Bambi · Chapter
V explained
Bambi grows and learns to listen, snuff the air, and navigate the forest.
What happens
Bambi grows and learns to listen, snuff the air, and navigate the forest. He becomes friends with the night and the owls. After a storm, he becomes separated from his mother and wanders in despair, meeting Gobo and Faline who are also lost. He then encounters a strange, terrifying creature—'Him'—and flees with his mother, who confirms the creature's identity.
Themes in this chapter
Growth and Maturation
Bambi develops his senses and learns to navigate the forest independently, marking his growth.
Fear and Danger
Bambi experiences terror during the storm and his first encounter with 'Him', a new and threatening presence.
The Unknowable and Mystery
The mysterious nature of 'Him' and the unknown fate of the mothers evoke a sense of the unknowable.
Characters to notice
- Bambi
Learns to listen and snuff the air, becomes separated from his mother, meets Gobo and Faline, and encounters 'Him' for the first time.
- Gobo
Found with Faline, also lost and calling for his mother.
- Faline
Found with Gobo, suggests their mothers may be with their fathers.
- the screech-owl
A charming, inquisitive owl who delights in frightening others with his piercing call.
- the squirrel
Greets Bambi and his mother after the storm, chattering about the weather.
- Mother
Reunites with Bambi after his encounter with 'Him' and explains who the creature is.
Key passages
“He could listen now, not merely hear, when things happened so close that they struck the ear of their own accord. No, there was really no art in that. He could really listen intelligently now to everything that stirred, no matter how softly.”
Bambi had learned to listen attentively, not just hear sounds, and could now detect even the faintest noises in the forest.
Highlights Bambi's sensory development.
“Then despair seized him, he could not stand it and started to walk. He wandered down the trails he knew, stopping and calling. He wandered farther and farther with hesitating steps, frightened and helpless.”
Overcome with despair, Bambi began to walk aimlessly, calling for his mother, growing more frightened and lost.
Captures Bambi's emotional state after losing his mother.
“It was a strange smell, heavy and acrid. It excited him to the point of madness. Bambi stared at the creature. It stood remarkably erect. It was extremely thin and had a pale face; entirely bare around the nose and the eyes. A kind of dread emanated from that face, a cold terror.”
Bambi encountered a strange, erect creature with a pale face and a terrifying scent that filled him with dread.
Describes Bambi's first sighting of 'Him'.