Skip to main content

What is revealed about Rikki-tikki's character based on his conversation with Chuchundra?

The conversation between Rikki-tikki and Chuchundra isn't long or deep, but I think it reveals two specific things about Rikki-tikki.


The first thing the conversation reveals about Rikki-tikki is that he is a picky predator. In reality, a mongoose hunts a variety of prey, but in Kipling's story, Rikki-tikki is only concerned about hunting snakes. I believe Rikki-tikki hunts snakes in the story because he sees them as a threat to himself and his friends. Chuchundra isn't a threat to Rikki-tikki, so Rikki-tikki thinks Chuchundra's fears are unwarranted.  



"Don't kill me," said Chuchundra, almost weeping. "Rikki-tikki, don't kill me!"


"Do you think a snake-killer kills muskrats?" said Rikki-tikki scornfully.



The second thing the conversation reveals about Rikki-tikki is that he is not afraid to use physical pain to extract information.



"I didn't—so you must tell me. Quick, Chuchundra, or I'll bite you!"



Rikki-tikki just finished admitting that he has no intention of killing Chuchundra; however, he isn't afraid of hurting Chuchundra to get the information that he needs. I believe this exchange shows that Rikki-tikki believes the end justifies the means.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more