Tikki Tavi Theme Essay

The Obvious Theme of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”
The theme of a piece of literature is the main idea, lesson, or moral you learn after reading it. It reveals a generalization about people or life. It can be stated directly, but most of the time it is stated indirectly and the reader has to figure it out. In the story, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, the theme of the story is obviously you must face your fears to become a hero. You would be crazy not to think that! Rikki-tikki has to overcome his fears multiple times throughout the story to become a hero. Rudyard Kipling does an excellent job at presenting this theme. Although I strongly believe that the theme is you must face your fears to become a hero, I could also see where some people might interpret the theme as good versus evil. Rikki-tikki has to face his fears when he kills Nag in the rising action of this story. The story says, “Rikki-tikki was very frightened as he saw the size of the big cobra.” This quote from the story shows that even though Rikki-tikki may act tough

This part of the story moves towards the resolution and shows that the protagonist, Rikki-tikki, really has to be brave, courageous, and face his fears by saying, “and very few mongoose, however wise and old they may be, care to follow a cobra into its hole. It was dark in the hole; and Rikki-tikki never knew when it might open out and give Nagaina room to turn and strike at him.” Rikki-tikki is as brave as a lion. On the other hand, Nagaina is not very brave or courageous because she sends other people to do her work for her. She says to Nag, “Go in quietly, and remember that the big man who killed Karait is the first one to bite. Then come out and tell me, and we will hunt for Rikki-tikki together.” She does not attempt to face any of her fears like Rikki-tikki. She makes other people do things that she is too terrified to do, which is part of the reason why she never