9-25-13            faithful elephants essay                                                T.L.C

One interesting theme in the short story "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchia is that war destroys beings you would not expect it to. "Faithful Elephants" is a story that depicts WWII at the Ueno zoo in Japan. In this unfortunately true tale there is a zookeeper forced to kill his three loving elephants Tonky, Wanly and John. This story shows and teaches us to be strong in these situations unlike the zookeeper.

One example that war steals away things you would not expect it to is the tragic execution of the dangerous animals at the Ueno zoo. This occurs because the animals, if freed by the constant bombings could instill even more havoc and chaos then there is already. “All the Lions, Tigers, Leopards, Bears, and big Snakes were poisoned to death”. Who would have foreseen, that all the animals be killed even though they have nothing to do with the war? War for those in America is often fought off in some distant land; consequently, we have no vision of war and could never imagine that war can kill so many innocent animals. We still need to realize though, that war does kill beings and not just those on the battlegrounds.

            Another example of the appalling unknown effects of war is the manner the zookeeper was affected. “The elephants trainer loved them as if they were his own children. He could only walk in front of the cage saying “ you poor, poor, poor pitiful elephants”. This war made him kill “his own children” and it made him become a killer, even though he was just an innocent zookeeper. Even though he did not want to kill the poor creatures, he had no choice because it was the imperial armies order. This depicts how war affects a man who works with animals that he loves, and involves him in this war making him a killer too.

            As Martin Luther King jr once said” change does not roll in on wheels of inevitability but it comes through the continuous struggle, and so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent”

This is what Yukio Tsuchia wants to teach us. That change can come only if you fight for what you believe in, as the zookeeper should have. She shows us how the weak zookeeper did not fight for the lives of his children but bent his back to the imperial army. Therefore, we must not bend our back to the forces of war but must try to prevent them.