Reading Response for Faithful Elephants

"Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War," By Yukio Tsuchiya Response

It’s hard to let go of something you love, is an important life message Yukio Tsuchiya is trying to convey in the short story “Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War.”  

Faithful Elephants is a story about three elephants, John, Tonky, and Wanly in the Ueno Zoo in Japan. The story takes place at the time of World War II. “Bombs were dropped on Tokyo everyday and night, like falling rain.” They had killed all the animals slowly because the thought if a bomb dropped on the zoo it was a dangerous threat to the people of Japan. Having bombs drop on the zoo, would mean cages would break and there would be poisonous animals running around Tokyo. Day by day they killed the animals until just the three elephants were left. They killed John by starving him and it was over fast. But Tonky and Wanly were also starved but the zoo keeper loved them very much. And for him it was hard to see them starving to death. So he gave in and fed them. But eventually they died just like John. The war caused the animals to die, when they shouldn’t have. 

This message: It’s hard to let go of something you love, is really shown in the story about animals. The part of the message that says: its hard to let go, relates to the story because at first when the zoo keeper sees the elephants suffering he gives them food because he doesn’t want them to die. He gives them food when he wasn’t supposed to because he loves them too much. “‘Oh, Tonky! Oh, Wanly!…. Eat your food! Please drink. Drink your water!’” He loves them too much to lose them. It is really hard to let go, and the zoo keeper had to learn that the hard way with Tonky and Wanly. 

Everyone misses them because they loved them. They care a lot about the animals that died in World War II, because there is a sacred place for the animals. People go there to remember the animals in a safe peaceful place. And the story helps convey the message really well, the zoo keeper has a lot of difficulty letting go. But, in the end he does, and he misses them but he is ok in the end, because they have a secure place where they can be remembered.