Annika Wahlsten

807

10-2-14

Reading Response to “Faithful Elephants”

“Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya depicts amid a war torn country, a zoo in crisis. For the safety of the citizens the government forced the zoo keepers to put their animals to sleep, because if the bombs hit the cages of the animals then they could run free and hurt people. It it especially hard to humanely kill three beloved elephants but eventually the zoo keepers must. The story tells a grim tale about war through three tragic animals. Tsuchiya also uses setting to express mood.

This story isnt really about elephants but about the sacrifices people make for war. For example in the story at the end when the beloved elephants are all killed  the zoo keepers cry “Stop the war, stop all wars!” This shows the authors purpose to the story to express the true meaning of the death of the animals to show hardships of war.

The setting in “Faithful Elephants” plays a big role in expressing the mood. The setting shows destruction and  peaceful resolution. For example years after the catastrophe at the zoo it’s all rebuilt and restored with animals, the author describes vivid scenes of of sunshine and beautiful cherry blossoms. Then during the climax of the story the author describes the bombs as rain falling this comparison shows the bombs as hard and unstoppable like rain and like the war.

“Faithful Elephants” is more than a depressing story about elephants. The author shows deeper issues through this story. Showing as authors we can express tough problems through simple stories like “Faithful Elephants.”