Elephant Run Sparknotes

Burma, Japan, and World War II

Byron Gough

ENG 218

Professor Mulholland

29 April 2016

Nick Freestone was only a young man when the fires of World War II found him. Sent away from his home in London after the Nazi Blitzkrieg, he was sent to Burma to live with his father who owned a teak plantation. However, not long after he arrived, the brutal Japanese regime put their sights on capturing Burma and its natural resources. Elephant Run by Roland Smith fits well in the canon of young adult literature because it is a story of self-discovery and survival. This novel exploits the horror of war and being a young child thrust into the middle of it. With a narrowed lens on the occupation of this country by the Japanese and some

of Burma’s rich culture, I discovered a lot about WWII and the incredible tradition of elephant riding.
Burma has history that dates back thousands of years. Research has found that more than 3,500 years ago people were farming crops and livestock in Burma’s Irawaddy valley (Godrej). This country has made ties to many nations throughout its long and complex history, including China, India, Japan, and Britain. However, Britain was the first of these nation to conquer this country for their own gain (Godrej). As Burma expanded through the eighteenth and nineteenth century, they fought with Britain until they were eventually annexed in 1885. It wasn’t until 1948 when Burma saw independence from Britain (Godrej) Except Britain did not see Burma as a land they definitely needed to control, rather, Britain saw this country as a market they could use to trade with China (Godrej). Burma’s vast amount of natural resources has been both a blessing and a curse to its own well-being.
Burma is a relatively small country that sits just below China and east of India, and has a surprising plethora of natural resources. In fact, it is one of Southeast Asia’s most resource-rich nations that creates billions of dollars a year in revenue through oil, teak, gems, and various minerals (Godrej). However, these resources have opened the door for corruption, violence, and has even brought health issues to the country. The UN’s Human Development Index ranked Burma 149 out of 187 countries in 2011 from healthiest nation to unhealthiest. Burma was also ranked 172 out of 176 of most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International annual Corruption Perceptions Index in 2012 (Godrej). Though Burma is home to a vast amount of natural resources, nothing too wholesome has come from it. For centuries countries have fought for control of this small nation for trade, war, and territory.
One of the most violent incidents in Burma’s history was the coming of World War II. When the war came Burma was under British Control, and their rule was relatively tranquil. However, when the Japanese later took Burma for themselves after pushing out the British, things changed drastically. The first attacks against the British forces and the Burma Army started in December 1941. Commanded by General Hutton, the British lost the battle for Rangoon and was pushed back into India. As they retreated they lost control of the Burma Road to Japan, which was considered a vital supply chain (Trueman). Burma was incredibly important to the Allies war effort because it contained the only viable route through which the United States could supply the Chinese in their fight against the Japanese. The United States forces and their allies wanted to supply China in any way they could to stop the Japanese’ advancement across Southeast Asia (Trueman). Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt both believed that it was key to supply the Chinese because if the Chinese could maintain their fight against the Japanese, then the might of the Japanese army was split, fighting both the Chinese and allied forces simultaneously. If the fight in China faltered, then the Japanese had the opportunity to transfer a lot more men to the various campaigns in both Asia and the Pacific (Trueman). Burma during World War II was the target of several countries at the time, but Japan had the longest stay. Sadly, under this regime Burma saw unspeakable horror.
Roland Smith details elaborately the horrendous acts that took place when the Japanese invaded. “The Burmese weren’t unhappy that British had left, but they were finding the Japanese far worse taskmasters…Tens of thousands of Burmese had been put into forced-labor camps to build roads, airfields, and a railroad through the jungle to Thailand. Thousands had died from disease, starvation, and exhaustion” (Smith 172). Japan was notorious for their brutal treatment of Prisoners of War and even the citizens of the countries the Japanese forces conquered. Nick Freestone, the main character of Elephant Run, was locked in his room for thirteen days and was only given a bucket of kitchen scraps and a jar of water once a day when the Japanese first invaded Burma and occupied their teak plantation (Smith 128). His story is relatively tame compared to other POWs stories. The Japanese used various methods of torture during World War II, including beating, bayonetting, crucifixion, electrocution, and forcing their prisoners to work to death (Rowley).One of the most atrocious examples of how the Japanese worked their prisoners to death occurred in Burma during World War II, and it was the building of the Thai-Burma railroad.
The Japanese began building the Thai-Burma railroad in 1942 and it only took one year to complete, but it was a year full of death and absolute misery (Rowley). Not many people are aware of this historical event of World War II simply because of the scope of the European theater, but it is an event we all need to be aware about. This railroad stretched from Moulmein, Burma through the southern part of Thailand. The Japanese wanted to build this way of transport in order to move supplies and soldiers from Bangkok to Burma easily (Rowley). The working conditions of those who were put to work were horrible. Sir Harold Atcherley, who is now 95 years old, is one of the few remaining British POW’s who was put to work by the Japanese to build this Thai-Burma railway. In several interviews he has stated that every man worked at least 18 hours a day, rain or shine. They were forced to march everywhere they went, some POWs who were transported far away from the site of the developing railway had to march 200 miles to then start building. Atcherley reported that the forced-laborers were dying at a rate of 20 a day (Rowley). The laborers were incredibly malnourished and starving due to the fact that they were only given rice to eat, and developed all kinds of jungle sicknesses from working in the damp and unforgiving environment. When the railroad was finished in 1943 a total of 13,000 POWs died and an estimated 100,000 native laborers died under the Japanese regime in this one undertaking (Rowley). This is just one example of the brutality of the Japanese army during World War 2, the loss of this many lives should not be forgotten. But all was not lost to the Japanese during World War 2.
One of Burma’s most interesting and unique cultures is that of the mahouts. “Mahout” translates to “one who keeps or drives elephants (Worall).” A major theme of the book Elephant Run is the heritage and culture of the Burmese people, especially the history and lifestyle of the mahouts. Nick’s father and his father before him run a teak plantation in Burma in the novel, and have long used elephants for clearing thick jungle brush and harvesting teak wood. Teak plantations were very common in Burma during the time of World War II, and the Freestone plantation was always busy training and using elephants (Smith). Mya, one of the main characters of the novel, is a younger Burmese female who desperately wanted to become a mahout but was forbidden due to strict mahout tradition. “Her father would throw his hands up in the air whenever they argued. ‘It’s tradition! Women are not allowed to become mahouts. It’s bad luck to even think about it!’” (Smith 44). Mahouts stick very closely to their customs and do not accept change very easily (Smith). Mahouts have always thought women to be too weak to handle and control an elephant, which they considered to be of the utmost value (Smith). To them, these beasts are sacred and should be handled only by men.
The elephant is a prominent figure of the Hindu religion. Stunning images of these beasts can be found in the art, sculptures, and architecture of the Buddhist people (Worall). The elephant is a symbol of power and prosperity in the Buddhist religion, and are treated with tremendous respect all across Southeast Asian countries. For thousands of years the Thai and Burmese mahouts have utilized this creature for warfare, transportation, and building (Worall). There are three specific kinds of mahouts, distinguished by the methods in which they control the animal: A ‘Reghawan’ uses affection, a ‘Yukthiman’ uses his intellect to outsmart the elephant, and a ‘Balwan’ controls an elephant with force using ropes and hooks (this kind is far less used today) (Worall). Since the elephant is a representative of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god with an elephant head, a mahout is not allowed to ride his elephant with any kind of footwear on. Not only this, mahouts will always pray to the Hindu gods before mounting an elephant, and since elephants are very smart and can sense emotions like fear or apprehension, mahouts must be confident in their commands and use a soothing voice when an elephant gets stressed or upset. The mahout and their elephants are nearly emotionally connected, it is a very unique bond that is highly regarded all across the world. These elephant riders care so much for these creatures that they often put the needs of the elephants before their own. When these elephants die they are even given proper Buddhist ceremonies (Worall). Through the thousands of years of the mahout practice, an amazing mystery has shrouded reality, and it is the role of the “Khru Ba Yai.”
The Khru Ba Yai are said to possess spiritual control over all elephants in the land.

It is the highest rank that an elephant capturer can attain (Worall). This “power” has never been scientifically studied, but the people of both Burma and Thailand believe that this phenomenon exists. There are not many Khru Ba Yai left, it is said that there are a few still alive in both Burma and Thailand (Worall). These individuals became incredibly important when elephants went into “musth.” Several times a year, bull elephants go into a period called musth, a period of temporary madness. When in this state, bull elephant’s aggressiveness, testosterone levels, and mating drive spikes tremendously (Ogden). Studies have found that bull elephants are flooded with up to ten times as much testosterone as usual causing them to attack other elephants, mahouts, or anything else they may see as a threat (Ogden). In Elephant Run, Nick is given a first-hand look at how horrifying an encounter with a bull elephant in musth can be. “…The bull had uprooted every plant within reach and had plowed the ground around him into soft loam with his heavy tusks. As they approached, he started straining against his ropes in an effort to get to them” (Smith 59). However, something incredible transpired soon after Nick witnessed the roped up and infuriated bull elephant. “The monk stepped closer to the mad bull. He put his hands on one of his tusks and he leaned his old shaved head toward the bull’s ear, as if he were saying something to him” (Smith 61). The bull then relaxed after the monk named ‘Hilltop’ spoke to it. The Khru Ba Yai are a mysterious group with very few numbers in existence. It is a practice that seems utterly impossible but is ingrained in the Burmese culture as reality. The mahout tradition and practice is something so unique and utterly incredible, they risk life and limb to train and work with these magnificent animals. Interestingly enough, the mahouts of Burma actually helped in

several ways during World War II.
When the Japanese began to invade Burma in 1942, a massive monsoon unleashed its wrath on the country causing rivers and lakes to swell tremendously. The natives of the land were unable to avoid the oncoming rule of the Japanese regime due to the rising waters. However, British tea planter Gyles Mackrell organized the evacuation of hundreds of people from Burma into British India, using elephants (Pankhurst). He and a group of mahouts were able to evacuate many people stranded on river islands and shore banks. Mackrell and his company of mahouts were even able to transport food to those who were starving due to lack of being able to migrate to higher ground to get food (Pankhurst). His story is one of true bravery and commitment to the people of Burma during World War II. Elephants and mahouts also helped the war effort by blocking off valuable roads that the Japanese used by laying trees and other debris across them, by transporting oil and other assets, and by helping get villagers out of harm’s way. Without the mahout’s presence during the war, far more lives could have been lost.