- “Bambi stared at the creature. It stood remarkably erect. It was extremely thin and had a pale face; entirely bare around the nose and eyes. A kind of dread emanated from that face, a cold terror. That face had a tremendous power over him. It was unbearably painful to look at that face and yet Bambi stood staring fixedly at it.”
- ―Description of Man from Whittaker Chambers' translation of Bambi: A Life in the Woods
Man as he appears in Barbara Cooney's 1970 illustration of Bambi: A Life in the Woods
Man, also known as He, is the overarching antagonist of the 1922 book, Bambi: A Life in the Woods, the 1942 Disney film Bambi, and the 2006 Disney film, Bambi II. Arguably more of a concept than an actual individual, it is unclear exactly who He is. The terms "He", the name used to refer to him in Bambi: A Life in the Woods, and "Man", the name used to refer to him in the Disney films, are both singular terms. However, Bambi: A Life in the Woods strongly implies that "He" is just a term that the animals of the forest use to refer to humans in general, making it unclear which He did what.
Background[]
Due to the mystery surrounding his identity, it is hard to give an accurate description of Man, apart from him being human. It is unclear if he is just one individual or, perhaps, several. It is known that Man has hunted in the forest at least since the time of Bambi's great-grandmother[1], though it is unknown both if this is when He first began to hunt in the forest or not and if the Man of Bambi's great-grandmother's days is the same who would hunt the forest in later years. At least by the time of Bambi, Man lived in the same forest as the creatures he hunted.[2]
Man was a constant source of fear for even the strongest of the forest's creatures. Though little was known of His exact nature, all but the most naïve of animals knew to flee at His approach. His presence in the forest was a dreaded terror for its inhabitants, and, despite their frantic attempts at escape, He usually claimed the lives of at least a few unfortunate creatures before departing.
At any rate, Man would continue to hunt even throughout the childhood of Bambi, a deer known among his fellow animals as the "Young Prince of the Forest". During one winter, he, along with many other fellow men, went on a major hunting trip in the forest. During this trip, the lives of several pheasants, a hare, and Bambi's mother was claimed by Man. In addition to the animals he had killed, he also went home with a live animal, Gobo, a sickly fawn found helpless in the snow. Despite his love of hunting, he showed mercy to Gobo, taking him into his family and allowing his wife, children, and even his dogs to play with him. Of course, it is unclear whether the Man who adopted Gobo and the Man who killed so many forest creatures are the same or not, but it is clear that they were on the same hunting trip. This means that Gobo was raised and cared for either by the killer of or an accomplice in the killing of Bambi's mother and other animals.[1]
According to another source, Bambi's mother actually was not killed during a hunting trip. Rather, she was shot after Bambi and his friend Thumper stole food from Man's home.[2]
Man was in the forest again during the time when Bambi and Faline, the twin sister of Gobo, had just become mates. Just like in the previous hunt that had killed Bambi's mother, this hunt brought along many hunters, not just a singular man. Man's unattended campsite would lead to a forest fire that ravaged the entire forest and, perhaps, killed at least one of the hunters.[3]
Man would also be guilty for killing his own pet, Gobo, at some point roughly around the same time as the hunt which led to the forest fire. It is unknown if the man who killed Gobo was the same one that raised him or not.[1]
A man was killed by gunshot wound the winter before the Old Stag died. The death happened right next to Bambi. It was unknown if the death was on account of a hunting accident or a homicide. The Old Stag would use the incident to teach Bambi that Man is as subject to death as the rest of nature is and is not the omnipotent being that some animals such as Gobo believed him to be.[1]
Behind the Scenes[]
Man, originally referred to as He, was created by Felix Salten for Bambi: A Life in the Woods. A deleted scene in Bambi would have shown him being killed by the forest fire which occurs during the events of Bambi.
Theories[]
Many fan theories exist as to who exactly Man might be. One theory is that Man is the same character as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast. Evidence for this theory comes from the appearance of a character with the same model as Bambi's mother appearing in a scene in Beauty and the Beast, as well as the fact that Gaston is a hunter with a particular appetite for deer.
Gallery[]
