Walk on the Wild Side: A Cultural Study of Rudyard Kipling\u27s The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book has long been an iconic children’s tale, the antics of the wild boy Mowgli engaging and entertaining people around the world since Kipling first published his story in 1894. More than just the King of the Jungle, Mowgli is an astounding example of Post-Colonial writing that exemplifies inner-personal cultural distress by way of Dual Hybridity, Othering, and Mimicry (prominent Post-Colonial literary theories). The methods employed to establish this argument involve the scrutiny of the original work, The Jungle Book, and major theoretical research and comprehension. Focusing on the influence of the Post-Colonial setting and the prominence of Mowgli between the two cultures of the Jungle and Humanity, the theories of Dual Hybridity (the concept of being influenced to two opposing cultures with distinct, physical separation), Othering (the act of persecuting individuals or cultures associated with the “exotic” or “mystical”), and Mimicry (the effort of seeking cultural acceptance by way of adopting commonly accepted actions). With the oversight of a mentor, the ideas fostered by research were compiled, condensed, and finally written to create a published essay. The most significant finding of this research project was the strong impact when dual cultures are responsible in shaping a singular identity, like that of Mowgli and of many Indians during the British colonization of India. The displays of Dual Hybridity, Othering, and Mimicry involve both an internal and external cause-and-effect within a culture, its structure, and the individual’s perception of the culture. Interpreting these results, broader conclusions may be made about the influence of social and cultural norms upon those experiencing colonization and the sense of loss in identity that is apparent in many of Kipling’s literary characters, including Mowgli. More specifically, that the theories of Dual Hybridity, Othering, and Mimicry are foundational signs of internal and external power struggles that directly contribute to the identity structure and social acceptance of an individual with only partial inheritance of a culture, such as Mowgli was to the human species