There are a variety of options where an additional character could fit in with Mowgli, the initial jungle character of The Jungle Book, with his ability to live and communicate within different jungle communities. Considering his primary growth within the wolf community, as a young boy there is much to be said for his development into jungle leader, no matter the community within he may progress after being released from the village of the wolves. Upon this release his movement through Bandar-log, the community of the monkeys, provides recognition of Mowgli to gain his inclusion among them as a leader. In this position there is the potential of the grey, senior monkey of his people to be the one who both presents the value of Mowgli among their community and proceeds to follow Mowgli in persuasion to enter their communal family for the benefit of all.

Upon naming him “Mowgli the Frog” Mother Wolf introduced him to the wolf pack while preparing to fight for his acceptance to the brotherhood and family of their community. Eventually he was purchased “for the price of a Bull and on Baloo’s good word” (p. 10), though that does not mean that his placement within the community would remain steady forever. However, more important to his grown placement within jungle community, a grown senior grey monkey, named Jakara and walking with a bamboo cane, could communicate with him consistently while following along with the group travel through the trees in view of both Mowgli and other communities in persuasion of his settlement within the Bandar-log as a leader of the Monkey-People.

With Mowgli as the primary cub in The Jungle Book there is the question of brotherhood (Mowgli’s Brothers, p.13) connecting further throughout all jungle communities in the importance of brotherhood and family in their understanding of jungle law, community and the fight for survival. Even though Mother Wolf adopted this man cub as a baby, there eventually arise the questions of his fit due to the wolves’ inability to understand relation to man as a predator (Mowgli’s Brothers, p. 19), casting dark eyes on Mowgli throughout his journey to adulthood. Questioning his difference among this placement Mowgli is able to consider his placement among the jungle as a member of a community rather than an outside man whom these so-called brothers claim to fear for fighting and death.

Though Mowgli was able to progress with the big brown Bear of most valuable education of a jungle cub in learning the Jungle Law (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 25), his wolf family still later rejected him from their lair as a man who could no longer be accepted upon his growth to manhood. Therefore it is quickly seen by his wolf brothers that Mowgli has acquired his playtime outside their community as brother Bagheera states, “ ‘Thou hast been with the Monkey-People – the gray apes – the people without a law – the eaters of everything. That is great shame’.” (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 28). Having received sympathy and comfort from the Monkey-People Mowgli only believed in the ability to move back and forth between various familial communities of the jungle without viewing others with redemption or hatred. Also the Bear speaks ill of the monkeys to Mowgli, “… ‘They have no law. They are outcasts. They have no speech of their own, but use the stolen words which they overhear when they listen, and peep, and wait up above in the branches’.” (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 29). Though believing respect to be gained upon learning the Jungle Law, Mowgli would soon find that these supposed lawful and respectable wolf people would dispose of him, leaving him to his own progression of life through the jungle.

Almost immediately one of the Bandar-log, monkey people, “invented what seemed to him a brilliant idea, and he told all the others that Mowgli would be a useful person to keep in the tribe, because he could weave sticks together for protection from the wind; so if they caught him, they could make him teach them” (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 30). At this point senior, grey Jakara could enter as the head of the Monkey-People presenting this idea and leading their journey following Mowgli’s path through the jungle and communicating directly with him in attempt to gain his inclusion within Bandar-log. Immediately at this point, Jakara has emphatic emphatic position within his community, and uses his strength in promoting the capture of Mowgli (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 31) but also in the further communication with Mowgli for the persuasion of his joining the Bandar-log in an additional leadership role as the community apparently agrees.

In this case Mowgli proceeds from being a prisoner of the Bandar-log to becoming their brother and growing to leadership of teaching them active tasks, which they seek to gain from him. As they were able to bring him to “… Cold Lairs the Monkey-People were not thinking of Mowgli’s friends at all. They had brought him to the Lost City, and were very much pleased with themselves for the time” (Kaa’s Hunting, p. 39). In addition to the brotherhood of monkeys that were able to pull Mowgli into their community, there is another place here where this outstanding leader of this family could speak to Mowgli clearly and persuasively of what they desire of his position among them. Though the wolves had previously spoken negatively of monkey qualities including use of multiple languages, Mowgli could respect this in their ability to communicate clearly with him in their desires for his additions among them.

It is only shown that the Monkey-People shout together in their proud ranting of their community, but there would also be the strong leadership of Jakara providing solid communication with Mowgli of his strengths to be gained despite Mowgli’s dismissal from the wolves. While the monkeys work as a team among the Cold Lair, this masculine leader proceeds confidently with Mowgli across the coming chapters in view of the jungle. Mowgli would learn more than the Jungle Law, adding himself within the Bandar-log as a part of a brotherhood able to view the various strengths of the jungle without fury or anger such as the wolves afraid of those bringing on fights and death.

Through the “Tiger! Tiger” chapter there is the potential for the Monkey-People further following and Jakara speaking out more definitely to them in the trees regarding their desire to gain Mowgli among them. As Mowgli had traveled back to the wolf village the Bandar-log continues to watch over his strength and growth, though the Council Rock determines Mowgli’s placement among them no longer valuable. At the end of this chapter, “ ‘Man-Pack and Wolf-Pack have cast me out, said Mowgli, ‘Now I will hunt alone in the jungle’.” (Tiger! Tiger!, p. 72). Although it is mentioned that four cubs will follow him there is more to be said of a strong and persuasive Jakara to walk alongside him, pulling him into the Bandar-log where he may develop into a community leader receiving comfort and respect as they provided earlier in his times of trouble.

Considering the previous twenty-mile journey the Monkey-People took through the trees to follow Mowgli across his various paths, there is a great fitting for this monkey character to exude along with Mowgli. Without Mowgli left alone at the end of “Tiger! Tiger!” chapter, possibly with four other cubs and eventually moving on to marriage and a family, Jakara joins Mowgli on his journey and they travel together across the various villages and communities further presented in The Jungle Book to learn more of the Jungle Law than hunting. Throughout the narrator’s view of The White Seal, Toomai of the Elephants, Shiv and the Grasshopper and other communities among the jungle Jakara the senior grey leader of the Bandar-log has the ability to continue along in the journey with Mowgli including persuasion for addition to the Monkey-People and value of jungle communities as a whole. Mowgli would be able to gain his own confidence as a grown leader while also opposing the Bear’s negative presentation of the monkey’s and gaining true brotherhood in a new family with Jakara and his family.