Mr. Webster defines loyal as “having or showing complete and constant support for someone or something.” (Webster) Perhaps one of the most legendary stories of loyalty is that of Noah, whose story is told in the Old Testament of the Bible. Watership Down, a novel written by Richard Adams, is the story of two brothers whose loyalty to one another rivals that of Noah to God. Watership Down is a novel steeped in traditions and values, perhaps the most prominent of which is loyalty. Throughout the story one is entertained with one catastrophe after another vexing the brothers and their entourage. Each of these is resolved as a result of the characteristic of loyalty displayed by the novel’s characters, most especially Hazel’s loyalty to Fiver.
…show more content…
Noah was the only righteous man inhabiting the world eleven generations after the first man, Adam, was created. As depicted in the King James Bible, due to the wickedness overtaking mankind, “the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7) As a result of his obedience, God commanded Noah to build an ark to keep his family and two of each creature safe when the flood waters came. Despite being ridiculed and ostracized, Noah continued to be obedient and spent the next one hundred years following God’s instructions. When the ark was complete, he led two of each creature, along with his family, onto the ark and were safe and dry when the rains started. The rains commenced, and continued for the next 40 days and 40 nights, flooding the earth, and killing all men and creatures who were not on the ark. After the rain subsided, the flood waters dried, Noah and his family left the ark, built an altar and worshiped God, and built new homes in a new land. Noah was loyal and obedient to God and as a result of his loyalty prospered another 350 years in the land God had given …show more content…
Upon reaching Watership Down, safe and intact, Hazel takes in the beauty of land and silently declares, “O Frith, are you sending us to live among the clouds? If you spoke truly to Fiver, help me to trust him.” (126) From this point on, time and again, Hazel demonstrates his loyalty to Fiver, there was “no more questioning of his insight.” (122) There is only one instance in which Hazel disregards Fiver’s misgivings and he is badly wounded and left for dead. However, Fiver does not give up on Hazel and finds him and brings him home. Once again, Hazel’s spirit of loyalty is renewed and he vows to never discount Fiver’s feelings of misgivings again, declaring to Fiver, “what would we have done without you? We’d none of us be here, would we?”
Noah was the only righteous man inhabiting the world eleven generations after the first man, Adam, was created. As depicted in the King James Bible, due to the wickedness overtaking mankind, “the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7) As a result of his obedience, God commanded Noah to build an ark to keep his family and two of each creature safe when the flood waters came. Despite being ridiculed and ostracized, Noah continued to be obedient and spent the next one hundred years following God’s instructions. When the ark was complete, he led two of each creature, along with his family, onto the ark and were safe and dry when the rains started. The rains commenced, and continued for the next 40 days and 40 nights, flooding the earth, and killing all men and creatures who were not on the ark. After the rain subsided, the flood waters dried, Noah and his family left the ark, built an altar and worshiped God, and built new homes in a new land. Noah was loyal and obedient to God and as a result of his loyalty prospered another 350 years in the land God had given …show more content…
Upon reaching Watership Down, safe and intact, Hazel takes in the beauty of land and silently declares, “O Frith, are you sending us to live among the clouds? If you spoke truly to Fiver, help me to trust him.” (126) From this point on, time and again, Hazel demonstrates his loyalty to Fiver, there was “no more questioning of his insight.” (122) There is only one instance in which Hazel disregards Fiver’s misgivings and he is badly wounded and left for dead. However, Fiver does not give up on Hazel and finds him and brings him home. Once again, Hazel’s spirit of loyalty is renewed and he vows to never discount Fiver’s feelings of misgivings again, declaring to Fiver, “what would we have done without you? We’d none of us be here, would we?”