I would really like to start off by saying that Bambi was an interesting read, intriguing in some way, but if I were to by any means, I would be stretching the truth. Having grown up in a woods, and having gone to grade school, I can say with confidence that I was not introduced to so much as a solitary new concept. I don’t believe that this novel tries to introduce any revolutionary concepts to the reader, but it is due to this fact that it becomes an incredibly dull read. We all know what deer are, we all know what a woods is like, and assuming we’ve graduated from grade school, we know about the circle of life.
About halfway through the novel, the key point and inevitable “Plot twist” becomes more than obvious, any attempt at build up feels almost misleadingly apparent, and becomes incredibly disappointing once the end is reached and it is revealed to be a serious attempt at bewilderment. The beginning of the novel starts out in a similar vein as to how it continues, by describing the rudimentary concepts and sounds of nature. Birds, squirrels, trees, and a few sounds and smells. Bambi is born, and has some seemingly meaningless conversations with the other animals. The first third of the book is about his relationship with his mother, and his newborn perspective of the world, learning the basics of being a deer and surviving. The turning point from the first to second third would be his first meeting with the prince of the forest, where Bambi learns some semblance of independence, even if it’s more to impress this prince than it is to survive.
The second third of the book is about the biological processes that envelop us all during our pubescent phase. He starts to notice his childhood friend, and eventually ends up sexually fraternizing with them. He spends a few months madly in love with them, before there is an incident with a large hunting party. Bambi’s mother is killed off almost nonchalantly during this event, and one of his friends is captured by the hunters.
Bambi starts to transition towards near total independence in the third third of the novel, learning the ways of the woods from the old prince. He strays away from his lover, and even the other animals of the woods after his friend, previously captured, domesticated, and then released back into the woods, is shot by a hunter. He is shown the body of a dead human, inexplicable shot in the head, before the old prince wanders off into the woods to die, and allow Bambi to unwittingly take his place, thus solidifying the theme of the circle of life.
Overall, I did not care for this book. It simply was not interesting in any facet, and it is easy to see why major changes were made in order to adapt it into a movie. It is not as in depth as a nature documentary, and does not breeze over these rudimentary elements to sell itself as story oriented. Though the character narrative is atypical, it is incredibly predictable and dull. All major consequence in the story lacks impact, and arguably doesn’t contribute meaningfully to Bambi’s character development. It seems as if this is done deliberately, in an attempt to push a broader theme, that being the circle of life and the nature of nature, which in my opinion is still done in a lackluster and unappealing fashion.