Faithful Elephants

In “Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War” by Yukio Tsuchiya, a zookeeper at the Ueno Zoo in Japan tells a sad tale of three elephants that used to be at the zoo, but were ordered to be killed because of their potential danger. At the time, Japan was at war and it was possible that the zoo might be bombed. The elephants could escape and cause havoc. But the only way the zoo foundå to put down the elephants was to starve them to death. Throughout the story, there is a contrast between the violence and death in war and the peace and beauty of the elephants. Metaphors of terrible bombings and descriptions of the elephant’s serenity are what make the story so sad because it makes us feel attached to the elephants, causing us deep sorrow when they are starving.

The author describes the war using very symbolic language. “Bombs were dropped on Tokyo every day and night, like falling rain.” The comparison of bombs and rain gives an impression that the bombs are so abundant, and it will always be dark until they stop. Later in the story, the zookeepers are upset about their elephants and shout into the sky about stopping the war. But right after, “The angry roar of the enemy planes returned. Bombs began to drop on Tokyo once more.” Bombs begin to drop again as if to remind everybody that it will always be dark.

But there is also a gentle and beautiful side of the story. For example, the author describes the elephants’ eyes when they were dying in their cages as “clearer and more beautiful than ever.” So in addition to the big, dark theme of death, the elephants have a very sweet side to them. Later in the text, the zookeeper pats the elephants’ tombstone and cries softly. In this moment of sadness, the author included a very tranquil line. “He was still patting the tombstone tenderly as the cherry blossoms feel on the grave, like snowflakes.” The symbolism of snowflakes represents the amazing beauty that the elephants had and how they were so soft and gentle.

The contrast of the two themes, violence and peace, is what makes the story so depressing and sad for readers. When we see such peaceful and gentle creatures, surrounded by war, pain, and death, we develop empathy for the elephants. How could the zoo put the elephants through something like that? The elephants didn’t deserve to die the way they did. The sympathy we developed for the elephant is so great that when they die, waves of emotion pass over us and we feel miserable. Our ELA teacher, Ms. Rear, warned that at the end of the story, we might even cry.

In conclusion, “Faithful Elephants” was a depressing story because the author used contrasting themes of violence and peace. The peaceful elements made us connected to the elephants, so when they suffered, it caused a feeling of deep sadness. This idea matters because the sadness in the story is the main reason it’s so good. Strong feelings in books make us want to keep reading, and understanding the elements that create those feelings is important and can help us write stories of our own.