The Jungle Book
“My heart is heavy with the things I do not understand.”
― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book, the story of Mowgli, a boy adopted by the wolves of the Senone Pack, his mentors Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear and his arch-enemy, the despicable tiger Sheer Khan, is today an inalienable part of popular culture and imagination. These characters remain as fresh and endearing as they were when they first appeared in print more than a century ago.
Along with the riveting story of Mowgli’s coming of age, The Jungle Book also comprises the tales of the exploits of the loyal mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and the elephant-driver Little Toomai, as well as an account of the lives of the many animals who labour in the service of her Majesty.
Short Summary Of The Jungle Book By Rudyard Kipling
“These two things fight together in me as the snakes fight in the spring. The water comes out of my eyes; yet I laugh while it falls. Why?”
― Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book
Once upon a time there was a father wolf who went out into the woods to hunt for his family When in the woods, he suddenly heard a sound Looking around he noticed a tiny baby in between the bushes “This is a human baby” said the wolf with a big surprise He took the baby home out of harm’s way Watching from a distance, Shere Khan the tiger got very upset because he was the one who stole the baby from the humans Mother wolf and her cubs loved this little baby very much “We will call him Mogli from now on” said mother wolf From that day on, Mogli started to live with his wolf siblings in the woods Mother wolf took very good care of him like he was one of her own In a short time Mogli became friends with all the animals.
He played games and hung around the trees with them At the same time he got to know the jungle During all that time, Shere Khan the Tiger kept watching Mogli from a distance and waited for an opportunity to grab and kidnap him One day, the wise wolf Akela, Baloo the bear and Bagheera the panther came together and started to talk about Mogli “Human babies are very smart. Let’s bring him up like a jungle boy Baloo and Bagheera, you will protect him and teach the rules of the jungle” said Akela Years went by fast Baloo the bear was very attentive with his new student He taught him how to look for nuts and honey climbing the trees Mogli listened to Baloo’s teachings with all ears Everyday he climbed a higher tree and started to feed himself Baloo also taught him how to understand the sounds of the jungle.
“Don’t spend your time looking for something you want that can’t be found.”
He was proud of his student Mogli was running very fast and swimming very good And Bagheera taught him how to identify the traps humans set up for the animals and how to avoid them One day a cub wolf ran into one of these traps Shere Khan the Tiger wanted to hunt this cub wolf and make him his lunch… But acting before the tiger, Mogli saved the cub from the trap Shere Khan the tiger lost once again Baloo also taught Mogli the magic words he can use when there is a danger in the jungle In a very short time Mogli learned these words by heart Mogli would not be harmed by any animal in the jungle Realising that he was not going to be able to catch Mogli alone Shere Khan went next to Banderlogs, the most dangerous animals in the jungle He told them about Mogli If Mogli teaches us everything he knows, we’ll become the wisest animals in the jungle One day, when Mogli was making a shelter to protect himself from the storm the Banderlogs were watching from where they were hiding.
They decided to kidnap him when the opportunity came. At sunset Mogli was kidnapped by two monkeys and brought into the hills where the jungle was at its thickest. The little boy found himself in the middle of the Banderlogs When Mogli realised that he was kidnapped by the monkeys He started to think… He had to reach Baloo and Bagheera and let them know… Suddenly he noticed Chil the Vulture flying up above in the sky. He remembered the magic words Baloo taught him… “We are the same blood…you and I” Hearing these words, Chil the Vulture immediately realised that Mogli wasn’t a stranger and that he was in trouble “I am little Mogli. Could you let Baloo and Bagheera know that I am kidnapped?” “Of course I will Mogli” answered Chil the Vulture and flew off to deliver the message to Mogli’s friends Banderlogs brought Mogli to their cold cave the monkey town This place was a place in the deep jungle that humans abandoned years ago Even though Mogli attempted to runaway, the Banderlogs outnumbered and caught him Finding out about Mogli’s kidnapping Baloo and Bagheera asked Kaa the Giant Snake for help to save Mogli.
“When you find out you can live without it, go along not thinking about it.”
They all came to the monkey town and hid behind a giant statue. From their hideout they could see Mogli and hundreds of monkeys around him. They started to wait for the perfect moment to take Mogli out of there. At the right moment Kaa said “Now is the time. Let’s Go” Bagheera silently moved to catch the monkeys Then he started to punch the monkeys surrounding Mogli with his powerful claws Banderlogs ran around screaming with fear And one of the called the others for help Suddenly Bagheera was surrounded with lots of Monkeys Some other monkeys grabbed Mogli and put him in a room with closed walls Mogli could hear Bagheera fighting with the monkey He remembered the water storage under the ruins of the city And he knew that the monkeys were afraid of water “Bagheera, run and jump in the water” Bagheera ran and jumped straight into the water Baloo was also attacked by the monkeys They started to fight and Baloo was hitting Banderlogs with his front claws to protect himself He was trying his best but there were too many of the Banderlogs and it was impossible for Baloo to fight them by himself And Bagheera was helplessly watching him from the water, feeling very bad that he could not help his friend… When Baloo was struggling with the monkeys, suddenly Kaa came out. When Kaa started to hit all the monkeys with his giant tail, the monkeys ran away with fear.
The monkeys were always afraid of Kaa. None of them could face him in a fight So when they started to run away in the depths of the jungle, Baloo was finally free But when Kaa opened his mouth and blew all the monkeys stood still Their voices suddenly went away and it suddenly became all quiet Taking this opportunity, Bagheera jumped out of the water Mogli yelled from the tower he was trapped in I am here, trapped in the tower Kaa swung his mighty tail and managed to break the walls of the tower Freed from the walls, Mogli threw himself out Baloo hugged him with love You ok Mogli? Yes I am, but I am very hungry and tired… You all have risked your lives to save me… Thank you from the bottom of my heart Mogli was also very happy to see Kaa on his side.
I owe you my life Kaa, thank you! Mogli, Baloo and Bagheera said goodbye to Kaa and head to their homes Shere Khan the tiger realised that he could never harm someone who had such powerful friendships and moved back into the depths of the jungle never to return A long time passed and Mogli grew up to become a young man One day he went close to the village where humans lived He met a woman who immediately recognized him She realised that he was the son which was kidnapped by a tiger many years ago She put the little boy next to her in Mogli’s arms Mowgli was very surprised because this little boy was looking very much like Mogli’s own childhood But then He also realised that this little boy was his brother and the lady was his mother Baloo, Bagheera and Kaa were all watching them “From now on you’ll be next to your family Mogli” “Whenever you need us ..ssss…You know the magic words ssss?” “You are our brother. Don’t forget how much we love you! Goodbye dear Mogli” His dear friends said their farewells to Mogli… Mogli lived happily ever after with his family But never did he forget the ones who raised him, his family in the jungle…
“Things will look better in the morning.”
Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book
