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Motifs
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
1. Mowgli’s Brothers
Explanation and Analysis—Mouth an Egg:
In the intimate moment shared between Father Wolf and Mowgli in the book’s first story, Kipling uses tactile imagery and appeals to the reader’s sense of pathos:
A wolf accustomed to moving his own cubs can, if necessary, mouth an egg without breaking it, and though Father Wolf’s jaws closed right on the child’s back not a tooth even scratched the skin, as he laid it down among the cubs. ‘How little! How naked, and – how bold!’ said Mother Wolf softly. [...] ‘I have heard now and again of such a thing, but never in our Pack or in my time,’ said Father Wolf. ‘He is altogether without hair, and I could kill him with a touch of my foot. But see, he looks up and is not afraid.’
Mowgli is a soft, naked baby, and being carried between the teeth of a wolf seems like a terrifying prospect. However, through the tactile imagery of his being able to "mouth an egg without breaking it," the narrator vividly conveys Father Wolf's gentle touch. It gives his contact with Mowgli a sense of gentleness and care, highlighting the restraint he is always able to employ. This imagery contrasts the wolf's potential for ferocity with his fatherly tenderness. It enables readers to feel that Father Wolf can be a fierce protector as well as a gentle parent. When the narrator describes how "not a tooth even scratched the skin," readers can almost feel the tender interaction between wolf and infant. It allows them to see and sense the extreme care being taken.
The reader’s sense of pathos is evoked through this sweet treatment, and also through Mother Wolf’s soft exclamations about Mowgli: "How little! How naked, and—how bold!" Moments like this allow the reader to feel affectionate toward the wolves, who come to seem kind and curious, not just primal and frightening. Moreover, Father Wolf’s acknowledgment of Mowgli’s hairless vulnerability—saying he could "kill him with a touch of [his] foot"—emphasizes the emotional weight of the appeal to pathos here. The wolves have to exercise great caution not to hurt Mowgli, but they’re excellent adoptive parents.
Related Themes:
