unrelated animal stories, such as The White Seal and "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" belong to this category. The other eight are a series of animal stories centered around the young boy Mowgli. Mowgli is the son of an Indian woodcutter. When he was still an infant, he was chased by the tiger Shere Khan in the jungle, and his parents scattered. By mistake, he entered a wolf's den and was adopted by the mother wolf, becoming a member of the wolf pack. He grew up to be a brave and intelligent youth. His friends include the kind-hearted wolf mother, the loyal wolf brothers, the clever black panther Bagheera, the gentle old bear Baloo, the upright wolf leader Akela, the mighty python Kaa, and so on. They formed a warm community around Mowgli, teaching him the wisdom of life and the skills to survive, as well as the "Laws of the Jungle" that all jungle animals must follow. The tiger Shere Khan still came from time to time to cause trouble. Mowgli, with his human intelligence, learned to use fire. He brought fire, which the animals called "red flower," from a nearby village, helping Akela quell the wolf pack's rebellion and burning the inciting tiger to a crisp, forcing him to flee in defeat. Later, Mowgli was adopted by a village woman who had lost her son and became a cowherd. However, the tiger Shere Khan followed him and sought to harm him. Mowgli and the wolf brothers devised a plan, using the herd of cattle to set an ambush. Shere Khan fell into the trap of the cattle herd and was trampled to death by their hooves. But Mowgli was also driven out by the villagers for offending the village sorcerer, and he returned to the jungle. In this book, you can also read many of Mowgli's adventures. And the story "In the Jungle" tells the conclusion of Mowgli's tale—how he left the animal pack, returned to human society, got married, became a forest warden, and helped the forest officer protect the forest. In terms of publication date, this story was published a year before The Jungle Book. Kipling explained to his friend, "This story was the first to be written about Mowgli, but it tells the last chapter of his life, estimated to be about two or three years after he finally parted ways with his friends in the jungle." This story is clearly inferior to the later magical Mowgli stories he wrote. Imagine a boy, divine enough to awe the fierce beasts of the jungle, being reduced to a minor clerk under the British civil service system, and even hoping to receive a pension in the future—this is truly somewhat "disappointing." However, we should remember that Kipling's inspiration and talent were only just beginning to be awakened in this first story and were fully developed in the later ones. Since this story holds a unique place in the Mowgli tales, we have included it here as well.