Skip to main content

In "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling, why do you think Rikki-Tikki felt better after he fluffed up his fur?

Rikki-tikki felt better because he was fed and dry, so he felt less vulnerable. 


The incident you are describing is from the beginning, when Rikki-tikki was washed away from home.  This would have been very hard on him, because he nearly drowned and he would have had no idea where he was going.  Fortunately, he ended up with some nice people who took him in and took care of him.


They gave him a...

Rikki-tikki felt better because he was fed and dry, so he felt less vulnerable. 


The incident you are describing is from the beginning, when Rikki-tikki was washed away from home.  This would have been very hard on him, because he nearly drowned and he would have had no idea where he was going.  Fortunately, he ended up with some nice people who took him in and took care of him.



They gave him a little piece of raw meat. Rikki-tikki liked it immensely, and when it was finished he went out into the verandah and sat in the sunshine and fluffed up his fur to make it dry to the roots. Then he felt better.



Rikki-tikki’s reaction to the whole thing shows that he does not get frightened easily.  We are told it is more in a mongoose’s nature to be curious.  He is happy that the people feed him and let him dry off. Once he is dry he feels better because he is less vulnerable.  


Even though at this point Rikki-tikki does not know about the snakes, he is a mongoose and is aware that snakes are always a danger.  When he was hungry and soaking wet from being half-drowned, he was weak.  Once he is fed and dry, he feels strong again.  That is why he feels better.  He immediately turns curious. 



"There are more things to find out about in this house,'' he said to himself, "than all my family could find out in all their lives. I shall certainly stay and find out.''



Rikki-tikki is not worried about danger at this point.  He just wonders what is going on at this house.  He is not interested in going home.  Every mongoose wants to be a house mongoose. He has his chance.  He just wants to look around and see his new domain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more