Post by Azerane on Dec 17, 2011 7:13:42 GMT 9.5
At the end of Watership Down, Hazel is dozing in his burrow and wakes up to find another rabbit beside him. From the light shining from its ears, we know that this other rabbit is El-ahrairah (as Lord Frith gave him starlight for his new ears after visiting the Black Rabbit). Now I have always thought, that perhaps it should have been the Black Rabbit that came to Hazel, seeing as how he is the one that takes a rabbit's life and you have to go when he calls you. Or perhaps the Black Rabbit is simply a means by which rabbits can pass away before their time as opposed to simply dying of old age.
This suggests that the use of El-ahrairah asking Hazel to join his Owsla is an indication of a life well served, using all the rabbit tricks and out-living your enemies and perhaps in extension, an indication of a heaven vs hell scenario? I don't believe the rabbits see a difference between good and bad in that regard, and death is simply death. However, it almost seems that by using El-ahrairah as opposed to the Black Rabbit, it is indicating that Hazel has served his life well and earned a place on the Owsla.
If that's the case, and you have to earn a place on El-ahrairah's Owsla, it then leads to the question of what happens to the rabbits who don't earn a place? Why does El-ahrairah come for some, and the Black Rabbit for others? I don't believe we actually see the Black Rabbit actually come for any character in the book, so it's possible that he is just the means by which a rabbit dies (as is described in the book by not smelling a fox or hearing a gun etc) and then El-ahrairah is actually the one that goes to them. This would mean that the Black Rabbit does not actually collect any lives, he simply controls when they end and by this logic, every rabbit earns a place on El-ahrairah's Owsla or simply in his warren when he collects them. Then again, the Black Rabbit requires an Oswla of his own and perhaps undeserving rabbits are assigned to his warren.
This suggests that the use of El-ahrairah asking Hazel to join his Owsla is an indication of a life well served, using all the rabbit tricks and out-living your enemies and perhaps in extension, an indication of a heaven vs hell scenario? I don't believe the rabbits see a difference between good and bad in that regard, and death is simply death. However, it almost seems that by using El-ahrairah as opposed to the Black Rabbit, it is indicating that Hazel has served his life well and earned a place on the Owsla.
If that's the case, and you have to earn a place on El-ahrairah's Owsla, it then leads to the question of what happens to the rabbits who don't earn a place? Why does El-ahrairah come for some, and the Black Rabbit for others? I don't believe we actually see the Black Rabbit actually come for any character in the book, so it's possible that he is just the means by which a rabbit dies (as is described in the book by not smelling a fox or hearing a gun etc) and then El-ahrairah is actually the one that goes to them. This would mean that the Black Rabbit does not actually collect any lives, he simply controls when they end and by this logic, every rabbit earns a place on El-ahrairah's Owsla or simply in his warren when he collects them. Then again, the Black Rabbit requires an Oswla of his own and perhaps undeserving rabbits are assigned to his warren.
so good to see some activity. Always check, every day still. 