Watership Down
Plot Summary

By Richard Adams
Hazel and Fiver are rabbits in a warren that is destined to be destroyed. Hazel leads a group of
rabbits to go find a new home. The rabbits escape and journey through the woods. They
struggle as they are hunted. They worship El Ehrair-rah who can trick and outsmart his enemies
to survive. They first find a warren full of food, but discover the farmer is fattening them up to
kill and eat them. They find Watership Down, but Hazel realizes that need to find female rabbits
for mating and survival. They find another waren, Efafra, where rabbits are well cared for, but
it is controlled by a dictator rabbit, General Woundwort who is not right; to strong and smart to
be a rabbit. Hazel’s warren of rabbits battles, and beats the general and his forces and goes on
to live in Efafra.
Main Characters

Hazel – The young leader of the rabbits; Fiver’s brother.

Fiver-Hazel’s brother; he is small, but sees what other rabbits do not so he advises Hazel and the
others.

Bigwig – He is the strongest refugee and a fighter who knows when to fight and when not to

Dandelion – The storyteller

Blackberry – The smartest and wisest rabbit.

El Ehrair-rah – A trickster.

General Woundwort – A smarter and stronger rabbit that rules over the ward.
Themes

Home and its true meaning

Leadership

Nature

Trickery
Symbols

The different rabbit warrens symbolize different forms of government
1
Sarah Stoloff
Watership Down
Author/Background Information

By Richard Adams
Richards Adams is an English Novelist born in 1920. He studied Modern History in Oxford before
going off to fight in World War II. After the war, he completed college and joined the English
Civil Service. Watership Down was published in 1974, and two years later, the author became a
full-time novelist. Richard Adams first told the story of Watership Down to his children and the
novel came about when they insisted that he write it down. The novel was instantly successful,
has sold 50 million copies, and is considered a modern classic.
Key Facts

Fantasy Novel

Allegory
o
Rabbits representing people
Quotes

"The rabbits became strange in many ways, different from other rabbits. They knew well enough
what was happening. But even to themselves they pretended that all was well, for the food was
good, they were protected, they had nothing to fear but the one fear; and that struck here and
there, never enough at a time to drive them away. They forgot the ways of wild rabbits. They
forgot El-ahrairah, for what use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and
paying his price?"

"All other elil do what they have to do and Frith moves them as he moves us. They live on the
earth and they need food. Men will never rest till they've spoiled the earth and destroyed the
animals."

"Did you see his body? No. Did anyone? No. Nothing could kill him. He made rabbits bigger than
they've ever been—braver, more skillful, more cunning. I know we paid for it. Some gave their
lives. It was worth it, to feel we were Efrafans. For the first time ever, rabbits didn't go scurrying
away. The elil feared us. And that was on account of Woundwort—him and no one but him. We
weren't good enough for the General. Depend upon it, he's gone to start another warren
somewhere else. But no Efrafan officer will ever forget him."
2
Sarah Stoloff
Watership Down
Sources
By Richard Adams

http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-Richard-Adams/dp/0380002930#_

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/watership/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Adams

http://www.gradesaver.com/watership-down/wikipedia/plot-summary/

http://www.allreaders.com/topics/info_30346.asp
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Sarah Stoloff