Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” In Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the author writes about how Rikki-tikki had the courage to stand up to his feared enemy while defending his family members and friends. The theme of the fictional story by Rudyard Kipling is that people (or animals, in this case) are willing to do anything to protect those they love. Rikki-tikki is a courageous and cautious mongoose in the story. For example, Rikki-tikki is fearless when he was doing a much more dangerous thing than fighting Nag, for Karait is so small and can turn so quickly that unless Rikki-tikki bit him close …show more content…
First, when Nagaina was plotting against Rikki-tikki, she said to Nag, “Go in quietly, and remember that the big man who killed Karait is the first one to bite. Then come out and tell me, and we will hunt for Rikki-tikki together.” (para. 49). It is clear that Nagaina is evil because she hatches a plan to kill Teddy’s father and Rikki-tikki. Her personality is somewhat like Rikki-tikki’s, because they both have the craving of revenge to kill each other. Second, when Rikki-Tikki had her last egg, she said, “Give me the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back.” (para. 93). Furthermore, Nagaina is motherly, because even though she tries to kill Rikki-tikki, she says she will leave the garden only if she could have the last of her eggs. At first, Nagaina wanted to take over the garden for her family so they could be safe (just like Rikki-tikki wants his family safe), but she was willing to leave if she could have the final egg. In short, Nagaina is like Rikki-Tikki in some ways, but as an antagonist, the feminine cobra is cruel while also affectionate towards her …show more content…
For instance, Rikki-tikki planned where on Nag’s body to bite by saying, “It must be the head, the head above the hood; and when I am once there, I must not let go.” (para. 57). Obviously, Rikki-tikki talked to himself on how to murder Nag which isn’t an animal characteristic, but a human’s ability to talk was given to him to support the theme. Rikki-tikki had prepared how to kill Nag to prevent any further murders or distractions from the black cobra, because once Nag is dead, he won’t be alive to harm Rikki-tikki’s family and friends ever again. In support of this, Rikki-tikki killed all the snakes that hurt his friends or family, so he said to Teddy’s parents, “What are you bothering for? All the cobras are dead; and if they weren’t, I’m here.” (para. 104). Again, Rikki-tikki spoke to reassure Teddy’s parents, and though animals can warm up to humans, they cannot comfort them with their words since animals cannot speak. Rikki-tikki had killed all the cobras to ensure the safety of his family/friends, and he put his life at risk many times fulfilling those hazardous tasks. To sum up, anthropomorphism supported the theme and showed how the character’s responses/reaction affected the