Symbolism In Richard Adams Watership Down

Throughout the novel Watership Down by Richard Adams the idea that society is destroying nature is a prevalent theme. For instance, while at a new warren that’s on a farm, Bigwig got himself trapped in a snare not seeing it shrouded in the grass. He suffered through the pain and cheated death, even though that was the snares motive. Soon they realize that the entire warren was rigged with snares and that living there was a death trap contrived by the humans. Another example of this theme uses humans again, directly trying to slaughter rabbits. Hazel, joined by a few other rabbits, were at a farm neighboring their new warren trying to rescue the rabbits being caged in during the middle of the night. The residents of the farm arrived and saw the empty cage. Quickly, they realized where the

One of these mechanisms is a train. These fast moving machines help humans travel through rural and secluded areas faster, but kill many animals that enter its path and emit harmful smokes and smells. “...-while leading the pursuit of the fugitives, had been run down on the iron road by a train” (Adams pg 308) Granting all this, Adams still shows that sometimes humans try to help animals. One example is when a rabbit named Woundwort had just lost his mother and was alone in the woods. A man walking by had noticed him and instead of killing it upon sight, took him home, nursed him back to health, and let Woundwort live with him. Woundwort was a savage rabbit and attacked the humans cat, almost ending its life, and still he was allowed to live with him, rather than being thrown out or having his own life ended. Another illustration is while Hazel is being attacked by a farm cat and a young girl named lucy heard his screams. Not being able to just sit and listen she went into her backyard and whacked her own cat trying to save Hazel's