Who is the Audience

Who is the Audience

                The Jungle Book and The Graveyard Book display two male protagonists who largely differ in their respective response to the law in which they are governed.  Mowgli in the Jungle Book is governed by the strict law of the jungle, a system “As old and as true as the sky,” (p 172), while Bod faces a more lenient law of the graveyard which can often be disregarded with situational necessities.  Both law systems hold large influences on each of the characters’ lives but the actual responses of the characters to the systems reflects the cultural background of each author and convey the values of each authors’ respective countries. 

The responses of each protagonist displays each of the authors’ home country values and allows readers of similar cultural beliefs to aspire to be more like the protagonists used.  Great Britain, the home of The Graveyard Book’s author Neil Gaiman and his protagonist Bod, instills an egalitarian and risk seeking attitude.  Egalitarianism stated simply is the acceptance for one to challenge authority regardless of age, gender, or other factors on the basis that everyone is equal and thus equally able to define authority.  The risk-taking dimension defines failure as an opportunity to learn rather than an unacceptable act.  The mindset of countries such as Great Britain, according to GlobeSmart (an online assessment profile of country cultural dimensions), are strongly egalitarian and accepting towards risk.  Citizens of like countries find rewards in The Graveyard Book towards challenging authority through Bod’s ability to succeed in opposition to the laws.  By disregarding the laws about the Potter’s Field, Bod is able to make a friend in the witch, who in turn is able to leave the graveyard and help Bod in multiple situations throughout the book (both with the men at the pawn shop and with the police).  Furthermore, the punishments for Bod’s breaking of the the law are minimal and often accepting in some form.  For instance Miss Lepescu, after rescuing Bod from the goblins, reprimands Bod orally but then changes to accommodate Bod and begins to recognize his personal needs and cook better food for him.  Cultural values are reinstilled in the Great Britain and the Western Hemisphere audiences who read Gaiman’s book.

The same appeals to audiences exist in The Jungle Book.  India, Kipling’s home country, opposes Great Britain, according to GlobeSmart, in its views of egalitarianism and risk-taking (being hierarchical and risk averse).  Hierarchical means that status is important and disregarding status is highly disrespectful.  With status comes respect and the same is true for authority and law.  Risk aversion consists of the negative view of failure and the humiliation faced when failure is realized.  With these values, it becomes more apparent why Mowgli is reprimanded so harshly at the hands of Baloo when he disobeys the laws.  Also, little to nothing is accomplished when Mowgli breaks the laws.  Instead we see the law of the jungle hold a strong role throughout Mowgli’s life and the life of the other animals.  For instance when an animal, like the crocodile, disobeys the law and harms a human the animal is rightfully punished as the white men come and disrupt the life of the guilty animal.  Furthermore, animals who disregard the law are disregarded themselves.  For instance, almost all of the animals of the jungle ignore the monkeys and refuse to deal with them because they disregard the laws of the jungle; their status is very low.  Citizens of India-like countries see Mowgli as an aspiration because Mowgli achieves much from following the laws and is respected by his status in comparison to all those whom which he interacts.

The intended audience influences the view and the outcome in the interaction of the laws and society presented in each of these works.  The protagonist of each author tries to appeal to the reader and make the reader want to be similar to them through the maintenance of the audience’s values.  This explains why Kipling’s protagonist exemplifies values for hierarchy and aversion and Gaiman’s Bod demonstrates egalitarianism and risk-taking characteristics.  Both of these characteristics define differing cultural boundaries between the two audiences and the countries in which they represent.

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