Tammy’s Reviews > The Jungle Book > Status Update

The men send Mowgli out to herd cattle. Tigers and men are afraid for the cattle and buffalo will trample them. They will not trample children (the Law?). Mowgli has taken charge of it all. He rides the great bull Rama and he leads out the buffalo. He tells the boys to handle the cattle. He takes a big polished bamboo cane to rap the animals. A stray boy could be grabbed by a tiger so they must be careful.

The priest suggests giving him work, so now Mowgli herds the buffalo, which he loves. He often joins the village club, which is their version of the Hardee boys, where they exchange gossip. One is a hunter named Buldeo who holds them spellbound with stories about the animals of the jungle. Mowgli holds back his laughter because the stories make no sense. He says that Shere Khan is a ghost tiger.

How interesting. Mowgli knows the most important law, which is how to treat those who are weaker than you. He struggles to learn how to live as a human, and the boys pick on him. He knows the law, but they don't. The villagers think he is strong as a bull. The chief priest scolds him for pulling a donkey out of a pit by its tail. The owner is low caste (a potter). Another hint of Jesus.

I wonder if his facility with languages points to Adam. His father is wise in letting him keep some of his ways at first. That night, Mowgli meets the eldest of the cubs. He tells him all is well in the cave. Shere Khan has left the area and vows to return and lay Mowgli's bones in the ground when his fur grows out. The cub warns him that his new pack may reject him because men are like frogs in a pond.

Messua's name has no meaning, but I sure detect the influence of Venus. She wears copper bands and copper pots. She has red lacquered furniture and an earthen grain chest (fertility). She is a mother with a lost son. She has a mirror, too! She named him Nathoo which means lord, master, and protector. I wonder if having a god on her shelf makes her an image of Mary.

The woman gave him a long drink of milk and bread. She calls him by her son's name (Nathoo which means lord or protector in Sanskrit), and he does not recognize it. Because he learned so many languages in the jungle, he picks quite a few words. He does not like the hut, for it makes him think of a panther trap. However, he sees how easy it is to get out. He slips out to sleep on the grass that night. His mom is wise.

The priest notices the white scars from friendly wolf nips and says he is only a wolf boy. A woman with copper bands on her arms looks into his eyes, and he reminds her of the son he lost to the tiger in the woods. She is the richest woman in the village and she takes him to her home. She has copper pans, a red-laquered bedspread, and a mirror. VENUS!

All I can think of is "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright." This picks up after the first tale. Mowgli walks 20 miles because he does not want to be near his people. He reaches a plain cut by ravines. He sees a big thorn bush in front of the gate, put there at twilight to keep out the jungle people. When he goes in, a crowd stares at him, and he is miffed at the lack of hospitality. He is hungry and motions for food.

Kaa is interesting. On the one hand, he keeps his promise and he saves the life of the three. But, he is so enormous that he has blood lust. He is a serpent whose words are hypnotizing and they sway others into literally killing themselves. The monkeys make me think of the dangers of mob rule for they are an unruly mob.

Going to the podcast. Mowgli is like Adam. He has learned the Law and he can speak to animals and they all see him as a leader. However, he does not know all of the Law and he inadvertently breaks it. Even though he does not know he should not hang out with the monkeys, he did it for selfish reasons. He was rebelling against Baloo. His actions nearly got himself killed as well as Baloo and Bagheera.