Mowgli, Bod, Values, and Society

In considering The Jungle Book and The Graveyard Book to be conduct books written for children (and adults), and Mowgli and Bod to be the ‘ideal child’, readers are able to ascertain much about the values of good behavior and how they have changed from the late nineteenth to early twenty-first centuries.

               In Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, one of Mowgli’s most admirable characteristics is his obedience. Mowgli is not willing to disobey the laws of the jungle, even when he playfully disobeys his guardians, Baloo and Bagheera. Mowgli learns from the time he is brought into the jungle world that there are rules that must be unconditionally followed; it is just how the jungle works. For the most part, Mowgli obeys the rules. He learns all of the languages of the jungle, even though he does not want to. He obeys his elders during the Pack Council meetings, even though they often look down upon him. If Mowgli does not follow the rules, he is often beaten by Baloo or other members of the jungle. For example, during one lesson when Mowgli runs away from language learning, he is cuffed until bruised by Baloo for defying Baloo’s teachings. Readers are therefore expected to view Mowgli’s obedience to the jungle that accepted him as his most admirable trait.

Mowgli is also loyal to his animal friends, sometimes to the point of being against his own self-interest. Mowgli’s loyalty inhibits his learning and open-mindedness toward life outside the jungle. He refuses Haathi and Akeela’s suggestions that he will one day leave the jungle, claiming that he hates the human world. And once Mowgli actually experiences the human world, he becomes ever more set in his determination to remain a part of the jungle. Mowgli’s fierce loyalty to his family, to guardians, and to his home is also presented as an admirable trait. But in some ways, Mowgli’s loyalty undermines his own learning opportunities. Mowgli’s immediate distrust and anger at the people of village compromises an opportunity to learn about humans and the world to which he will one day return. In this instance, (but admittedly in hindsight) Mowgli’s loyalty is not to his advantage. However, we are expected to respect Mowgli for his unwavering concern for his animal friends and his jungle home. We are also expected to admire the fact that Mowgli (for the most part) does as he is taught and does not violate the laws of the jungle. His fierce loyalty, respect for figures of authority, and obedience are all presented as admirable traits. Mowgli thus gives readers insight into the values of the late nineteenth century. If Mowgli is considered to be the ‘ideal boy’, then obedience, respect for authority, and uncompromising (bordering on hard-headed) loyalty are to be considered ideal traits. The Jungle Book suggests that these traits are most admirable and should be desired and desirable in every human being.

               However, Bod’s value in Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is slightly different. Although Bod learns the laws of the graveyard, comparable to Mowgli’s learning the laws of the jungle, Bod is encouraged to discover the outside world in the safest manner possible. Bod knows he will one day have to inhabit this human world, and so he takes it as his duty to learn as much as he can. Bod’s unquenchable curiosity is given as his most noteworthy trait. This contrasts with Mowgli, who refuses to learn about his future world, even to the point of hurting his own chances in this world. Additionally, although Bod is expected to be obedient and respect the teachings of his guardians Silas, Mrs. Lupescu, and the Owenses, this doesn’t always happen. For instance, Bod is encouraged by Silas to learn about history and letter-writing from the dead in the graveyard. In addition, when Bod suggests that he should go to school, Silas, although at first unwilling, is convinced when Bod declares he wants to learn about ‘everything’. There are numerous other instances of Bod bending the rules of the graveyard out of personal curiosity, like when he travels into the Potter’s Field and befriends Liza. But in these moments, Bod’s curiosity is not punished in the way Mowgli’s transgressions are. Although Bod may receive a stern reproach or, at most, a spanking, he is then later encouraged to explore again the world he will have to inhabit. Bod’s deep desire to learn and explore is thus presented as an admirable quality.

Additionally, Bod’s deep empathy is also presented as an admirable trait. Throughout The Graveyard Book, Bod is presented as a boy who has the ability to talk to, connect with, and make friends with everyone. He is able to form genuine friendships with a human, a vampire, a werewolf, a witch, and the assorted dead. Bod’s willingness to make new friends with most everyone he meets is given as an admirable trait. Bod’s personality again reveals the values of the twenty-first century. Gaiman is asserting that curiosity, the willingness to experience and learn, and the willingness to be kind and make friends with all different sorts of people are valued most highly in our society today. Obedience, on the other hand, can be put aside for the sake of any of these other characteristics. If rule-breaking is necessary to make friends (like in Bod’s friendship with Liza), so be it.

In The Jungle Book and The Graveyard Book, notions of good and admirable qualities are revealed through the ‘ideal child’ models of Mowgli and Bod. By presenting the personality traits of these boys as admirable, both Kipling and Gaiman are revealing traits that constitute a good human from their respective time periods. For Kipling, obedience, respect for authority, and loyalty are of the utmost importance for Mowgli and for the late-nineteenth century. For Gaiman, however, curiosity, willingness to explore and experience, and empathy are invaluable for Bod and for living in the twenty-first century. As both authors reveal qualities for the making of admirable children and adults through their protagonists Mowgli and Bod, they are also revealing the societal values from their respective eras.