The War Between Nature and Humans

In both Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Disney’s Bambi, animals and humans belong to two completely different realms of life: Nature and human society. The former was once an accepting refuge for any living creature on Earth. However, Her balance was hindered by the evolution of Man, an anomaly among all living organisms. Furthermore, humans have begun to take over Nature with their technological innovations. What was once their home is now but a memory of a distant past. Pure Nature has become off-limits to humans and human society has become off-limits to Nature’s normal animals; the growing dichotomy between Nature and human society is strongly accentuated by multiple physical conflicts that occur in both the book and the film. As long as one remains above the other, humans and Nature cannot live together in peace, for the battle to dominate will continue perpetually.

Sublime Nature is Nature’s fiercest weapon, used to force humans back into their lower, primeval positions. In one scene of Tom Sawyer, Tom, Huckleberry, and Joe, were trapped in a menacing storm on Jackson Island. At the peak of the storm, all the boys could do was run and hide from the wrath of Sublime Nature, “The boys seized each others’ hands and fled, with many tumblings and bruises … Now the battle was at its highest” (Twain 126). The use of words such as “seize”, “fled”, “bruises”, and “battle” show that an intense battle is happening. However in this time of strife, the boys were unable to fight back; they were utterly helpless. All three boys survived the battle, of course, because Nature wanted to convey a warning to the boys: If you humans continue your self-centered foolish ways, I will show no mercy next time.

Unfortunately, humans will not settle for the subservient position in Nature. They will fight using their technology to try and rise above. In Bambi, Man is considered the greatest threat to the animals of the forest. Whenever animals see the encroaching danger, they yell, “Man is coming!”, run, and hide, very much like how Tom and his friends fled the storm. A fury of gunshots ensues and many animals are killed. An army of black dogs, basically an extension of human control, is released to kill the animals. Finally, the fight begins when Bambi attacks the dogs that are chasing Faline. Even more serious, Man had inadvertently caused a forest fire. Although the fiery calamity was not created on purpose, it shows how the simple presence of humans can severely damage Nature. After the animals have escaped, the entire mountain is on fire, an exaggerated display that symbolizes the magnitude and extent of human destruction.

From both Tom Sawyer and Bambi, we can see the bitter relationship between Nature and humans. The skirmish between the two powerhouses is ongoing because neither is willing to submit; one is always trying to forcefully dominate and domesticate the other. But more importantly, we must realize that both Nature and humans are hurt in the process, which makes us question whether this war is wise in the first place.