Just So Stories

“But as soon as the Mariner, who was a man of infinite-resource-and-sagacity, found himself truly inside the Whale’s warm, dark, inside cupboards, he stumped and he jumped and he thumped and he bumped, and he pranced and he danced, and he banged and he clanged, and he hit and he bit, and he leaped and he creeped, and he prowled and he howled, and he hopped and he dropped, and he cried and he sighed, and he crawled and he bawled, and he stepped and he lepped, and he danced hornpipes where he shouldn’t, and the Whale felt most unhappy indeed. (Have you forgotten the suspenders?)”

After the Whale has swallowed the Mariner, the man uses his intelligence and resourcefulness to cause such a ruckus in the Whale’s stomach that the creature is desperate to spit him out again. This passage is an illustrative example of Kipling’s use of rhyming, and it also illustrates the triumph of man’s intelligence over the brute size and strength of nature, reflecting The Relationship Between Man and Animals.

“In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself. So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said ‘Humph!’ Just ‘Humph!’ and no more.”

Many of the Just So Stories take place at the beginning of time and seek to explain the development of society as well as the natural world. “How the Camel Got His Hump” describes the domestication of animals like the Dog, the Ox, and the Horse, but the Camel refuses to participate out of laziness, which will later turn him into a lesson in the importance of Living with Morality and Integrity once he is punished. This passage illustrates some of the silly words and turns of phrase that Kipling uses. For example, referring to the Camel as a “Howler” is largely unexplained and irrelevant to the story, yet it is a humorous detail all the same.

“‘Djinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’

‘Certainly not,’ said the Djinn.”

Many of the Just So Stories are concerned with issues of Living with Morality and Integrity, and characters are punished for behaving in ways that are selfish and unconstructive. There is a lot of work to be done at the start of the world, and the Camel’s laziness makes life harder for the other animals. The story suggests that it is fundamentally wrong to be idle when there is work to be done.

“All the same, he had no manners then, and he has no manners now, and he never will have any manners.”

“How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin” is another story about the consequences of rude, self-centered behavior. The Rhinoceros is punished with itchy cake crumbs in his skin after eating the Parsee man’s cake. However, this passage illustrates that the lesson was perhaps lost on the Rhinoceros. Like the Camel, he is still a grumpy creature with bad manners.

“[W]hen the Giraffe or the Zebra or the Eland or the Koodoo or the Bush-Buck or the Bonte-Buck came by [the Leopard] would surprise them out of their jumpsome lives. He would indeed!

And, also, there was an Ethiopian with bows and arrows (a ‘sclusively greyish-brownish-yellowish man he was then), who lived on the High Veldt with the Leopard; and the two used to hunt together—the Ethiopian with his bows and arrows, and the Leopard ‘sclusively with his teeth and claws—till the Giraffe and the Eland and the Koodoo and the Quagga and all the rest of them didn’t know which way to jump, Best Beloved. They didn’t indeed!”

This passage describes the Leopard and the Ethiopian man hunting together in the grasslands of the High Veldt. Unlike many of the other stories of The Relationship Between Man and Animals that appear in Just So Stories, the Leopard and the Ethiopian man are a team: The Ethiopian man is smarter than the Leopard, but there is no sense of dominance, perhaps indicating Kipling’s view of people of color as inferior (See: Background). This passage also illustrates how Kipling disguises certain violent aspects of the natural world behind a more whimsical facade. Instead of violently attacking their prey, the Leopard and the Ethiopian “surprise them out of their jumpsome lives.” This still carries the idea of killing, as if the predators are surprising their prey to death, but the play on words makes the story more fun and child-friendly.

“Then the Ethiopian put his five fingers close together (there was plenty of black left on his new skin still) and pressed them all over the Leopard, and wherever the five fingers touched they left five little black marks, all close together. You can see them on any Leopard’s skin you like, Best Beloved.”

This is an example of human participation in the creation of the natural world, a recurring theme throughout Just So Stories. The Ethiopian man paints the Leopard’s spots on, leaving a physical mark that permanently changes the world.

“Then the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake came down from the bank, and knotted himself in a double-clove-hitch round the Elephant’s Child’s hind legs, and said, ‘Rash and inexperienced traveller, we will now seriously devote ourselves to a little high tension, because if we do not, it is my impression that yonder self-propelling man-of-war with the armour-plated upper deck’ (and by this, O Best Beloved, he meant the Crocodile) ‘will permanently vitiate your future career.’”

Here, the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake helps to save the Elephant’s Child from being eaten by the Crocodile. The way the Snake talks is difficult for children to decipher, with his big words and complex turns of phrase, so the narrator steps in to clarify the meaning for Best Beloved. However, like the story of the Leopard and the Ethiopian man, the real danger that the Elephant’s Child is in is glossed over.

“When he wanted fruit to eat he pulled fruit down from a tree, instead of waiting for it to fall as he used to do. When he wanted grass he plucked grass up from the ground, instead of going on his knees as he used to do. When the flies bit him he broke off the branch of a tree and used it as a fly-whisk; and he made himself a new, cool, slushy-squshy mud-cap whenever the sun was hot. When he felt lonely walking through Africa he sang to himself down his trunk, and the noise was louder than several brass bands.”

At first, the Elephant’s Child’s new trunk seems to be a punishment for his incessant curiosity and refusal to obey his elders. However, the trunk soon turns out to be quite useful. He can use it to do many things he couldn’t before, suggesting that curiosity and a desire to discover new things is a virtue, not a vice. The trunk is also an example of The Lasting Consequences of Actions.

“Not always was the Kangaroo as now we do behold him, but a Different Animal with four short legs. He was grey and he was woolly, and his pride was inordinate: he danced on an outcrop in the middle of Australia, and he went to the Little God Nqa.”

Most of the tales in Just So Stories point out that things were not always how they are now. This passage describes the proud Kangaroo before he had large back legs. His pride and desire to become different changes him into the Kangaroo we know today, invoking The Lasting Consequences of Actions.

“Then said Nqong, ‘Perhaps I’m mistaken, but didn’t you ask me to make you different from all other animals, as well as to make you very truly sought after? And now it is five o’clock.’”

In the story of Old Man Kangaroo, Nqong essentially plays a trick on the Kangaroo. He takes the Kangaroo’s request to be “sought after” literally, sending the Dingo to chase him until his back legs grow strong and he begins to hop. The Kangaroo gets what he asked for, just not in the way he imagined, illustrating the dangers of pride and the importance of being careful about what you ask for.

“‘‘Are you sure of what your Mummy told you?’ said Slow-and-Solid Tortoise. ‘Are you quite sure? Perhaps she said that when you water a Hedgehog you must drop him into your paw, and when you meet a Tortoise you must shell him till he uncoils.’

‘I don’t think it was at all like that,’ said Painted Jaguar, but he felt a little puzzled; ‘but, please, say it again more distinctly.’”

“The Beginning of the Armadillos” is another story about the triumph of wit over strength. Although the Painted Jaguar is a strong predator, he isn’t very bright and struggles to remember how best to eat the Hedgehog and the Tortoise. The seemingly weaker animals are able to survive by outsmarting the Painted Jaguar.

“‘Stickly-Prickly,’ said Tortoise after breakfast, ‘I am not what I was yesterday; but I think that I may yet amuse Painted Jaguar.’

‘That was the very thing I was thinking just now,’ said Stickly-Prickly. ‘I think scales are a tremendous improvement on prickles—to say nothing of being able to swim. Oh, won’t Painted Jaguar be surprised! Let’s go and find him.’”

The Tortoise and the Hedgehog are able to best the Painted Jaguar through their cleverness, but also through their ability to work together. They share resources and teach one another new skills, proving that animals and humans are often stronger and better when they help one another.

“And she was Tegumai Bopsulai’s Best Beloved and her own Mummy’s Best Beloved, and she was not spanked half as much as was good for her; and they were all three very happy.”

This passage describes the young Taffy and her happy family. Comparing Taffy to “Best Beloved” suggests the enduring nature of familial love. Although the story takes place many years ago, Taffy’s family mirrors the narrator’s. Their children are the center of their worlds and even though they might be mischievous and sometimes deserve punishment, these qualities are also endearing, and the families are happy.

“As soon as Teshumai saw the picture she screamed like anything and flew at the Stranger-man. The other Neolithic ladies at once knocked him down and sat on him in a long line of six, while Teshumai pulled his hair.’“It’s as plain as the nose on this Stranger-man’s face,’ she said. ‘He has stuck my Tegumai all full of spears, and frightened poor Taffy so that her hair stands all on end; and not content with that, he brings me a horrid picture of how it was done. Look!’”

Here, Taffy’s mother misinterprets her daughter’s drawing, which was meant to show the Stranger-man how to get to their cave and find her father’s spear. Teshumai’s extreme reaction and certainty that the picture shows the demise of her daughter and husband show just how easy it is to confuse others through miscommunication. Taffy’s picture is a prime example of why language is superior to merely drawing pictures.

“Then the Head Chief of the Tribe of Tegumai cried and said and sang, ‘O Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked, you’ve hit upon a great invention!’”

Taffy’s story illustrates how even little girls can have a big impact on the world, reflecting The Lasting Consequences of Actions. The tribe’s chief celebrates her achievement, insisting that her idea to convey meaning through pictures will one day be an important form of communication.

“Taffy, dear, I’ve a notion that your Daddy’s daughter has hit upon the finest thing that there ever was since the Tribe of Tegumai took to using shark’s teeth instead of flints for their spear-heads. I believe we’ve found out the big secret of the world.”

In “How the Alphabet Was Made,” Taffy takes her invention a step further, creating pictures to represent sounds that will become the alphabet. While Taffy is just a little girl playing and following her curiosity, her father is the one who sees the potential in her idea. The story suggests that things created in innocence and childish creativity are just as valuable as those ideas that come from the minds of important grown-up people.

“‘But I needn’t be near the water at all. I might be miles away, hunting, and still—’ ‘And still it would be just the same as if you stood there and said, ‘G’way, Taffy, or you’ll get fever.’ All that in a carp-fish-tail and a round egg! O Daddy, we must tell Mummy, quick!’ and Taffy danced all round him.”

This passage describes Taffy and her father’s dawning realization of the many uses their new letters have. It also offers a glimpse of the world without written language. To Taffy and her father, the idea of being able to communicate without physically sharing space is nothing short of magical, illustrating just how useful writing is and how much some people may take it for granted.

“‘Um,’ said Taffy. ‘These picture-sounds are rather a bother! Daddy’s just as good as come here himself and told me to get more water for Mummy to cook with.’”

When Taffy wakes to find that her father has left her a message with their new letters, she quickly discovers that her invention has a downside: Her father can give her chores when he isn’t even there. Her childish frustration illustrates how things that are novel and magical can quickly become mundane.

“But towards evening, when people and things grow restless and tired, there came up the Man (With his own little girl-daughter?)—Yes, with his own best beloved little girl-daughter sitting upon his shoulder, and he said, ‘What is this play, Eldest Magician?’ And the Eldest Magician said, ‘Ho, Son of Adam, this is the play of the Very Beginning; but you are too wise for this play.’ and the Man saluted and said, ‘Yes, I am too wise for this play; but see that you make all the Animals obedient to me.’”

Throughout the text, humans often hold a place of dominance over the natural world, illustrating The Relationship Between Man and Animals. Here, the Magician affirms the Man’s superiority as he is giving each creature its part to play at the start of the world, suggesting that he belongs there inherently, not by volition of his own pride or self-importance. This passage is also significant because it is the only time that Best Beloved’s voice interjects, asking about the Man’s daughter. It reminds the reader that there is a little girl there listening to the narrator all along.

“He went North, Best Beloved, and he found All-the-Elephant-there-was digging with his tusks and stamping with his feet in the nice new clean earth that had been made ready for him.

‘Kun?’ said All-the-Elephant-there-was, meaning, ‘Is this right?’

‘Payah kun,’ said the Eldest Magician, meaning, ‘That is quite right’; and he breathed upon the great rocks and lumps of earth that All-the-Elephant-there-was had thrown up, and they became the great Himalayan Mountains, and you can look them out on the map.”

As the Eldest Magician travels the world to check on each of the animals, each asks the same question and he answers in the same way, telling them they are playing their part well. This is an example of how obedience and cooperation are important virtues, stressing Living with Morality and Integrity: Each animal does its part and contributes to the creation of the world.

“Of course the Man was wild too. He was dreadfully wild. He didn’t even begin to be tame till he met the Woman, and she told him that she did not like living in his wild ways. She picked out a nice dry Cave, instead of a heap of wet leaves, to lie down in; and she lit a nice fire of wood at the back of the Cave; and she hung a dried wild-horse skin, tail-down, across the opening of the Cave; and she said, ‘Wipe your feet, dear, when you come in, and now we’ll keep house.’”

According to “The Cat That Walked by Himself,” the only inherently civilized creature in the world was the Woman. She was responsible for taming first the Man, then the wild animals that came to her cave. In this story, the cave becomes the first indication of civilization by physically separating man from the natural world, turning the cave into an important symbol in the text. Choosing to live in the cave is the first step toward a more structured and orderly society.

“‘O my Enemy and Wife of my Enemy and Mother of my Enemy,’ said the Cat, ‘it is I; for you have spoken three words in my praise, and now I can drink the warm white milk three times a day for always and always and always. But still I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me.’”

“The Cat That Walked by Himself” is the only story in which an animal manages to outsmart a human. The other animals that enter the cave and agree to work for the Man and the Woman give up their independence in exchange for the creature comforts of domestication. However, the Cat tricks the woman into praising him, allowing him to enjoy the cave’s warmth and security without sacrificing the independence that is the cornerstone of his identity.

“Of course if he had chosen to turn his ring on his finger and call up the Djinns and the Afrits they would have magicked all those nine hundred and ninety-nine quarrelsome wives into white mules of the desert or greyhounds or pomegranate seeds; but Suleiman-bin-Daoud thought that that would be showing off. So, when they quarrelled too much, he only walked by himself in one part of the beautiful Palace gardens and wished he had never been born.”

This passage describes how Suleiman-bin-Daoud is so invested in his commitment to humility that it becomes a kind of pride in and of itself. He refuses to act, even though his wives’ fighting is making life miserable for himself and everyone in the palace, just to preserve his self-image of being a modest and humble man.