The Gentleman of the Jungle

This tale about a man living in the jungle with all of the animals is a cautionary tale about particular groups taking over land and property under the guise of care and concern. In this story, the man is removed from his home first by an elephant who testifies that this decision is essentially "for the mans own good and for his protection". A jury made up of strictly "animal peers" decides in favor of the elephant and subsequently one after the other they take over each hut that the man builds. Eventually the man has built a hut for each animal, though not by choice, and he then decides that if he builds one final, grandiose hut, that the animals will fight over it. This plot comes to pass and while the animals are inside the hut fighting over its ownership, the man lights the hut on fire, killing all of the animals. He then goes on to live a peaceful life, without the constant threat of takeover. The man is quoted as saying "Peace is costly, but its worth the expense," at the end of the tale. The author does a good job of representing themes such as injustice, greed, and hostile takeover, in this simple story.