Mowgli, a little boy, is the main human character in the stories of The
Jungle Book (see PDF 1). Mowgli means frog. This
is the name he is given by a family of wolves which find him one day when
he is about one year old. He is raised together with the family's cubs
and becomes one of the Seeonee Wolf Pack.
In the course of the following ten years Mowgli learns all about the sounds
and movements of the jungle and how to live in the jungle. He accompanies
Bagheera, the black panther, when he goes hunting at night. Baloo, the
brown bear, becomes his best companion. He teaches Mowgli where to find
food when he is hungry, and he teaches Mowgli the Law of the Jungle. Bagheera
warns Mowgli of Shere Khan, the tiger. One day, when Shere Khan claims
Mowgli to belong to him, Mowgli defeats the tiger with the help of the
fire, which Shere Khan fears.
Once Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log, the monkeys, and taken to
the monkey city. Bagheera and Balloo persuade Kaa, the python, to come
and save Mowgli. Bagheera, the brave fighter, is soon overpowered by the
monkeys that surround him. Kaa comes to his rescue and chases the monkeys
away in no time; for the python is the animal they fear most in the jungle.
After defeating Shere Khan, Mowgli has to leave the wolves. He decides
to move to the village where men live. In the village, Mowgli is received
with kindness; one of the women, Messua, claims him to be her son Nathoo
who was taken by a tiger. Mowgli quickly grasps all that is new to him,
but he cannot get used to living in a house, sleeping in a bed.
After a while Mowgli hears from Grey Brother, one of his wolf brothers,
that Shere Khan wants to kill him. Mowgli plans to wait until the tiger
is in the nearby ravine. Then the herd of the buffaloes will charge from
two sides and kill Shere Khan. Mowgli is able to carry out his plan with
the help of some wolves.
When Shere Khan is dead, however, the villagers are made to believe that
Mowgli can do magic and will do harm to the village. Out of fear the villagers
throw stones at him in order to keep him out of their village. Mowgli
leaves the village to return to the jungle with four cubs for company.
Later Mowgli finds out that the villagers have hurt his mother, because
she treated him as her son.. They want to burn Messua and her husband.
Mowgli tells his parents to leave for the nearest town and ask the English
authorities for help. Mowgli himself takes revenge on the village by using
the powers of the jungle. With the doing of Hathi, the huge elephant,
and all the animals of the jungle the villagers are made to leave their
homes. After half a year nothing is left of the village. The jungle has
won back the place which formerly was cultivated and inhabited by men.
Mowgli grows up to be handsome and strong young man. At an outstation
he meets Gisborne, the English forester. Gisborne is impressed by Mowgli's
deep understanding of the jungle and his close relationship to the beasts
of the jungle. As there might be no better help to his work, he persuades
Mowgli to become his assistant. The narration ends by presenting Mowgli's
wife and small children, who live with three wolves as their companions.