The Jungle Book Rules and Order

Even if you haven't read The Jungle Book, you should be familiar with a few rules of the jungle. He's Tarzan, and we're Jane, for instance, and watch out for trees. These rules keep people safe when swinging through the branches and make sure traditional gender dynamics stay solid in the wild. In The Jungle Book we're introduced to an unwritten animal code (animals can't write) called the Law of the Jungle, or on the beach, the Law of the Beach. It seems to be a general moral code to maintain order in the wild.

Questions About Rules and Order

1. What exactly are the Laws of the Jungle? What purpose do they serve? Do they always succeed?
2. Are the Law of the Jungle and the Law of the Beach the same thing, just in different places? Why or why not?
3. Do the animals always abide by these laws? What happens if they don't?
4. Which animals don't have laws? How does this make their community different from the animals who do?

Chew on This

The Law of the Jungle personifies the animals more by showing us that they adhere to human-like laws.

Animals who don't abide by the Law of Jungle don't seem to last long in the jungle.