*India

*India. Because the locations given for Mowgli’s world are vague, except for the reference to India’s Waingunga River, the forest in which Mowgli lives is chiefly symbolic of a world in which the laws of the jungle prevail, much as legal systems prevail in civilization. Mowgli’s jungle is made up of several settings, the first being the wolf cave in which he is sheltered as an infant and young boy by Father and Mother Wolf.

Several times Mowgli encounters human villages, usually as they relate to a woman named Messua who believes that Mowgli is her son who was taken from her years before. Through one season, Mowgli lives in the village and learns of the ways of humankind; however, he is run off when he unites the animals to trample Shere Khan the tiger. The villagers suspect that Mowgli is a demon possessed because he knows how to talk with the animals who helped raise him.

Later, Mowgli returns to this same village to rescue Messua and her husband, who are being prepared for execution because their son Mowgli lives as a brother to the animals. This time Mowgli enlists the help of his jungle friends to help his human parents escape and, especially with the help of the chief elephant Hathi and his three sons, destroys the village without killing the people. For many years, Mowgli is convinced that villages are more dangerous places to live than the jungle, where he understands the laws of the beasts. Later, when Mowgli is seventeen, he finds Messua in another village and goes to live with her as he comes to accept his place among people.

Council Rock

Council Rock. Place in the jungle where the wolves and others of the jungle meet to make important decisions. At this location the infant man cub, named Mowgli, or “Frog,” is spared from the wrath of Shere Khan the tiger by the help of Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther. Later, at this location, Mowgli defends the wolf pack’s aging leader, Akela, by spreading fire, or the Red Flower, to frighten away the younger wolves of the Seeonee Pack, who seek Akela’s and Mowgli’s deaths. Years later, when Mowgli is grown, he finally kills his sworn enemy, Shere Khan, and hangs his hide on the Council Rock. So the Council Rock is a symbol of leadership and power, where Mowgli finally wins a good name for himself.

Cold Lairs

Cold Lairs. Lost city that Mowgli visits several times, once when the monkey people take him captive there, and again when he explores the treasures stored in this forgotten place. A place of ruined houses and temples, Cold Lairs is a reminder of death. A white cobra guards the treasure, and when Mowgli takes a jeweled and thorn-pointed ankus into the jungle, he finds six men willing to kill one another for it before he returns it to Cold Lairs. The role of greed among men causes Mowgli to reject the gold coins and other treasures of this lost city. By the law of the jungle, Mowgli learns to live free of greed.

Other places

Other places. Other stories in this collection are set in a variety of places, such as St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, Devon Island above Lancaster Sound in the Northwest Territories of Canada, and near a village in the Himalayan Mountains beyond Mutteeanee Pass. In each of these settings, whether Kipling is discussing white seals fighting for survival or men seeking the meaning of their lives, their isolation helps the reader focus on the essentials of life. Just as The Jungle Books as a whole focus on the law of the jungle, so the stories in other settings also focus on the principles of dignity, honesty, and valor in challenging circumstances.

The first tale begins in a jungle near a native village, creating a timeless atmosphere reminiscent of Aesop's beast fables or certain folktales where animals can think and talk. The reader is initially introduced to the wolves, who are fervently discussing human violence. Father Wolf then rescues Mowgli, a human infant who has wandered away from the village, from a ravenous tiger named Shere Khan. Father Wolf brings Mowgli to Mother Wolf, who raises him as if he were her own.

In subsequent stories, the reader experiences a human household from the perspective of a mongoose and an army camp through the eyes of the animals in the camp. In one tale, Kipling departs from the Indian jungle entirely to narrate the story of a young seal in the Bering Sea, who, much like the jungle creatures, is all too aware of human cruelty.

The tales in The Jungle Book possess a lyrical essence, marked by succinct descriptive passages and a straightforward yet graceful narrative style. In the story "Mowgli's Brothers," Kipling's lyrical style is evident in the depiction of the black panther entering a circle of wolves:

A dark shadow descended into the circle. It was Bagheera the Black Panther, jet black all over, with the panther markings becoming visible in certain lights like the pattern of watered silk. Everyone knew Bagheera, and no one dared to challenge him; for he was as cunning as Tabaqui [the jackal], as fearless as the wild buffalo, and as unpredictable as the wounded elephant. Yet his voice was as gentle as wild honey dripping from a tree, and his fur softer than down.

Kipling's gift for storytelling has captivated both adults and the younger audience for whom The Jungle Book was written. Particularly enchanting are the poems at the end of each story, which expand on certain aspects of the narrative.

Much like Aesop's Fables, the stories in The Jungle Book typically convey a moral lesson. Kipling illustrates how Mowgli, Toomai, and various animals face danger, learn to overcome it, and in doing so, gain insight into the complexity and meaning of life. The main characters, whether human or animal, come to understand the jungle's perils and human wickedness, but they also discover goodness and develop their own principles. Among the animals, order and wisdom are prominent values. Kipling's storytelling mirrors nineteenth-century beliefs by portraying nature as having a moral order superior to that of humans. While ignorance and violence are prevalent in the jungle, these traits appear far worse in humans, who have the capacity to choose between good and evil.

"The White Seal" is Kipling's most instructive story. In it, he criticizes hunters who kill seals solely for their pelts. According to Kipling, greed is at the core of many human flaws.

Contrary to the common prejudices in British colonial India during the nineteenth century, Kipling shows a measure of respect for the Indian people, although he often depicts them as overly submissive to priests and superstitions. He frequently mocks the superiority complex many British held towards Indians. This is evident in "Toomai of the Elephants," where British characters make remarks like "native boys have no nerves." Kipling's true sentiments are revealed through his focus on Toomai's innocence, the very trait that enables him to witness the elephants' dance.