In the short story “Rikki-tikki-tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, a brave, cunning mongoose fights a wicked and intelligent cobra mother. These two portray the theme of protecting your family at all cost.
First of all, Rikki-tikki-tavi portrays many human qualities such as bravery and intelligence. For example,” ‘Well,’ said Rikki, ‘marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?” (Kipling 8). Rikki is well knowingly standing up to a king cobra while never having experienced fighting snakes. This proves how Rikki shows bravery by basically declaring a fight with Nag even though he was fed snakes and never hunted. In addition,” Rikki Tikki puts his paws one on each side of the eff. ‘What price for a snake’s egg? For a young cobra? For the last - the very last of the brood? The ants are eating all the others down by the mellon bed’ …..Tricked! Tricked!” (Kipling 27). This quote shows the intelligence of Rikki by the devious plan. Rikki ends up tricking Nagaina with an intelligent plan. Rikki Tikki shows many human traits like valiance and intellect.
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For example, “ ‘When the house is emptied of people,’ said Nagaina to her husband, ‘he will have to go away,and then the garden will be our own again.” (Kipling 16). This shows how Nagaina uses a plot to get rid of Rikki-tikki-tavi that would require a vast amount of human intelligence in order to form. Nagaina uses an intelligent and wicked plan to get rid of a threat to her and her family. In addition, “She had crept up behind him while he was talking, to make an end of him, and he heard her savage hiss as the stroke missed.” (Kipling 9). Nagaina did a pretty wicked thing by taking advantage of the conversation at hand. This proves on how Nagaina’s wicked personality to get rid of