Heroes of Rudyard Kipling: Baloo, Bagheera, Mowgli

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

For a long time, Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and other inhabitants of the jungle remain the favorite heroes of children from different countries. These characters often appeared in cartoons, in illustrations in books. The English writer Rudyard Kipling created this magical world in which a boy brought up by wild animals settled.

R. Kipling's childhood

The fate of the writer itself is worthy of books, because it is in no way inferior to his novels. Lockwood Kipling and his wife Alice were born and raised in England. It was there that they met at Rudyard Lake. However, then life decreed that they ended up in colonial India. Lockwood was in charge of the school, while Alice took care of the household and was the most active woman the locals knew. In the same place, in India, the future writer was born.

Lockwood Kipling instilled in his son the idea that everything in life should be experienced and not be afraid of change. This made Rudyard a big fan of adventure and travel. The mysterious world of India, the impenetrable jungle and wild animals inflamed the mind and inspiredcreating stories.

When the future writer was six years old, he and his sister went to their parents' homeland to get an education there. He considered the next six years of his life a real horror. After the freedom of India, he found himself in the arms of stiff England, where he was severely punished for any wrongdoing. Then Kipling continued his studies at the Devon Military School. Memories of him were painted in much warmer colors. Then Rudyard was imbued with respect for order and military service. And it was there that his talent as a writer was noticed for the first time.

Mature years of R. Kipling

After graduation, Kipling returned to India and got a job there working for a newspaper. Then he made a long journey, the final point of which was again England. He decided to conquer a cold and impregnable country. And he succeeded. And not only the country was conquered, but also the beautiful Carolina, who agreed to marry Kipling. She gave birth to the writer's daughter Josephine, whom he dearly loved.

With the beginning of the Anglo-Boer War, a black streak began in the life of the writer. His imperialist views were scorned by some. Kipling's uncle and sister fell ill first, and then he and Josephine. The girl did not survive the disease. Kipling was afraid to say this for a long time, knowing how the death of his beloved daughter would knock him down.

Then the novel "Kim" was written, which provided Kipling with posthumous fame. For a long time, the writer disappeared from the field of view of readers. Some even thought that hedied. However, he simply couldn't write anymore. After the death of Josephine, he also had to endure the death of his son, who went missing.

The last work that Rudyard Kipling wrote was his autobiography. However, the writer did not have time to finish it. He died in 1936.

The history of the creation of the work "The Jungle Book"

Bagheera and Mowgli are loved by many children. It is from The Jungle Book that many begin their acquaintance with Kipling. For some, this work ends. It was created for a long time and with great love. And in order to trace the history of its creation, you need to turn to the childhood of the writer.

When Kipling was still living in India, he had a nanny - a local woman. She taught him Hindi and told him old tales and myths that had lived for centuries. The nanny's narratives, coupled with the mystique of the world of India, had a great influence on the future writer.

Despite the world described in The Jungle Book, Bagheera, Mowgli, Baloo and other heroes were born in the USA. It was there that the writer began to write one of the most important works of his career. Despite the fact that he was brought up on myths, it is difficult to find at least one whose story would be exactly set out in the Jungle Book. Rather, a new myth was created on the basis of the narrated and the writer's own experiences. And he fell in love with people from all over the world. Especially for the reason that there were practically no books about India at that time. Especially such interesting ones.

Mowgli

One of the main characters of the two "Jungle Books" was a smallboy. In his early years he found himself far from civilization, in the world of animals. He was adopted by a family of wolves. Over the years, while Mowgli grew up, all the animals got used to him and were not afraid of him at all. And the wolves began to consider the boy one of their pack. However, not everyone had such a peaceful thought.

Tiger Sherkhan, his accomplice Tabaki and other smaller henchmen refused to accept the "human cub". So Mowgli became a stumbling block in the world of the jungle.

Baloo the bear

Bagheera, Mowgli and Baloo have become best friends. Among this trinity, the bear was especially fond of children.

Baloo is one of the old inhabitants of the jungle. For Mowgli, he became something like a father. No one knew the Jungle Book better than the old bear, so he was chosen to be the one to teach the rules to the boy. Baloo represents strength. He boldly stands up for his little ward every time he is in danger.

Kipling himself said that the name for the character was borrowed from Hindi. In the language, this word denoted several types of bears at once.

Bagheera, black panther

Baloo did not remain the only tutor of the "human cub". Another true friend of the boy was a panther named Bagheera. It is believed that this character is the personification of love. And this is one of the few heroes whose history is known.

Didn't like to talk about her past Bagheera. Mowgli, however, inspired her confidence. Therefore, one day she told him that she was born in the menagerie of a rich and influential rajah. For a long time she lived on a chain. But then Bagheera's mother died. And the panther plunged into an abyss of longing. Loneliness pressed so hard that Bagheera decided to escape. The attempt was successful. The jungle world has adopted a new inhabitant. However, Sherkhan was saturated with dislike for Bagheera. The hostility was aggravated by the appearance of a boy in the world of animals.

As Bagheera said, Mowgli was the only one who knew the full story of her life. Even Baloo had no idea that a friend was once on a chain. Better than others, this hero of the "Jungle Book" is familiar with the world of people. And therefore, Mowgli will turn to her to decide where he wants to live. Bagheera told about that world to her pupil. It was from her that the boy learned about the "red flower", which even Sher Khan was afraid of.

For many, the main question is who the Panther Bagheera is. Boy or girl? In fact, Kipling conceived Bagheera as a male. However, in Russian the word "panther" is feminine. That is why Bagheera became a woman. The same metamorphosis happened to the hero in Poland.

Bagheera, Mowgli and Baloo, their comrades and enemies, not only reveal the world of mysterious India, but also prepare children for life in the world of people. Instructive and interesting tales will be read and re-read for a long time to come.