Of Rabbits And Men Essay, Research Paper

The decisions that men make are not easy ones, but instead are the result of the situation and of necessity. Literary figures through the ages have been confronted with situations that require precise decisions to be made, and regardless of their choice, the characters have to live with the consequences of their actions. Hazel of Watership Down is no exception to this applied rule. Hazel s decision is one made in part by the necessity to survive and without any chance to contemplate the consequences, he just has to go with his instinct.

Hazel, a rabbit, is faced with much more than just the everyday decisions of whether or not to eat grass, as opposed to dandelions. He is instead thrust into a position that requires a life altering decision. His home is being ransacked and he has but only a split moment to react, and he does so in a rational fashion. He realizes that the enemy of his enemy is his friend, and so he decides to release the hounds of war. His decision to release the dog from Nuthanger Farm is the only logical choice he has to rely on. It is the rabbits last and only hope, there s nothing else that ll save the warren now (439; ch. 45). Hazel s particular decision that he makes in the face of adversity proves his ability as a leader, which gives the other characters more of a reason to follow him. Since only an able bodied leader could possibly have devised a plan as such. Though Hazel is not one of the more quick-witted characters, his intuition allows him to do what he feels is right and in this case, it was the sound choice.

At the moment of Hazel s decision to release the Nuthanger Farm dog, the consequences are far from known. Various thoughts must be going through Hazel s mind at this point, one being that the very idea of releasing a dog is life threatening, but it is

unavoidable. This minor detail is easily outweighed by the needs of the entire warren rather then the chance of Hazel s own death. Any good leader must put the concerns of his people ahead of his own. Hazel s driving force for his decision is the survival of his warren and the dog was the instrument that could save the warren from its enemies. As the plan is tried, it is soon realized that it is a success. The immediate success of the plan is very clear to the rabbits of Watership Down; their enemies had been vanquished. The prime concern of Hazel when he devised the plan is now at ease. The security and safety of his home is now insured. A more long-term effect of releasing the dog is soon to be realized. Now that the enemies of Watership Down have been defeated, particularly General Woundwort, the warren is free to grow and prosper due to the one decision made by Hazel.

It is true that necessity is the mother of all invention and in the case of the rabbits of Watership Down, had it not been for the ingenious idea of Hazel to release the hound, their survival would have been very improbable. Hazel s decision was one that truly had to have been made even though, at the moment, the outcome looked bleak.