27 pages 54 minutes read

Rudyard Kipling

Rikki Tikki Tavi

Fiction | Short Story | Middle Grade | Published in 1894

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Important Quotes

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Content Warning: This section references colonialism and ethnic stereotypes.

“At the hole where he went in

Red-Eye called to Wrinkle-Skin.

Hear what little Red-Eye saith:

‘Nag, come up and dance with death!’”


(Page 1)

The invocational poem begins with two epithets, calling Rikki-tikki-tavi “Red-Eye” and Nag “Wrinkle-Skin” as they prepare to battle. This use of epithets recalls the tradition of epic poetry, framing Rikki-tikki-tavi as a great hero despite his small size and establishing the theme of Courage as Action. The poem also previews the story’s plot, raising anticipation of the battles to come.

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“This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought singlehanded through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment.”


(Page 1)

After quickly establishing the story’s setting, the narrator suggests that its primary conflict will be a battle between Rikki-tikki-tavi and the snakes. There is an ironic and lightly comical gap between the narrator’s characterization of the story’s events as a “great war” and the mundane, domestic nature of the setting, but the story does not frame this as detracting from Rikki-tikki-tavi’s heroism.

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“I suppose he’s so tame because we’ve been kind to him.”


(Page 2)

Teddy’s mother’s decision to take in Rikki-tikki-tavi as a “house-mongoose” is the story’s inciting incident. The family’s kindness to him leads to their protection, as Rikki-tikki-tavi seeks retribution against the snakes that plan to do the family harm. Nevertheless, Teddy’s mother’s assessment of Rikki-tikki-tavi’s motivations isn’t quite right; Rikki-tikki-tavi has his own reasons for allowing the family to adopt him.