The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book Imagery

The Island of Novastoshnah ("The White Seal")

Kipling provides a stunning panorama of the seething, vibrant life of this foggy island. He writes of thousands and thousands of seals playing, fighting, eating, sleeping, moving about, and swimming. He shows the glory of nature, which he then contrasts with the sad fate that many of the seals meet at the hands of man.

Elephants' Dance ("Toomai of the Elephants")

Little Toomai goes on a tremendous adventure with Kala Nag, and Kipling vividly portrays the power of the elephants as they stamp their way through the jungle, trumpet loudly, and come together in their shared power. He also presents moments of beautiful, solemn silence in order to convey the dignity of the creatures and the special, lucky nature of Little Toomai that he gets to witness this.

The Water Truce ("How Fear Came")

Kipling allegorically suggests how humankind can come together in a shared trauma or disaster through the scene of the animals - predator and prey, big and small - coming together to drink at the stream during the Water Truce. It is affecting imagery, revealing how animals and humans may have more in common than they have different.

Destruction of the Village ("Letting in the Jungle")

Mowgli's rage and capacity for retribution put this scene in motion - the animals of the jungle destroy, pillage, crush, and obliterate the dwellings and crops of man. Despite man's power with his stare and with his "Red Flower," nature will still find a way to assert its own tremendous and ancient strength.