Often,
when I am sincerely intrigued by a particular narrative, I get lost in the plot
and lose all sight of the overarching significance of the story. Luckily, there was an “Aha! Moment” scene for
me in The Graveyard Book in which all
the pieces of the puzzle came together.
While trying to get Scarlett’s attention, Bod is hidden behind a tombstone
on which an infamous biblical excerpt from Matthew 25 is inscribed: “I was a stranger and you took me in”
(48). I pondered on how applicable that
quote was for Bod considering his upbringing.
At this moment, I realized how applicable this particular quotation was
for Mowgli’s childhood as well.
Suddenly, I put all the pieces together, and Kipling’s influence Gaiman
became embarrassingly obvious.
Gaiman
simply relocates the opening chapters of The
Jungle Book into a graveyard. No one
seems to understand how Bod got into the graveyard in the first place, just as
no one in the jungle knows how Mowgli got there. Furthermore, both characters avoid what
should have been an inevitable death: Mowgli narrowly escapes Shere Kahn’s
impending attack just as Bod is saved from a deathly attack by Jack. The similarities appear in other characters
as well, namely the mother figures.
Mother Wolf is the one who ultimately saves Mowgli from Shere Kahn with
her “advantage of the ground” (9) and willingness to fight to the death. Similarly, Mrs. Owens argues for the custody
of Bod and his permission into the graveyard.
Silas and Baloo also share similarities as teachers and life coaches for
the small boys.
While
both narratives share the theme of “belonginglessness,” Bod seems much more
frustrated by his lack of belonging than does Mowgli. In fact, Mowgli takes advantage of his lack
of agency and proclaims himself as superior to the rest. Bod is inquisitive of the world beyond the
graveyard but can only find somewhat definitive answers through Silas as most
other residents of the graveyard are wary of his inquiries. Despite his frustration of not knowing
exactly the stories beyond the graveyard, Bod appears to have a stronger sense
of responsibility or possible reverence to those who raised him than does
Mowgli. I perceived Mowgli’s lack of
responsibility to his wolf family through his ventures with the Bandar-Log and the
casual manner in which he decides to join the human sphere for a time. I believe this discrepancy between the two
characters will become more pronounced as we see how Bod’s story progresses in The Graveyard Book.
I also agree with your claim that Mowgli’s and Bod’s sense of “belongingness” is very different. Mowgli does not seem to feel as if he doesn’t belong in the jungle for the greater part of the book. I think this is partly due to Mowgli’s naivety when it comes to his understanding of the effects that his identity as a human has on the other Jungle People. In the first story Mowgli has a hard time believing that there are wolves in the pack that do not want him there. When Bagheera warns him that he might be killed in the Council Mowgli questions why any of the wolves would try to kill him (16), and in How Fear Came, Mowgli questions, “what have I to do with man?” (165). Mowgli believes that he is truly one of the pack, but does not understand that his humanity causes a far greater strain on many of the animals than is apparent to him. Mowgli learns that the other animals cannot hold his gaze, but fails to understand why. Hathi explains that Mowgli does not truly understand why the animals fear humans, and Mowgli’s confusion at the end of the story could indicate that he never truly will. Because Mowgli fails to understand the difference between himself and the Jungle People he doesn’t often feel out of place among them.
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