Bagheera - Kipling's character

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

Bagheera in Kipling's book about Mowgli is one of the key characters. This character gained great popularity among the reading public and became the prototype for creating new animation images. Without exaggeration, she can be called the most popular hero of the work, as she is distinguished by cunning, dexterity and a fair amount of humor.

Characteristic of the work

Kipling wrote his famous fairy tale in 1894-1895 under the influence of his life in India. Many oriental motifs of this country are reflected in his work, starting from the image of the mysterious and mysterious jungle to the image of animals and, finally, the main character himself. In addition, on the pages of the text there are many references to the realities of Indian life, for example, there are references to rajas, fabulous we alth of cities, and the life of a simple peasant population. In this context, Bagheera becomes more understandable - a character who turned out to be the most colorful of all the other animals. This beast is unthinkable outside the space of the wild Indian jungle, which is its native element. That is why the author did not begin to describe her backstory outside the wild, limiting herself to putting into her mouth a story about her youth among people. Such a move is explained by the fact that this image is unthinkable outside the jungle, where it is revealed with a specialcompleteness.

Image

Bagheera is a bright character in all respects and at the same time contradictory, which, however, makes her so interesting. In the original, this animal is a male, but in the Russian translation and in the famous Soviet cartoon, this animal received a female gender. However, this did not spoil the image in any way: the drawing turned out to be wonderful, and the magnificent voice of the famous actress L. Kasatkina gave it an additional charm. Bagheera is a character who is a constant companion of Mowgli. While the bear Baloo is the boy's mentor, and his function is to clarify and explain everything to him, the panther, on the contrary, is full of secrets and mysteries. Her image is mysterious, and the words are sometimes even confusing. In this sense, she is the very personification of the jungle in the book, which is just as mysterious and incomprehensible to the little hero.

Meaning

Bagheera is a character that has a symbolic meaning. In translation, this name means "black tiger", "panther". In Eastern culture, it means a noble warrior who is opposed to the main villain throughout the story. In this respect, she is the antagonist of Shere Khan, who hunts little Mowgli not so much to eat him as out of principle. Bagheera is an ideological character: she opposes the treacherous tiger also on principle. She seems to be the only one who understands that sooner or later this human cub will destroy the main evil in the jungle. She is more perspicacious and far-sighted than the rest of the pack,who save the boy only out of a feeling of sympathy and pity. The second important reference to Eastern motifs is the conciliatory function that Bagheera performs at the beginning of the work, having managed to convince the flock with the help of a ransom of the need to save the child's life.

History

Bagheera is a panther that was born in captivity to a rajah. She was in a cage with her mother, and the iron chain left a mark on her fur. After the death of her mother, she managed to break free. In the jungle, she was able to inspire the respect of all the inhabitants with her dexterity, cunning, deceit, resourcefulness, and also courage. No one knows anything about her past, and the fact that she is Mowgli who tells her story is indicative.

Bagheera is a panther with a flexible mind, which makes it stand out from the rest of the animals in the forest. In the Soviet cartoon, it is shown that it was her idea to get the "red flower" (fire) and use it to defeat Shere Khan and save Akela. Her friendship with Mowgli is one of the most touching lines in the plot, but there are a number of nuances to consider here. In the original, their relationship is presented as a male friendship, but in the film adaptations, it has acquired a touch of maternal care.

Appearance

The description of Bagheera in the work suggests that she was a beautiful black panther with a shiny silky coat. She is distinguished by extraordinary flexibility and dexterity, her movements are elegant and graceful, unlike, for example, clumsy andslow Baloo. Panther is fast and very dynamic. This beast can develop very high speed due to natural strength and remarkable endurance. In addition, Bagheera has a very good sense of the smells and sounds of the jungle: her sensitivity makes her almost invulnerable. In this respect, she is very different from the rest of Mowgli's friends. In addition, her whole appearance speaks of great intelligence and cunning, which makes her a strong ally and at the same time a dangerous opponent in the jungle. Therefore, most Bagheera animals are feared and respected.