A significant tradition in cinema, particularly animation, is the telling of fables—stories featuring animal characters that symbolize aspects of human behavior. One only has to think of the snake, the ape, and the tiger in The Jungle Book, each individual character embodying one or a few traits from the broad spectrum of human characteristics.
The Jungle Book seems to follow a Freudian perspective on instincts. While it creates some amiable characters, it essentially portrays these instincts as weak rather than sources of empowerment, attempting to demystify the magic of the jungle. Freud famously stated, “from the point of view of instinctual control, of morality, it may be said that of the id that it is totally non-moral.” He further elaborated, “the id, of course, knows no judgments of value: no good and evil, no morality. The economic—or if you prefer, the quantitative—factor, which is intimately linked to the pleasure principle, dominates all its processes. Instinctual cathexes seeking discharge—that, in our view, is all there is in the id.” Freud likened the minds of “savages” to those of children, making it fitting, in the Freudian context, that Mowgli is portrayed as the lost man-child.
After being expelled from the wolf pack, Mowgli’s first companion and role model is Baloo the bear. Despite his warm and cuddly demeanor, Baloo could be seen as a countercultural figure, his easygoing lifestyle reminiscent of the hippies and Jazz beatniks of the era in which the film was made. Pursuing a less materialistic lifestyle involving the ‘bear necessities’. Drug references are subtlety expressed as the bear sings “do be do be do”, referring to a ‘doobie’, a street reference for a joint of marijuana. Indeed the constantly grinning and dozey bear looks and acts as if he is constantly stoned.
Many of the animals try to lure the lost man-child to their way of being, symbolically tempting him toward the weaknesses they represent. This aligns with a monotheistic framework, where the “beast” is associated with the tempting devil. However, apart from Shere Khan and Kaa, most animals are not depicted as overtly evil—just flawed. The four buzzards, with their distinctive Scouse accents, are thinly veiled caricatures of The Beatles, another cultural influence of the time. As a countercultural force, The Beatles provoked concern among many conservatives at this time with their defiance of authority and their exploration of psychedelics and alternative belief systems.
The independent big cats, meanwhile, seem uninterested in assimilating Mowgli. Instead, they either seek to save him, as in the case of the panther, or destroy him, like the tiger.
The monkey, King Louie, is a thinly veiled reflection of Black culture. As an expert dancer, he lulls others into hypnotic rhythms, much like Kaa the snake uses hypnosis to prey upon his victims. Rhythm and dance play a vital role in shamanism, serving as a medium for ecstatic joy and spontaneous self-expression. Louie’s song about wanting to be like Mowgli suggests a dynamic of mastery or cultural aspiration, implying that Mowgli represents the “civilized” white race, and cautioning against adopting the “dangerous” and “base” qualities of the ape. The film is quite catholic in its contradiction, in that it indulges in Jazz and rhythm and yet attempts to demonise it at the same time.
The ending cements the film’s ideology, emphasizing the Christian separation between the natural world and the human domain. Mowgli leaves the untamed jungle behind and enters the structured, fenced human world, mirroring the biblical casting out of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The alleged sorcerer Don Juan once remarked that the Christian concept of being expelled from Eden was an allegory for losing “silent knowledge”—a return to the instinctual, primal connection with the world.
This is where we can appreciate the clash between our modern psychological frame work and shamanism. Freud’s negative framing of the id reflects the rationalist, industrialized mindset of his era, which often viewed nature and instinct as threats to civilization. Freud’s id is like a shadow of the nagual: a primal, unconscious force interpreted through a lens of fear and control. In contrast, spiritual traditions view these primal energies as profound, sacred, and capable of guiding individuals to higher states of awareness. The tension between these views mirrors broader cultural divides: rationalism versus mysticism, control versus surrender, and separation versus unity. Integrating these perspectives could lead to a richer understanding of human nature.
| Aspect | Freud’s Id | The Nagual or Spiritual Traditions |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of Primal Energy | Chaotic, amoral, and needing control. | Sacred, transformative, and a source of empowerment. |
| Relationship to the Self | A lower, unconscious part to be managed. | A higher, universal force to be aligned with. |
| Role in Human Life | Source of instinctual desires and conflicts. | Gateway to enlightenment, unity, and creative potential. |
| View of Morality | Morality is imposed externally by the superego. | Morality arises naturally from connection to universal laws. |
| Cultural Context | Rooted in Western dualism: reason vs. instinct. | Rooted in holistic worldviews: unity of body, mind, and spirit. |
The more recent adaptation of The Jungle Book is more sympathetic toward animistic culture. Mowgli is portrayed as the archetypal noble savage, akin to Tarzan of Greystoke. However, this version swings to the opposite extreme, presenting the natural, instinctual side of life as inherently “good” and civilization as inherently corrupting.