Apologia

What makes The Jungle Book a Classic Novel? And what is Rudyard Kipling's significance in writing it? The answer is a simple one, and that is the fact that he was one of the first writers to base his stories entirely on the animal kingdom. Kipling has very few stories that don't involve some type of animal, and you can tell how fascinated he must have been with animals while writing these lighthearted stories. The Jungle Book also introduced somewhat of a new feeling brought upon the reader while reading the story. It changed viewpoints. No longer is the reader cheering for the humans in the story, but rather the animals, some of which are in conflict with the humans. They make man seem foreign; "With the knife, with the knife that men use, with the knife of the hunter, I will stoop down for my gift."
This feeling is almost exactly the same as the feeling brought on by Planet of the Apes, which effectively changes the readers perspective in an instant, although using two different strategies of making animals seem friendly, and then making man seem dreadful. Despite these complex underlying themes, the Jungle Book is not but a great story with mystery, heroes, villains, and heartwarming moments. The book leaves an incredibly painful loose end, but there are two books that split the story, so this can be satisfied easily. The short stories are, to put it simply, fantastic. Better, in my opinion, than the main story itself. They take half an hour to read, and it is a half hour well spent. Nearing the end of the story, Kipling suddenly changes the perspective of the viewer, when Mowgli is cast out by both the wolf pack, and the villagers; "Man-Pack and Wolf-Pack have cast me out, said Mowgli. Now I will hunt alone in the jungle." This is essentially an advertisement to read the second part of the book, and I'm pleased that it convinced me. Despite the talk of death surrounding the story, the Jungle Book never fails to leave the reader feeling contented, and wanting more of Kipling's charming stories of the animal kingdom.

Works Cited

Kipling, Rudyard, and Scott McKowen. The Jungle Book. New York: Sterling Pub., 2007 Print.

"Toomai of the Elephants." Kipling Society Homepage. Web. 02 Dec. 2011 .

"The Jungle Book - The White Seal (Rudyard Kipling)." Authorama - Public Domain Books. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. .

"Rikki-tikki-tavi." SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, Carnegie Mellon. Web. 02 Dec. 2011 .