87 pages • 2 hours read •
Elephant Run
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BetaPart 1, Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “The Plantation”
Part 1, Chapter 7 Summary: “Indaw”
Nang and Indaw don't come home that night. The next morning, Mya is kept at home to clean the house with Kin-Kin, her aunt. Later, she hears Indaw's voice and runs to greet him. He is thrilled to learn that Hannibal came through town and hurt no one, claiming, “[O]ur rogue is showing signs of getting better” (64). Magwe mocks him, telling him that it is his responsibility to make sure Hannibal doesn't kill anyone. Magwe is angry that Hannibal wasn't killed after his initial bursts of violence and is instead allowed to wander in the forest. Mya asks Indaw where he went, and Indaw does not answer, remaining evasive. He sends Magwe to Hawk's Nest to speak with Jackson, and then returns home with Mya, where she realizes a bag has been packed for her. Indaw reveals that he and Mya are going on a trip with Miss Pretty.
Part 1, Chapter 8 Summary: “The Christmas Ride”
Nick and his father, as well as Indaw and Mya, go on a tour of the plantation. Nick is sore from his injury, and riding the elephant is awkward. They stop for a bit by a river, where Jackson and Indaw go to find Hannibal. They want to bring him to Freestone Island, a place that the Sergeant Major kept undeveloped, “so we would remember how the plantation started” (75). Nick helps Mya wash Miss Pretty in the river and then spots a vulture eating a dead monkey. He goes to investigate and is met by his father, who has just returned with Hannibal and Hilltop in tow. In the river, Jackson reveals some horrible news. The Japanese have surrounded the plantation, are will soon invade. Jackson is sending Nick and Mya to Australia, via India, where it will be safe for them to live. He and Indaw are staying behind to protect the plantation and defend against the Japanese, who are killing monkeys to starve out the people in the hill tribes. Nick is devastated: The plantation is lost (82).
Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary: “Freestone Island”
On the island, the three elephants and their passengers ride through thick brush and swarms of bugs. The crew finally stop when Indaw spots fresh elephant dung, indicating a herd is nearby. Indaw and Mya go ahead on foot to look for the wild herd. Along the way, Indaw stops to give Mya a hand-carved, beautiful choon, which she can remember her home by in Australia. At the same time, Jackson gives Nick Hannibal's iron bell, as a memento. Jackson and Hilltop go ahead on two elephants and release Hannibal into the wild herd. Nick watches with binoculars. When they return, Jackson asks Hilltop how many more elephants the island can accommodate, and Hilltop reveals his plans to stay on the island through the war, with the elephants. Hilltop says goodbye to Mya and Nick and wishes them safe travels. As they leave the island, Jackson reminds him, “Every time I come here I am reminded just how tough the Sergeant Major was [...] this island is your grandfather's heart, and it beats in both of us” (91-92).
Part 1, Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Tensions in Burma are coming to a boiling point in these chapters. Magwe and Nang represent two sides of the conflict that many Burmese face—whether to support British rulers, some of whom have provided work and support and many who have not, or the Japanese, who promise Burmese independence but who may not deliver on that promise. The realities of life under the Japanese are hinted at by Jackson, who explains the corpse of a monkey floating in the river to Nick: “The soldiers are killing the hill tribes’ food. If the tribes get hungry enough, they’ll join the Japanese” (81). The brutality of starving tribes into compliance foreshadows the violence to come. In the face of impending violence and possible separation, Jackson and Indaw give Nick and Mya mementos to remind them of their family. Indaw gives Mya a beautiful carved choon to remind her of the elephants, her homeland, and her ambitions. Jackson gives Hannibal’s iron bell to Nick; together with the knife, this will remind him of Hawk’s Nest. Jackson and Indaw recognize that passing off these mementos indicates the family’s power to help Mya and Nick through difficult times. Later, these mementos help Mya and Nick remember their lives before violence.
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