Babe: The Gallant Pig

Babe was one of those delightful children’s stories that adults too will enjoy at whatever stage of life. Having read this for the first time in the last year, I was immediately taken up and invested in the story. The second read was no different: I thought it was a lovely story.

The plot itself is fairly simple. It is all about Babe, the gallant pig, being the best pig it can be in all the situations he is thrown into at the farm. He is gallant, chivalrous, and courageous. When the pig meets Farmer Hogget at a fair, where Hogget takes a guess at the pig’s weight and wins the pig as a prize, both lives are changed. Pig slowly becomes a staple, and is loved by all, at the farm. He herds the sheep, earning him the nickname (and reclassification) sheep-pig. He is so kind to them and they love him so much that he can herd the sheep without worrying them. All he has to do is talk to them.

The story is one of vitality and enthusiasm. The author’s use of sounds (“oompah oompah of a marching band”, “the quiet valley below”, and “the rattle and thump of a skittle alley”) immediately give us that “slightly loud but peaceful” feeling of a farm. It is almost idyllic as a setting. The story uses sound as ways to show the vitality of the setting, and one of the most hilarious uses of sound is Mrs. Hogget’s repetitive and meandering sentences (she is a chatterbox, let me tell you).

The farmer is quiet, economical―especially with words―and soft-hearted, and the little pig appears to be suited to him. They form a bond at the fair, both looking at each other quietly and appraisingly. Their instantaneous bond is a central theme: They understand each other and see each other as friends, which allows them to be good to each other.

Fly, the sheepdog in the farmer’s employ, is “racist”. She thinks that sheepdogs are more intelligent than all other animals and that the others (especially ducks and sheep) are “stupid animals”. However, she takes Babe under her wings and teaches him how to get around the farm and is a mother to him. When he shows an interest in being a sheep-pig, she helps him achieve that dream too. In that, she transcends her racism and believes in his ability.

The story pitches the nature vs nurture question in the subtlest of ways: It is in the way that the pig―who by nature should be greedy, lazy, and dirty―is alert, fast, clean, and quick to learn. He is nurtured by the sheepdog and learns her innate skill so well that he is chosen to participate in a competition reserved for sheepdogs. However, the pig appears to be quite different from other pigs. He is determined and knows what he wants instinctively, which is to be like his foster mother, a sheep-herder. He is extremely good at his job because he is gallant, which one can argue is his personal nature along with an interest in being a sheep-pig. He is considerate of Ma, a sheep that has suffered a lot in her lifetime and ends up in the stable one day with injuries. He speaks to her so courteously that he makes a lifelong friend. In fact, Ma is central to his journey because she introduces him to others and puts in a good word (although glowing review is more apt) for him. His character allows him to make cross-species friends and his bravery helps him get noticed by the farmer and his wife. That leads him straight to the house, where earlier only Fly was allowed.

In fact, he opts to go with his character over his nurturing: he chooses empathy in his dealings with all creatures in direct contrast to the racism that Fly tried to teach him. This is why the sheep love him and do what he asks of them, which allows him to win the competition with ease. This skill is helped by his bravery against the rustlers and the other sheepdogs that come to worry the sheep. His actions against the rustlers and the dogs cement his friendship with the farmer and their relationship grows, resulting in earning the farmer’s trust and faith. Even when he is misunderstood in his hero’s journey, he stays true to himself and kind to all.

The book is a product of love, and the author Dick King-Smith shows his own background and loves through the writing. The way the farming sounds and the rural life is written, it is possible to see where King-Smith’s heart lies: He has brought to life his experiences with that life and animals. Born in 1922, King-Smith was a British farmer, teacher, soldier (WWII), salesman, factory worker, and writer, and he lived within 3? miles from his birthplace with his wife. He received his OBE in the 2010 New Year list and he was also awarded the Honorary Master of Education by the University of the West of England. He was active from 1976 till his death in 2011, and wrote 138 books and 6 adaptations. Sheep-Pig, the original title (non-US) of the book, was published in 1983 and won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize in 1984.?

The book stands the test of time in its treatment of character traits. Babe shows some traits that we humans prize and the book reminds us that to be kind and empathic is more important than to be superior. The central argument appears to be to believe in yourself and to keep trying to achieve your goals. If a pig can herd sheep, what mightn’t you and I do!

While I felt that some instances were a little convenient, such as the telephone always saving the pig from doom and despair and the rain helping him strategically in the competition, the story is so well-written and easy-going that it is easy to forgive such minor techniques that almost pass unnoticed. The book was a joy to read, even to reread in a short time frame, and it definitely deserves the status of a classic for its delightful character and simple but enchanting writing. You become so invested in all the characters that it feels like you are in this farm, and these characters are your family.