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The portrayal of the child figure is represented in the three novels Black Beauty, The Jungle Books, and White Fang. The use of this motif allows the audience to view the transformation of “children” into mature beings. In these novels, we watch Black Beauty, Mowglii, and White Fang grow from unshaped, unknowing beings primarily through the guidance of character who are not even their real parents but serve as mother figures. These characters (Beauty, Mowglii, and White Fang) learn the “rules” of their environment from many different characters and sources throughout the novel. These experiences (both positive and negative) in which they utilize what they know and grow from their mistakes (or misfortunes) are what helps in the rearing and guidance of the child figures on their path of learning. In all three novels, the reader is introduced to the child figures (Black Beauty, Mowglii, and White Fang) really at the beginning of their life. The only possible exception here is that you don’t know initially where Mowglii came from but this introduction is at the beginning of his life in the jungle. This portrayal of the child allows that reader to see them as the naïve clean slates they are, waiting for guidance and education. In Black Beauty, Beauty is portrayed from birth as a valuable addition to the farm and is named for his striking appearance. This ideal impression of the child figure conveys to the reader that although things are good now for this little colt, he will inevitably face hardships during his transformation that will shape him into a truly valuable being. In The Jungle Books, Mowglii is initially portrayed as a happy-go-lucky man cub who isn’t intimidated the least by his new surroundings. This confidence and fearlessness sets the scene for the leader that Mowglii will become at the end of his transformation into adulthood. After being accepted into the wolf pack, he is nicknamed “frog”. This title is representative of the changes he will undergo throughout his adventures.
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