Palacios 1

Grislean Palacios
Dr. Lynda Haas
WR 37
February 22, 2015
Metaphors of Isolation
Anthropomorphism, The Jungle Book, and Disney all come to mind when we
think of characters like Mowgli and Baloo from the childrens story most of us love, The
Jungle Book. Yet, there is more to The Jungle Book, than just Disney-fied characters
and a happy ending. The Jungle Book, on the scholarly level, is a story of isolation from
the world, not being able to fit in anywhere, basically a man without a home or a place
to fit in. The animal-human relationships expressed in the short stories are metaphors to
the life of author Rudyard Kipling and to his life in his home countries of Britain and
British Empire India; Literature expert Dylan J. Sirois and periodical writer John Walsh
both agree with the idea that Kipling tells the tale of isolation and desolation in his
personal life yet psychologists Diane Simmons and Elizabeth Welby see the metaphors
as a deeper perspective of childhood trauma faced by Kipling when he was exiled from
Britain to India by his parents. Rudyard Kipling utilizes metaphors in the short story
"Mowgli's Brothers, part of the collection of short stories in the book The Jungle Book,
to isolate Mowgli from both the animal and human world, turning him into an outsider
within both of his home countries, and left to survive on his own.

Palacios 2

First, the idea of solely isolation is what University of Maines writer and literature
expert, Dylan J. Sirois, accepts to be Kipings only intention when writing Mowglis
Brothers, a story of a boy who is raised in the animal world, an unknown world, and is
sent back to his native world, the human world, when the animals no longer tolerate
Mowgli as being one of their own. An exact excerpt from Mowglis Brothers that refers
to this metaphor to Kiplings life states, The others they hate thee because their eyes
cannot meet thine; because thou art wise; because thou hast pulled out thorns from
their feet-because thou art a man (Kipling 9). This is a conversation in Mowglis
Brothers between the human Mowgli and the animal Baheera, Mowglis adopted
brother in the animal world. Siriouss research shows that Mowgli is a metaphor for
Kiplings life. Like Kipling, Mowgli is adopted and loved by his new and different
family (I would do more research on this because Kipling was not loved by his foster
mom, rather he was abused and bullied). Kipling was sent to India, a British Empire, to
live among a different family with completely different customs (Also for this, Kipling
was sent from India to England to receive an English education). The wolf pack in
Mowglis Brothers adopts Mowgli as one of their own. When Mowgli speaks to
Baheera, Baheera tells him he is destined to be homeless and live a nomadic life in
the human world, as Sirois words it. Baheera has lived through the isolation that is to
come for Mowgli and, being Mowglis brother, cares for him just as much as his wolf
parents. The excerpt is the conversation he has with Mowgli warning him of the isolation
he will face by both worlds and how he must understand what life will be for him. The
relationship between Baheera and Mowgli is brotherly yet also meant to be a sense
of hope for Mowgli. Unlike Siroiss perspective, writer, commenter and editor for The

Palacios 3

Independent British magazine John Walsh disagrees with Sirois on the idea that
Kipling purposely attempted to revisit his childhood memories while writing The
Jungle Book, yet he understand that the stories are indeed a metaphor for Kiplings
life brought on by his inability to return to England due to bankruptcy, which pitched him
back to the England of his childhood where he could not leave or visit it due to his
isolated feeling from both (Walsh). Both Sirios and Walsh agree overall that
Kiplings metaphor was only to accept his life as being isolated from two worlds,
yet Psychologists Welby and Simmons believe theres a deeper psychological motive.
From the psychological viewpoint, Philosopher and psychologist Elizabeth Welby
and PsyArt writer and Psychologist Diane Simmons claim that Mowglis experience is a
metaphor for Kiplings life, more specifically his childhood trauma and parental issues
caused by his isolation into an unknown world, India in the British empire or the Animal
World in Mowglis Brothers. The excerpt of the conversation between Baheera and
Mowgli resembles Mowglis inability to tell the difference between human and animal.
He has been so accustomed to living with the animals that he sees Baheera as an
animal when in fact he is meant to be considered a human like Mowgli who was first
raised by humans. Welby states Mowglis confusion is due to his so-called dual status
of man-cub yet Mowgli remains a product of the two communities, the human and the
animal, the savage and civilized among Baheera (Welby 28). The relationship between
Mowgli and his wolf mother is also another example of this when the mother says she
will put up one last fight for Mowgli, who is now one of their own who shall live to run
with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack,(Kipling 5). The mother has made Mowgli
one of their own with only having met the baby. According to Welby, this is

Palacios 4

another one of Kiplings subconscious metaphors of the comfort of a mother,

which he never had as a child from his biological mother only by his adopted
mother like Mowgli. This is a reference to his own childhood sorrow as
Simmons words it. Simmons agrees with Welby in the idea that both Mowgli and
Kipling forms a larger bond with a motherly figure of his wolf mother and mother India
(Simmons). When he goes out into the human world or manly power, according to
Welby, Simmons claims that this is the reason why both Mowgli and Kipling cannot
fit in to the outside world, outside in the animal world apart from the pack and in the
human world. Isolation is brought on by psychological scars and trauma they both faced
as children that prevent their lives from adapting to new experiences as adults.
Rudyard Kipling uses metaphors in the short story Mowglis Brothers as a way
of showing the isolation of Mowgli from both the animal and the human world. Mowgli
becomes an outsider in the only two worlds he knows. The animal-human relationships
expressed in the short stories aid to explain the isolation faced by Mowgli, the metaphor
of Kiplings own life; Dylan J. Sirois and John Walsh both agree that isolation and
desolation are the main themes Kipling strived to explain while Diane Simmons and
Elizabeth Welby believe that although it is a tale of isolation, it which is caused by a
deeper perspective of childhood trauma faced by Kipling. The relationships between
animal and human in The Jungle Book are stronger bonds to Mowgli than Mowgli to the
humans. Although Mowgli is isolated to both worlds, animal and human, he holds a
stronger bond to the animal world. In the end, Kiplings and Mowglis stories of hardship
and isolation are nearly identical so it is not hard to say that the story is truly about
Kiplings isolation in Britain and India. Just like Mowgli, Kipling also continued to return

Palacios 5

to India in hopes of finding his homeland away from isolation and possiblye in hopes of
finding his caring home that he found in his motherly figure in the animal world, not the
human world.
Works Cited
Simmons, Diane. Black Sheep: Rudyard Kiplings Narcissistic Imperialism. PsyArt. 24
September 2002. Web. 22 February 2015.
Sirois, Dylan J. Imperial Impulses: The Influence of War and Death on the Writings of
Rudyard Kipling. Digital Commons: University of Maine. May 2013. Web. 22 February
2015.
Walsh, John. The Jungle Book: A tale as old as time. The Independent. 30 September
2014. Web. 22 February 2015.
Welby, Elizabeth. Out of Eden: Mapping Psychic Spaces in Rudyard Kipling's Fiction.
School of Literature and Creative Writing University of East Anglia. 30 June 2010. Web.
22 February 2015.
Strongest Point:
Having sources that support why Mowglis Brothers is a metaphor for Kiplings life.
Weakest Point:
Many times the quotes were inaccurately drawn back to Kiplings life which made it a bit
confusing to read. Kipling, from India, was sent by his parents to England in order to
receive an English Education, and lived with people who adopted him. His adoption

Palacios 6

mother did not care for him and abused him, so Kipling did not feel like he belonged in
England. He also did not fit in at school in England, further contributing to his isolation.
But things were not much better in India because when he returned he was now
considered an Englishman. So this left Kipling to be a man with no nation essentially
like Mowgli.
Also, most of the analysis was drawn from the sources rather than using the sources to
support your own statements.
Introduction:
I recommend starting off with a more enticing hook rather than assuming all your
readers think of anthropomorphism, The Jungle Book, and Disney when Baloo and
Mowgli come to mind. And maybe after including a hook you can put why readers
should think of anthropomorphism when it comes to these characters. You introduced
the sources and how the book is a metaphor for Rudyards life very well.
Controlling Idea:
The animal-human relationships expressed in the short stories are metaphors to the life
of author Rudyard Kipling and to his life in his home countries of Britain and British
Empire India; Literature expert Dylan J. Sirois and periodical writer John Walsh both
agree with the idea that Kipling tells the tale of isolation and desolation in his personal
life yet psychologists Diane Simmons and Elizabeth Welby see the metaphors as a
deeper perspective of childhood trauma faced by Kipling when he was exiled from
Britain to India by his parents.

Palacios 7

Thesis:
Rudyard Kipling utilizes metaphors in the short story "Mowgli's Brothers, part of
the collection of short stories in the book The Jungle Book, to isolate Mowgli from both
the animal and human world, causing him to become an outsider who is left to survive
on his own. turning him into an outsider within both of his home countries, and left to
survive on his own.
Analysis:
The percentage of analysis to summary is about 30 percent. Some analysis pertains to
the quotes provided but most is drawing upon how the book as a whole is a metaphor
for Kiplings life. I would try to find more specific parts in the story that have a direct
parallel to Kiplings life, find sources that back up your argument, then provide analysis
on how Kipling makes this identifiable to the reader.
Development:
The argument that The Jungle Book is Kiplinga acceptance of life is supported when
Mowgli is adopted into the animal world like Kipling was adopted by the family, but
Mowgli was destined for isolation which is how Kipling felt after leaving his family to live
with his adoption parents. And the psychological aspect behind The Jungle Book is
portrayed through Mowglis dual status which can be related to Kiplings feelings of
isolation and not belonging to any one community. This part is a bit confusing because I
do not know which excerpt you are referring to.
Sources:

Palacios 8

You introduced Sirios all four sources very well, in the first paragraph but no other
introductions were made. but I would also recommend to include more of your own
analysis and use the sources as support.