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Kotick
Rikki-tikki-tavi is a mongoose whom Teddy and Teddy’s parents adopt after Rikki-tikki-tavi nearly drowns in a flood. Because Teddy and his family saved Rikki-tikki-tavi’s life, he is fiercely loyal to them. He bravely fights off Nag and Nagaina, two snakes who occupy Teddy’s family’s garden. All the garden’s animals come to respect Rikki-tikki-tavi for his strength and bravery.
Rikki-tikki-tavi Quotes in The Jungle Book
The The Jungle Book quotes below are all either spoken by Rikki-tikki-tavi or refer to Rikki-tikki-tavi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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7. The White Seal Quotes
Of course it was not all done at once, for the seals need a long time to turn things over in their minds, but year by year more seals went away from Novastoshnah, and Lukannon, and the other nurseries, to the quiet, sheltered beaches where Kotick sits all the summer through, getting bigger and fatter and stronger each year, while the hollus-chikie play round him, in that sea where no man comes.
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These are the closing words of “The White Seal,” and they describe the seal haven Kotick found in the Bering Sea. “The White Seal” is one of the few tales in The Jungle Book with a happy ending (although “Lukannon,” the song that follows, arguably calls into question how long that happiness will last). This passage marks the completion of Kotick’s coming-of-age story as grows into a mature seal after accomplishing the goal he set out to achieve at the start of the story. He proves his father, Sea Catch, wrong and validates his position that seals can live free Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia ea
9. ‘Rikki-Tikki-Tavi’ Quotes
‘Who is Nag?’ said he. ‘I am Nag. The great God Brahm put his mark upon all our people, when the first cobra spread his hood to keep the sun off Brahm as he slept. Look, and be afraid!’
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This quote comes from the first time Rikki-tikki-tavi meets Nag in Teddy’s garden. Nag does everything he can to make Rikki-tikki-tavi fear him because he believes he runs the garden. Before Rikki-tikki-tavi arrived, Nag was the most fearsome animal in the garden. However, because snakes and mongooses are natural enemies, he wants to make sure he keeps that status. Notably, Kipling gives Nag a hood (the part of a cobra near its head that flares out) with special markings from Brahm. Brahm (or Brahma) is the Hindu god of creation; thus, the markings on Nag’s hood directly link him to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas d
He was afraid for the minute, but it is impossible for a mongoose to stay frightened for any length of time, and though Rikki-tikki had never met a live cobra before, his mother had fed him on dead ones, and he knew that all a grown mongoose’s business in life was to fight and eat snakes. Nag knew that too and, at the bottom of his cold heart, he was afraid.
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This quote comes from the first time Rikki-tikki-tavi sees Nag, the cobra living in Teddy’s garden. It establishes Rikki-tikki-tavi and Nag as enemies due to their species’ different positions on the animal hierarchy. This passage establishes mongooses as predators at the top of the hierarchy and snakes as prey at the bottom. Thus, regardless of how Rikki-tikki-tavi and Nag present themselves to each other, they both know the laws of nature favor Rikki-tikki-tavi. This predator-prey dynamic reaffirms the importance of hierarchy the collection explores throughout its other stories. For instance, in the Mowgli stories, humans sit at the top of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae
But his wife was a sensible bird, and she knew that cobra’s eggs meant young cobras later on. So she flew off from the nest, and left Darzee to keep the babies warm, and continue his song about the death of Nag.
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This quote describes Rikki-tikki-tavi’s attempt to get Darzee and his wife to help him distract Nagaina while he destroys her eggs. If one reads the story as an allegory for the British Empire, this passage is particularly troubling. After all, Rikki-tikki-tavi and Darzee are willing to kill Nagaina’s young in the same of their cause. The implication is that the British Empire and their Indian allies should be willing to do the same if they find themselves in a similar situation, extinguishing Indian culture so that the British Empire and the western culture it promotes may thrive. After all, Rikki-tikki-tavi Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut a
Rikki-tikki had a right to be proud of himself; but he did not grow too proud, and he kept that garden as a mongoose should kept it, with tooth and jump and spring and bite, till never a cobra dared show its head inside the walls.
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These words come from the end of “Rikki-tikki-tavi,” after the story’s eponymous hero defeats Nag and Nagaina. Like other stories in The Jungle Book, especially the Mowgli stories, Kipling gives “Rikki-tikki-tavi” an ending that provides closure while leaving some room for ambiguity. Kipling suggests the cobras’ defeat is only temporary and that more cobras may soon arrive, putting the garden in danger once more. Read as an allegory for India under British rule, the ending of “Rikki-tikki-tavi” reminds the British Empire to be on guard against those who oppose British rule and wish to disrupt the status quo. In other Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi ne
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Rikki-tikki-tavi Character Timeline in The Jungle Book
The timeline below shows where the character Rikki-tikki-tavi appears in The Jungle Book. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
9. ‘Rikki-Tikki-Tavi’
It is summer in India when a flood arrives, disturbing a young mongoose named Rikki-tikki-tavi. The flood ruins Rikki-tikki-tavi’s burrow, so he has nowhere to live. It almost kills Rikki-tikki-tavi,...
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Teddy and his parents take care of Rikki-tikki-tavi and revive him to full health. When Rikki-tikki-tavi feels better, he climbs up on Teddy’s...
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At night, Teddy and Rikki-tikki-tavi sleep next to each other in the same bed. Teddy’s mother is not sure about...
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The following day, Rikki-tikki-tavi goes outside and explores his new family’s garden. The family lives in Segowlee, a part...
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Nag appears and tells Rikki-tikki-tavi that he is a special snake blessed by the god Brahm. Indeed, Nag’s hood has...
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Nag continues talking to Rikki-tikki-tavi as a way to distract him. Meanwhile, Nag’s wife, Nagaina, slithers up behind Rikki-tikki-tavi and...
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Not long after Rikki-tikki-tavi’s encounter with Nag and Nagaina, he is outside with Teddy and sees a venomous snake...
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That evening, Rikki-tikki-tavi wanders outside, where he finds Chuchundra, a muskrat. Chuchundra informs Rikki-tikki-tavi that he thinks Nag...
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That night Nag goes and hides in the bathroom and waits for the morning. However, Rikki-tikki-tavi does not give Nag time to let his plan unfold. Rikki-tikki-tavi watches until Nag falls...
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Although the fight with Nag was a close call, Rikki-tikki-tavi does not get hurt. Exhausted, he returns to Teddy’s room and goes to sleep. The...
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When Rikki-tikki-tavi finds Darzee, he is overjoyed because Nag is dead. Darzee’s happiness annoys Rikki-tikki-tavi because he...
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Darzee’s wife lures Nagaina away from her eggs. Meanwhile, Rikki-tikki-tavi sneaks into Nagaina’s nest and destroys the eggs one by one. Before he can finish...
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Rikki-tikki-tavi tries to get Nagaina to fight him, but she remains focused on the humans. Then,...
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Rikki-tikki-tavi and Nagaina fight over the egg. Eventually, Nagaina manages to steal it from Rikki-tikki-tavi. Then,...
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When Rikki-tikki-tavi wakes up, he celebrates his victory with the rest of the animals in the garden....
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10. Darzee’s Chant
Darzee sings a song in Rikki-tikki-tavi’s honor. The song describes Rikki-tikki-tavi as a ferocious hunter who rules the garden. As Darzee...
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