The keys to survival in Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book differ from the keys to survival in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. In The Graveyard Book one of the main keys to survival is empathy. Bod displays empathy in “The Witches Headstone.” In “The Witches Headstone” Bod meets Liza Hempstock, who was buried without a headstone because she was a witch. Gaiman states, “And she looked so sad, just for a moment, that Bod wanted to hug her. And then it came to him…he would find Liza Hempstock a headstone, with her name upon it. He would make her smile” (Gaiman 113). Bod empathizes with Liza and feels bad that she is upset about not having a headstone. He is propelled to action by this feeling of empathy and leaves the graveyard to find Liza a headstone. Leaving the graveyard is breaking the rules but Bod places helping Liza as a higher priority. Bod is rewarded for being empathetic when Liza helps him escape. She also does a spell that allows him to fade, which he could not do before. Bod’s actions in “The Witches Headstone” were motivated by wanting to help someone else rather than self-interest. The positive end result of his actions indicate that empathy is valued in The Graveyard Book.

            The Jungle Book does not highlight empathy as a significant trait. One of the important keys to survival in The Jungle Book is following and knowing the laws of the jungle. Baloo takes on the task of teaching Mowgli all the laws of the jungle. He hits Mowgli when he does not remember things and says, “Better he should be bruised from head to foot by me who love him than that he should come to harm through ignorance” (Kipling 28). Baloo thinks learning and remembering the laws of the jungle is of the utmost importance. Although Mowgli hates his lessons, knowing the laws is for his protection. Mowgli is later rewarded for learning the laws when he is kidnapped by the monkeys. He uses the Master Words of the birds and a bird helps him. Baloo and Bagheera are able to find Mowgli and rescue him as a result of Mowgli remembering his lessons. Following the laws is another important key to survival, breaking them means death. In The Graveyard Book breaking the rules is discouraged, but the punishment is much harsher in The Jungle Book. The Jungle Book places a significance on order and organization that The Graveyard Book does not.