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Introduction:
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1894. The first story is about a boy who lives with animals in the jungle. Following, the second story is about a seal who tries to find a haven for the seals. The third story follows a mongoose who returns the favor by saving the family who saved the mongoose from the cobra. The last story is about a group of animals who discuss their roles in the British-Indian army.

Plot:
Mowgli is found by Mother Wolf and Father Wolf and raised in the jungle. He learns the Law of the Jungle from Baloo the Bear and Bagheera the Panther. When he doesn’t respect the Law, Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log monkeys but is rescued by his friends. As he grows up, Shere Khan the tiger convinces some wolves that Mowgli doesn’t belong. After a confrontation, Mowgli leaves for a human village but soon kills Shere Khan and takes his skin. When a villager, Buldeo, tries to steal it, Mowgli is accused of witchcraft and banished. He returns to the jungle but plans to live with humans again.
In “The White Seal,” Kotick, a white seal, searches for a safe place for seals away from humans. He finds a perfect spot for them to live peacefully.
“Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” follows a mongoose who is rescued by an English family in India. He protects an English family from cobras, gaining loyalty from the family.
“Toomai of the Elephants” tells of Little Toomai, who realizes his dream of becoming an elephant catcher. After speaking with Petersen Sahib, he learns he must see an elephant dance to achieve his goal. That night, he follows an elephant named Kala Nag into the jungle and witnesses a dance. The next day, Petersen congratulates him and allows him to become an elephant catcher.
“Her Majesty’s Servants” features animals discussing their roles in the British-Indian army but doesn’t understand the human conflict. Meanwhile, the Amir of Afghanistan meets the Viceroy of India, who dismisses him and his men.

Analysis:
The author purposefully used stories to portray different plots and characters. In the first book, Mowgli is an isolated human being from its human life. He meets the wolf pack and other animals who take immense good care of Mowgli. Shere Khan, the tiger, tries to make Mowgli leave the jungle and go back to the human village. Mowgli eventually catches him and takes his hide. Mowgli gets banished from the village for witchcraft but he finalizes the decision to live with humans. This story includes the lesson of care and home. For Mowgli, he has two homes: the jungle and the human home. Mowgli is more familiar with the jungle than the human home since he lived in the jungle from when he was an infant. The jungle home is more comfortable home for him. However, the human home and community is an adventurous one since he hadn’t explored or lived in them yet. It also shows the theme of care. In this story, the other animals stood up to protect the infant from Shere Khan and gave him a welcoming shelter he could call home. “The White Seal” represents the importance of a haven or a sanctuary through the perspective of the white seal, the main character of the story. “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” shows the theme of gratitude. The mongoose, getting rescued by a family, decides to pay his gratitude by protecting the family from cobras. “Toomai of the Elephants” portrays the theme of dream. The main character dreams of becoming an elephant catcher and alas, he achieves it after going to the jungle and watching the elephant dance. Lastly, “Her Majesty’s Servants” presents the complexity of human conflicts through the animals’ perspective about the British-Indian War. These stories overall shows the difference of perspective between animals and humans.

Conclusion:
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by Rudyard Kipling, published in 1894. The first story is about a boy who lives in the jungle with wolf pack and other animals but chooses to live with humans. The second story is about a white seal who searches for a sanctuary for seals. The third story is about a mongoose who pays its debt by helping the family who saved it. The fourth story follows Toomai and his journey to become elephant catcher. The last story is about animals discussing human conflict in the British-Indian army. These stories include many themes such as home, care, importance of haven, gratitude, the complexity of human conflicts, and more. The book portrays the difference between point of views between animals and humans through each story and theme.