The Jungle Book

Having only ever thought of The Jungle Book as a Disney movie, I was interested in seeing the differences between the film and the book. However, I’ve never seen the movie so that won’t really help for this discussion board. The book did however get me interested in the movie; I’d like to see how this book was portrayed to kids. I always see Disney movies as being deceptive to children, they mess up the true story and only focus on princesses finding their princes and living happily ever after as if that’s all there is to life. I’m sure that they took the book and made it happier for children when the book is really much more. I, myself, don’t really understand the message of the book. At first I thought it dealt with the connection and similarities between humans and animals but it slowly became about the differences and the separation between the two. Throughout the book, we see the internal battle that Mowgli faces as he tries to be a part of the wolf but knowing that he is different, he is man and using this to his advantage when he’s in harm’s way. This concept I feel would be too hard for children to grasp but it is truly one of the things that made the chapter amazing for me, it shows the battle that all humans should face when thinking of harming animals. I thought the description of little Mowgli reflected what men think of themselves, the ‘man- cub’ “looks up and is not afraid” (866). As humans, we think we rule over all animals because we don’t fear them we have ways of making them fear us as Mowgli find out when using the ‘Red Flower’ (fire) to save his life. The description of the wolf pack as ‘free people’ gave them a different light, they weren’t just animals, and they lived by the jungle law and held council meetings that seem so democratic. Baloo and Bagheeras connection with Mowgli is fascinating even being called abrother. “in all but blood” (873) showing again the relationship between man and animal. I had no idea that within the jungle book different stories existed, I always thought that it would all revolve around the life of Mowgli in the jungle but I was wrong. The chapter entitled The White Seal is completely different. The brave little white seal named Kotick is an interesting character.He never is settled with what is infront of him and always wants to know more. The whole story is a great example of this and it starts with humans choosing which seals to take to the ‘killing- pens’ where they would be turned into sealskin jackets. “Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of seals watched them being driven, but they went on playing just the same” (881). The response of all the seals made me think of the similarities between this and the holocaust. It’s been said several times that many would just sit back and act ignorant to the fact that their neighbors were being taken to concentration camps, so did the seals in the story. Even when told what was going on the seals didn’t care stating that it wasn’t their concern and that he shouldn’t have followed them.Kotick is the only one that acted knowing that the location that they lived in was not safe he explored for several seasons for a different, safer area. After finding it he is still made fun of and not trusted and it is only through violence that his advice is accepted. I think it’s really sad but true that all animals only react immediately when they are faced with violence.