Previous
Dramatic Irony
Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Hazel and Woundwort:
Hazel and General Woundwort are foils, especially because of their leadership styles. Where Hazel is an egalitarian leader concerned with the equal treatment and dignity of everyone under his care, Woundwort is manipulative and authoritarian, seeking only to use the rabbits underneath him for his own gain and sense of power.
In general, Watership Down could be described as a commentary on various modes of human governance, projected onto the behaviors and culture of rabbit society. Hazel is an organic leader, one appointed democratically and fairly. Hazel becomes a leader not because he wants to seize power and exert it over others but because he is willing to shoulder the responsibility and burden of caring for his community in a time of need. He takes initiative and holds space for the needs of others, often prioritizing their safety over his own.
Compare Hazel's leadership ethic to General Woundwort's. The latter rabbit is autocratic, seeking only his own power and pleasure—over that of his community. Unlike Hazel, Woundwort does not see himself as duty and honor-bound to protect those under his care. Rather, Woundwort has an extractive relationship with the rabbits he leads, seeking dominion over them and putting his needs ahead of theirs.
Related Themes:
