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Bambi’s Story: Bambi & Bambi’s Children by Felix Salten I have looked into several of the original works upon which Walt Disney’s classic films are based and have learned that there is quite a significant gap between the feeling of the Disney film and the feeling of the source material. Given this, I’m not sure how I expected Bambi to be any different. I found this book, again, on a trip to Barnes & Noble. Bambi, of course, tells the story of Bambi, who we get to know as a newborn fawn living in the forest with his mother. With her guidance Bambi learns about the world, how to navigate life through the seasons, and he learns to fear the ultimate danger referred to by the animals only as “He” or “Him.” Bambi’s life changes forever when his mother is shot and killed by a hunter, leaving him alone to fend for himself. A year later, Bambi must contend with the friends who have now become his enemies; the mystery of the Great Prince; and the persistent danger that is “He,” which Bambi must face head-on. There are two aspects of this book that I feel are its strengths: the descriptions of the animals and their natural environment, and the emotional impact of the scenes involving the dreaded “He.” With his straightforward writing style, the author paints wonderfully vivid images in the reader’s mind of the forest and the animals who live in it. Given the mystery and dread surrounding “He”, I think the scenes depicting “Him” are appropriately terrifying. ‘Unsentimental’ is, I think, an apt characterization of the author’s writing throughout Bambi, and it is never more unsentimental than when “He” comes to the forest. Sentimentality is inherently comforting, and so the lack of it in the author’s writing makes the dread, the fear, and the horror that much stronger. The first time “He” comes to the forest is one of the most memorable scenes in the book. Overall, Bambi is a rather dark and violent story, placing much emphasis on the deaths and preying of some animals upon others. Emphasis is also placed heavily on “He” and his seeming indiscriminate will to shoot and kill every living creature in his sight. The very beginning of the book, when Bambi is born and just starting to learn about the world, is the relatively peaceful. After “He” comes to the forest for the first time, “He” remains a persistent source of fear and danger through the book, and the parts of the book depicting normal forest life focus mostly on the conflicts that Bambi has with the other deer. Even the more positive characters and character interactions, such as those involving Faline, I found contrived and uncompelling. My personal response aside, Bambi remains a piece of classic literature, and I respect it as such. There is much more to say about its historical contexts and the layers of meaning that many people see in it, but that discussion is for an analysis of the story, not a review of the book itself. For my own part, I think the author’s strengths from this book are in detailed descriptions and evoking fear effectively in his writing. I’ve given a lot of thought to what aspects of his writing made the hunting scenes so impactful, and I think I’ve got a few ideas to try in my own future writing. As a historical, classic story, I am both unable and unwilling to say that it isn’t worth the read, especially for those of us who are naturally interested in old classics. What I can say is that Bambi isn’t my cup of tea. It was certainly interesting, though, to read something that is so impactful in terms of fear, and to learn from it as a writer. Although this book contains two in one, I am placing this review under September’s theme, as opposed to April’s. This is because I did not technically read Bambi’s Children, as one thinks of reading. After completing Bambi, I felt fatigued and wound up just skimming through Bambi’s Children. What I saw as I skimmed my way through was more of the same uncompelling dialogue. The characters interact more often, but more meaningfully; Faline has a severe falling out with a related doe; Bambi becomes more involved in his twin children’s lives than the first book indicates; he and Faline seem to adopt another fawn; and his twins each face their own personal challenges and receive Bambi’s help and guidance from time to time. I did not see enough that enticed me to give it a true read, especially after the heaviness of the original story. I place this under September’s theme, also, because the descriptions of the deer and the other animals and the vegetation strongly indicate a European setting, not an American one. And given that the author is Austrian, I think it’s safe to say that this story takes place in a country other than the one that I live in. |
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