That’s an intriguing question. Kipling spent some time in India and presumably based the book on his experiences there (although the book was composed while he was living in Vermont!). Kipling himself said little about his influences in writing The Jungle Book and there are various ways we can interpret the book.
The book and the film both emphasize the Laws of the Jungle that make it impossible for a “man cub” to live there. We could,...
That’s an intriguing question. Kipling spent some time in India and presumably based the book on his experiences there (although the book was composed while he was living in Vermont!). Kipling himself said little about his influences in writing The Jungle Book and there are various ways we can interpret the book.
The book and the film both emphasize the Laws of the Jungle that make it impossible for a “man cub” to live there. We could, perhaps, regard this emphasis on the laws and the divisions between species of animals as a representation of the strict social norms and the rules of caste that Kipling observed.
Another possibility is that The Jungle Book is a representation of India under colonial rule, with the world of men representing the colonizers and the world of the jungle representing the colonized people.
We can also quite simply see The Jungle Book as a story about childhood and adolescence.
The book is not clearly "about" any one thing, but can be interpreted in various ways. I have laid out three such possibilities (including the one you propose) and I will leave you to mull over which of these you find most viable!
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