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Sorry, I forgot to post a discussion. Discuss how rabbits go killing each other here.

That's not what the story's about!

Okay, well discuss the book here.

OK!!!! I don't like the beginning. Its kinda boring.

I like how the rabbits having human emotions yet not thinking completely like humans. And I definitely enjoy those rabbit mythologies. On the other hand, I do think the story gets a little boring sometimes and I don't really care that much about those heroes.

Yeah

Emily wrote: "That's not what the story's about!"

I'm pretty sure Richard Adams said that it's totally about rabbits killing each other. I think he went the Tolkein route in disavowing any particular interpretation so that readers can take it as they see fit.

For my part, I think it's largely influenced by the Cold War. Some people see WWII, which I think is a poor fit. I see a bit of The Odyssey, but apparently it's closer to The Aeneid. I haven't read Virgil, so I can't say.

Regardless, I think the power of the characters is the thing that really carries the book. The characters are rooted in myth, religion, and politics, which gives them a sense of importance, but those background elements don't overwhelm them. I think that's the difficult balance with an allegory- characters and situations need to represent ideas without being limited by the ideas. Few books achieve that, although Ursula K. Le Guin makes it look easy.