Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Jungle Book, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Laws of Nature
Human and Animal Relationships
Loyalty
British Imperialism
Coming of Age
Summary
Analysis
Mowgli sings a song to all of the animals at Council Rock, celebrating Shere Khan’s death. His song talks about how he is the man who killed Shere Khan and now possesses his pelt. The song also discusses Mowgli’s sadness that the wolves betrayed him and cast him out of the jungle. He does not understand why they would do something like that, seemingly for no reason. Additionally, Mowgli’s song describes the sadness he feels about what has become of him. He says that he is now “two Mowglis” rather than one. The song ends on a sad note, as Mowgli sings, “My heart is heavy with the things I do not understand.”
“Mowgli’s Song” explicitly acknowledges Mowgli’s inner conflict. Mowgli feels as though he does not belong in the realm of humans or animals. He is split in two, and neither half of him feels fulfilled because it is missing the other. The song marks a tragic end to Mowgli’s story as he is too young to understand the complicated situation he has found himself in, and there is no one else who can empathize with his situation.
Themes
