Topic > Bigwig's Courage in Watership Down by Richard Adams

In life there will be many challenges that people will have to deal with. Within these challenges there will be many people who retreat and the few who rise up to not only face the challenge, but defeat the task at hand. In the novel Watership Down by Richard Adams that person or rabbit in this case is Bigwig. Bigwig is a rabbit who stands out in the novel not only for his size, but for his fearless courage/generosity. He is part of Hazel's group of rabbits and although he doesn't have the brains of others, he is one of the alphas of the pack. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the history of Watership Down there are numerous wars fought between different rabbit tribes. Within Hazel's tribe Bigwig is their special warrior who is a force that cannot be stopped. Hazel tries to avoid war with the other tribes at all costs, but in the end it doesn't always work. As it says in the story, if it weren't for Bigwig, Hazel and her tribe would have been conquered and destroyed. While Bigwig has the courage and strength to face anyone who challenges his tribe, he also has the knowledge to listen to Fiver and retreat when necessary, as in the novel he says, "My chief rabbit told me to stay and defend this race, and until he says otherwise, I will stay here.” This quote shows that Bigwig is able to retreat and be smart about certain battles. The only thing that stands in Bigwig's way is his heart and generosity there is obviously the Achilles heel, his heart. All the war battles Bigwig does things that are not necessary or safe for him to do, but he does them out of generosity/pain Woundwort, manages to enter the Efrafa and free a good number of brains. Bigwig could have easily escaped from this labyrinth without any questions, but in the end the kindness in his heart takes over almost getting him killed having to convince Woundwort that he is still loyal to the labyrinth. Bigwig is in the Efrafa canal for a good part of the novel risking his life and it does not end with the release of numerous creatures. Meet Blackavar and hear his story about how long he was held in the Efrafa Canal and how he was treated. When Bigwig hears how harshly Blackavar has been treated, he immediately knows that he cannot leave this channel without Blackavar even though he is already under close surveillance by Woundwort. This is just one example of another unnecessary task Bigwig performs for the faint of his big heart. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Bigwig ultimately made an impact and saved many lives as he clashed with the most powerful of them all in Woundwort. While Bigwig doesn't have the size or intelligence to defeat Woundwort, he does have heart. The battle is throughout the maze and Bigwig fights to persevere. Ultimately Hazel's tribe relies on Bigwig for the battles between the different mazes and for their lives, while other rabbits fit different pieces of the puzzle. Overall, without Fiver's brains and Bigwig's raw strength, Hazel's tribe would have fallen apart.