The Gentlemen of the Jungle "Peace is costly, but it's worth the expense." The theme of this text could be patience. How patient you can be before doing something for yourself or how far can you go for somebody else without getting anything? The story is about a man living in an animal world; he has a little hut in peace and quiet. One day there is a hurricane and Mr. Elephant seeks shelter at the man's hut, but with no room for them both, the elephant kicks the man out in the hurricane. This leads to a trial where the animals treat the man unfairly and give the hut to the elephant. In most cases, the man would surely win this trial by miles because it was his hut and all he did was help a friend. "The Gentleman of the Jungle" is written by Jomo Kenyatta in 1938. The story takes place at the edge of the forest in a fictitious land where animals and humans can talk. It states, ''Once upon a time an elephant made a relationship to a man. One day a heavy thunderstorm broke out, the elephant went to his friend who had a little hut at the edge of the forest.’’ (Line 1-3, pg. 171) The setting is the base of the story, the jungle laws they use because it takes place in the jungle. The relationships between the characters start out well. The story tells us that the elephant and the man are friends. The man shows patience when getting told by the lion that he will get his opportunity to get his hut back. This shows that the man has respect for the elders and the animals, "wait until the sitting of my imperial commission and there you will be given plenty of opportunity to state your case. I am sure you will be pleased with the findings of the commission, the man was very pleased by these sweet words by the king of the jungle, and innocently waited for his opportunity." (Line 2-6, pg. 172) Later on in the story, the man could care less after being deceived and treated poorly several times by all of the animals. He has nothing left for them and actually ends up killing them for his own peace. The main character in this story is the man. We are told about his story and how he fixed his problem. The man tries to keep a good relationship with all the animals in the story, but the animals take advantage of being bigger and stronger; in this case, the man is the smarter one and uses it to his advantage.

The main themes and conflict in this story include patience, jungle laws; peace is costly, and standing up for self. The main conflict in this story is between the man and the animals. He is trying to maintain his rights against all the animals. The title is an opposite image of what happens in the jungle. There are no gentlemen in this jungle, the animals treat the man as if he is nothing, they treat him by jungle laws, and only the strongest survive. There is no justice or democracy in the jungle. The man goes by the idea that the fittest and smartest survive. The story is written in the 3rd person, omniscient narrator. For example, "The man having no alternative and fearing that his refusal might expose him to the teeth and claws of the member of the commission." (Line 14-15, pg. 173)
To conclude, peace is costly and you should always try to seek peace for everybody. Everybody involved should feel good about the decision; however, if the others take advantage of you, you should stand your ground and fight for yourself. You have rights too. Use your strengths in life; in this case, the clever man used the animal's greediness to work against each other.