Watership Down, Richard Adams’ successful book, was made into an animated film and TV series. The story follows a group of rabbits on a journey to find a new home, facing challenges and conflicts along the way. Despite criticism from feminist critics, the book remains popular among teens and adults.
Watership Down is a book written by Richard Adams, his first and to date his most successful book. The novel was also made into an animated film in 1978, three years after the novel’s release. It also spawned a British and Canadian series that aired for three years from 1999 to 2001. The series is now available on DVD and the book remains popular.
The story of Watership Down is a beautifully rendered account of the hero’s journey as the rabbits set out to find a new maze when their old maze is threatened. The novel’s main characters are Hazel, who becomes the leader of the band, her brother Fiver, who is prophetic, and Bigwig, a tough member of the rabbit police. Interspersed throughout the novel are stories that make up the legend of the rabbit regarding the creation of the world and the first rabbit, El-ahrairhah. These stories are certainly gems in themselves, very entertaining and evoke the first rabbit as a kind of trickster, similar in some cases to Brer Rabbit.
The gang of rabbits encounter difficulties on their journey, encountering strange death-worshipping rabbits and barely making it to the top of Watership Down, a hill that really exists in Hampshire, England. This could form the first part of the novel. Having survived the dangers to reach a beautiful new maze, the rabbits realize their fatal flaw; they failed to take any females with them. This brings them into significant conflict with a nearby labyrinth called Efrafa, run in a fascist and militant fashion by the evil General Woundworth.
The gang of rabbits devise a trick to help some of the non escape from Efrafa, where they are miscarrying baby rabbits due to overcrowding of their den. However, Woundworth comes after them, engaging them on Watership Down, and they must plan a way to defend against many attacking rabbits. They are successful in this, establishing a peaceful and idyllic labyrinth and making peace with the Efrafan who no longer have Woundwort as their leader.
There has been some criticism of the novel by feminist critics, suggesting that deer wanted by rabbits are simply wanted as breeders. Adams defended her choice to frame Watership Down as she did, citing factual sources about rabbit life, most notably naturalist Ronald Lockley’s 1964 book, The Private Life of the Rabbit. Also, although the rabbits are concerned about a lack of mates and an inability to perpetuate their beautiful den, one of the rabbits rescued by Efrafa was the primary leader in the rebellion against Efrafa. She is a poet, a political and intelligent leader, a worthy character in her own right.
Watership Down is one of the great books for teens and some pre-teen kids might enjoy it as well. Even adult lovers of the English countryside are likely to be impressed by Adams’ description of the world, of meadows and small grasses, from the rabbit’s point of view. The journey and engagement with the Efrafans is thrilling and the book is a worthy addition to the world of fantasy literature.
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