The Jungle Book: Structure & Setting

Generally, the primary interest in The Jungle Book is in Character. Both the plot and the theme revolve around character. Each story within the book has clear protagonists, antagonists, nemeses, confidantes, etc. The stories are based on the struggles that the characters are going through. In the main story of The Jungle Book, Mowgli, the protagonist, is going through a struggle to protect his pack, learn the ways of man, and kill his nemesis, Shere Khan. Shere Khan is the antagonist, or Mowgli's nemesis in the story. His only friend is Tabaqui, and he has sworn to kill Mowgli, as he failed to do years before. The Confidantes of the story are Mowgli's friends Bagheera the leopard and Baloo the bear. They are mentors to him, as well as partners in his quest. Bagheera is sly and mischievous, and Baloo is honest and friendly. The hero in the story is the leader of the wolf pack, Akela. He is the fearless leader of the story and throughout the entire story, is looked up to by the all of the other wolves. "Look well, O wolves! Have I kept my word?" "Yes, lead us again O Akela!" (Kipling 121)The classic archetypal character trend continues through the other short stories, with protagonists like The White Seal, Little Toomai, and Rikki, and antagonists such as the snakes and the poachers. Another massive part of the book is in the setting. The Jungle setting is entirely essential to the main story. All of the characters and every plot element depend completely on the setting. The story could possibly be told through other means, if a writer could portray it through a setting with two very different groups, such as a gang town. In any case, the story is told best by Rudyard Kipling, and the jungle setting is essential to the storyline. Without a jungle setting, Mowgli would never have developed the struggle that the book is based on. The White Seal is entirely based on setting, as the plot is a seal looking for a safe haven, Rikki Tikki Tavi is heavily based on setting as well, and the other two stories are less heavily based on setting.