Book Report Part 2

Part 2-Symbolism

                I thought that Watership Down had some symbolism in it.  I immediately thought of Noah and the Ark.  Noah had a vision of death and he was forced to flee where he was living.  Fiver had a vision of something totally destroying the field that they lived in.  The either could stay and die, or leave and live.  Noah and Fiver both chose life.  They both had to endure the reactions from their peers.  Noah was laughed at for building a huge boat and Fiver for going and telling the Chief Rabbit about an event that seemed like it would never happen.

                They also had to survive during the time that they left home, until they found a new one.  Noah had to survive for 40 days and 40 nights on a boat, and Fiver and his group had to survive for about 4 months in fields without knowing where they were.  Noah had to trust God and the group had to trust Fiver and his visions.

                I also thought that the beginning was like the Titanic.  People thought that it was so strong that it could withstand anything.  That was Chief Rabbit thought when Fiver told him about his vision of everyone dying.  The people on the Titanic didn’t heed the warning on icebergs that night, and they paid for it.  The same happened with the warren.  Only a few survived, and only one made it too Watership Down to be reunited with the group.

                The author said that there wasn’t a deeper meaning to anything in my book.  In the very beginning there is an introduction by Richard Adams.  He tells the history of the story, and how his was his daughters favorite story.  He kept the main plot, but just added more detail to it.  He says in the very end, “I want to emphasize that Watership Down was never intended to be some sort of allegory or parable.  It is simply a story about rabbits made up and told in the car.”  The author wrote this story on request of his daughters; it was their favorite car ride story. 

                I think that there was a deeper meaning to the story.  I think that is that everyone has something to say and we should listen and heed them.  The symbolism of the Titanic and Noah and the Ark show support me.  If people had listened to Noah, then they would have lived.  If the pilots had heeded the iceberg warning sent out by other people, then the Titanic wouldn’t have sank.