Oh man, I hadn't noticed Hazel interrupting a "where" question. That's spooky as all getout.
Interesting that with such small details laid out like that, there's still the mention of camels and rabbits carrying their food when that's abnormal. Not sure if those are oversights or intentional because of the myth format or what. Maybe long ago, a camel found its way into England, intended for an 18th century menagerie, and rabbits of the time came into contact with it.
I'd really like to talk about chapter 17. The really iconic chapter. Seems like the image of Bigwig being trapped in a snare is one of the images ingrained in the minds of even people who haven't read the book or seen the movie. I can absolutely see why, given how visceral the entire scene is. We'll get to that.
Hazel's dream hasn't seen adaptation yet, and I'd be interested to see it in the upcoming mini-series. Interesting that he seems to be having premonitions in his sleep, given some of the word choices in the dream, "... red droppings, hard as wire. "It's no good," he [Bigwig] said. "No good biting them." Direct reflections of things to come in the very near future.
I'm pretty sure the constant talk of Fiver leaving the burrow cold after Hazel and Bigwig wake up is some kind of subtext too. Fiver is important and needed. He makes the trio whole and warm.
Really interesting that the rabbits are aware that an owl's call is intentionally deceptive. It's hard to track an owl by sound specifically for that reason. Rabbits seem to have selective intelligence in that way.
Oof. Fiver telling Hazel that he's leaving alone is heartbreaking. Fiver isn't agitated anymore, all he seems is sad. A-and then Bigwig has to go and Bigwig and yell at Fiver. It's not much wonder that he gets instant karma the second he tries to leave. A sign from Frith.
Good God, the scene of Bigwig in the wire is some masterful detailed writing. It's so visceral and real, and you can feel the pain and suffering that this poor creature is going through. It's not just blood in his mouth, it's foam and spew. It's almost like Bigwig can't help but fight at first, which, as we all know, will only cause the snare to grip down harder.
Hazel can comprehend that an owl's call is deceptive, but he seems unable to see the relationship between wire and peg. A person would easily follow the wire's path and see that it's being held by the wooden peg, but to these rabbits, one seems to exist independent of the other. The wire is taut. There doesn't seem to even be the capability to question why it's taut. Instead, Hazel simply has to get lucky in finding the peg. Even Blackberry, the cleverest of the rabbits, has to consider the problem carefully before he figures out the connection.
I love that what stirs Bigwig is the talk of Cowslip striking at Fiver, as though he's learned very well that Fiver is important and should be protected at all costs from rabbits like Cowslip. This entire scene is a huge learning moment for the entire group. They all now know one simple fact of life: Fiver knows what he's talking about.
The term "witch hare" (or, that's what I think it is. I'm reading via audiobook so can anyone reading the actual book can confirm?) is used to describe Fiver when he emerges towards the group. Is that a general term in England? I looked it up and couldn't find much. Are witches a thing among rabbits? Is it referring to a hare in breeding season? I don't know, it just stood out to me.
I looooove Fiver's story. One of my favorite moments in the book that I'd love to see adapted. It seems that now that Fiver knows exactly what's going on, his mind is clear and he can see exactly what this warren's deal is. The precise details of how this warren came about and how it functions. The specificity that the farmer is careful about how many he takes at once, and that the rabbits are spoiled for time and food and perform their rituals and art to make time pass. The idea that their singers and poets and artists might be clever as Blackberry in other places are made strange by the wires. Choked, if you will. The rabbits are well-aware that the farmer only takes a few at a time, and they use that to their advantage in taking in the soon-to-be-Watershippers. Fascinating stuff.
Poor Strawberry. He was born into a cult and doesn't know much beyond it. He's lucky that the group came along when they did, otherwise he'd just have to continue as always after Nildro-hain and, by extension, their kits die by the wires. Hazel is truly an even-pawed leader.
Such a good chapter. You know one detail in the 1999 series that I really like that isn't present in the book? The shot of the farmer coming in and replacing the wooden pegs with metal ones. I like it better than the brief shot of the magpie looking at the wire in the book. Showing that even if Cowslip's warren were to help their own out of snares by digging up pegs, the cycle would only continue and become more foolproof. I wonder if any previous chief did try to combat the wires, but simply couldn't manage to outsmart the man. Simple and effective, but not something you'd see in the book because it's entirely from Hazel's perspective.
That got longer than anticipated, good lord.
Topic: Chapters 15-17 Discussion (August 21-August 26) (Read 1272 times)