Watership Down Characters — Hazel
Posted: June 6, 2016 Filed under: Speculative Fiction | Tags: character development of Hazel in Watership Down, Hazel in Watership Down, Hazel-rah, Significance of Hazel in Watership Down, transformation of Hazel in Watership Down, Watership Down, Watership Down character Hazel Leave a commentRichard Adams’ Watership Down is perhaps my favorite work of fiction, and is among my favorite authors. I find the book profound in its message of courage and transformation, and even salvation. It is far more than a novel about human politics. All quotes come from the Perennial Classics print of the book (2001).
The outstanding theme of Richard Adams’ Watership Down is transformation — the salvation brought about by transformation from a lesser to a greater person, or rabbit in the case of the novel’s heroes, especially the protagonist Hazel. Transformation can only come through one’s movements through challenge, struggle, hardship, and even suffering. Movement of the person (rabbit) through such situations may not lead to a transformation into a better or greater person, but may lead to the formation of a bitter, violent soul. Thus, as one moves through trials one needs a model — a guide — to imitate. “We become who we imitate.” Hazel had as his model the cunicular exemplar: Lord El-ahrairah. It is this archetypical rabbit’s character and acts that transformed Hazel from a scared, simple “bunny” to the king (Chief Rabbit) of the glorious warren named Watership Down. Read the rest of this entry »
Watership Down Characters – Frith
Posted: May 18, 2016 Filed under: Speculative Fiction | Tags: Characters of Watership Down, Frith of Watership Down, Watership Down Leave a commentFRITH
Richard Adams’ Watership Down is perhaps my favorite work of fiction, and is among my favorite authors. I find the book profound in its message of courage and transformation, and even salvation. It is far more than a novel about human politics. All quotes come from the Perennial Classics print of the book (2001).
I begin my discussion of the characters of Watership Down with Frith because Frith is Creator. Frith is both rabbit-like and sun-like. This dual character is seen in the creation narrative in the sixth chapter. It is relayed by Dandelion to the other rabbits the night they fled from the Sandleford warren.
Long ago, Frith made the world. He made all the stars, too, and the world is one of the stars. He made them by scattering his droppings of the sky and this is why the grass and the trees grow so thick on the world. Frith makes the rivers flow. They follow him as he goes through the sky, and when he leaves the sky they look for him all night. Frith made all the animals and birds, but when he first made them they were all the same…Because the world was new and Frith shone down bright and warm all day (p 27).
Father Irenaeus Williams 