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“He spent all that day roaming over the house. He nearly drowned himself in the bath tubs, put his nose into the ink on a writing-table, and burnt it on the end of the big man's cigar, for he climbed up in the big man's lap to see how writing was done. At nightfall he ran into Teddy's nursery to watch how the kerosene-lamps were lighted, and when Teddy went to bed Rikki-tikki climbed up too; but he was a restless companion, because he had to get up and attend to every noise all through the night, and find out what made it.”
This is a summation of Rikki-tikki’s first day in the bungalow. He is intrigued by this new setting because it is unlike anything he has encountered before. Kipling juxtaposes his previous descriptions of the natural world with descriptions of man-made objects, structures, and technologies to highlight Rikki-tikki’s fascination with such a new setting. This serves the dual purpose of advancing Rikki-tikki’s coming-of-age narrative, as he learns more about the world and matures, and underscoring the differences between the man-made world (which can be seen as symbolic of British colonialism) and the natural one (which can be seen as symbolic of India).
“Then Rikki-tikki went out into the garden to see what was to be seen. It was a large garden, only half cultivated, with bushes as big as summer-houses of Marshal Niel roses, lime and orange trees, clumps of bamboos, and thickets of high grass.”
Here, the narrator describes the bungalow’s garden. The garden is an interesting space because it exists between the natural world and the man-made world. The garden is a natural domain where animals can live and plants can grow. However, it is also “cultivated.” For example, Marshal Niel roses come from France and are not native to India. The garden’s half-wild, half-maintained appearance reflects Rikki-tikki’s journey because he is a wild animal who ends up living in a realm of domesticity.
“It was dark in the hole; and Rikki-tikki never knew when it might open out and give Nagaina room to turn and strike at him.”
The final setting in “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” is the cobra hole where Rikki-tikki fights and ultimately kills Nagaina. Kipling emphasizes the cobra hole’s darkness to show that this is a sinister location only the bravest would dare to enter. As a result, the narrator makes it clear how impressive it that Rikki-tikki is willing to even enter the hole at all, much less fight and defeat Nagaina in total darkness.
