The first time I read this book, I was bored with my fourth grade summer reading list. Within a week, I was spellbound. That book, along with “Fantastic Voyage” by Isaac Asimov, became a summer staple for years. I let it drop after a while, but coming out of college, I read it again. It was a lot simpler than I remembered it, but I still loved it, if only for the nostalgic aspects and the current connections to “Lost”.
Now, more than a decade later, with two young children to herd and an adult perspective, I founds myself re-reading the book with a more appreciative eye. Sure, there was a nostalgic factor involved (I also searched high and low for the movie!), but it was more than that. Suddenly the more adult aspects of the book were shining through.
There’s an underlying commentary about leadership, religion, and government that cannot be denied, and it speaks to our current times as well as it must have spoken to Britain in the early 1970s. Hazel, the young rabbit at the heart of the story, has no intentions of being a leader, but in trusting his brother Fiver and his visions, delivering his friends to a safe haven and a life of freedom and security, he becomes the right kind of leader: one willing to listen to others without letting things fall into anarchy.
This is contrasted nicely by the character of General Woundwort, essentially the leader of a “police state” warren, who values absolute security above all else. In the name of security, Woundwort creates a system demanding the execution of anyone questioning authority or trying to escape to freedom. There’s also a shade of sexual politics: in Woundwort’s warren, does are expected to mate with the favored “policemen” at their whim, despite the fact that the warren is overcrowded. The results, once understood, are horrific.
In terms of religion, there’s a complex mythology upheld by the characters, focusing on the adventures of the rabbit’s “Prince of a Thousand Enemies”. The interesting aspect here is the evolution of this mythology, which touches on the same ground as Tolkien. One begins to see how the stories blend with more current events, taking on new meaning.
On the face of it, this is a simple children’s tale, but there are layers available to mature readers. Personally, I look forward to a time when I can share this book with my children, like all of my childhood favorites!
Rating: 8/10
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