Reading Notes: Jataka Tales, Part B

The Elephant Girly-face, by E. C. Babbitt

  • Sets apart a preface for the story that showed how the story could possibly change as it progresses. Here, the elephant, Girl-face, was depicted as kind and harmless, which sets the effect that foreshadows how the development of such as statement would change
    • The elephant here depicts human traits, much of that of a small child where will act accordingly to whatever is being taught to them.
    • Shows that humans can be a product of their environment and upbringing, shadowing what they observe.
    • Traditional beginning start with "once upon a time, ..."
  • Here, there is no deceit found in terms of the relationship between the animals and the humans, however, there is a system of dialogue between the deers themselves that would drive the story
    • The general theme of the story shows the main difference between a good and bad leader, with subtle differences in between
    • The bad leader would tell the mother deer to be on the chopping block as it was her turn, whereas the good leader, the Banyan Deer, was a good leader where he would sacrifice his life for the sake of his subjects.
    • This morality choice was one that was in the deer's favor and the king vowed to never hunt the deer again.
  • One of the main consistencies I've seen was how the human (and sometimes animal) characters in these Jatakas always involve royalty as a stature of importance
  • There were clear symbolism in the story, such as the color white of the young elephant -- which can be translate to purity, light, and perfection
    • The white elephant was the son of an elephant who was at peace with the humans, providing assistance to their daily tasks

(The Limping Elephant. Source: Gateway Classics)

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