Obedience or Curiosity?

            Although The Graveyard Book is practically The Jungle Book written in a different setting, Neiman’s story emphasizes curiosity, while The Jungle Book emphasizes obedience.  Neiman’s emphasis on curiosity is most prevalent with Bod’s behavior.  Bod is a very curious child who is constantly wanting to explore and experience new parts of the graveyard and outside world.  An example of how Bod learns from his curiosity is asking about who lives in the graves.  When Bod initially asks Silas this question, Silas realizes that Bod hasn’t learned the alphabet yet, which is why he brings Bod two “brightly colored alphabet books and a copy of Cat in the Hat” (Gaiman 38).  He uses these books to teach Bod how to apply the alphabet and answer his curious questions on his own by finding “the letters of the alphabet when they appeared” on the headstones (38).  Bod is rewarded with knowledge for being curious, but he also receives protection from meeting new friends in the graveyard.  Bod is instructed not to go into Potter’s Field, but because he is curious he does so anyway.  There Bod meets Liza a witch who is looked down upon by the rest of the graveyard, but because Bod has empathy for her he decides to go on a mission to buy her a headstone.  On this mission, he is trapped by a pawn shop owner, but Liza helps him escape.  If Bod hadn’t been curious about going into Potter’s Field, he would not have gone to the pawn shop.  However, because Bod went into Potter’s Field he made a new ally, Liza.  While curiosity is emphasized in The Graveyard Book, The Jungle Book places higher value no obedience.  Kipling emphasizes obedience through Mowgli’s behavior.  Examples of Mowgli’s obedience are when he is ordered to do something, he does it or faces the consequences.  Mowgli would have most likely been killed by Shere Khan had Baghera not ordered Mowgli to fetch the “Red Flower.”  Obedience saves Mowgli’s life, which is why Mowgli embraces it.  The setting of the books is also why obedience is emphasized.  Mowgli learns the “Laws of the Jungle” which are all to be kept and respected in order to avoid anarchy such as the monkeys’ way of life.  While Mowgli knows that obedience is important, he also knows that disobedience has severe consequences.  When Mowgli is failing to listen during one of his lessons with Baloo, he is beaten to a point of feeling concussed.  While both books are very similar, their emphasis on what is important differs being that curiosity is valued more than obedience in The Graveyard Book while it is the opposite in The Jungle Book.