Page
number
and
chapter
Chapter
18, page
123
Chapter
4, page
17
Passage from the book
Methods of
characterization used
Inference about character
“Strawberry had had a bad
time. His misery had made him
slow-witted and careless and
he was ashamed of the part he
had played at the warren. He
was soft and more used than
he dared admit to indolence
and good food. But he made
no complaint and it was plain
that he was determined to
show what he could do and not
to be left behind. He had
proved useful in the woodland,
being better accustomed to
thick woods than any of the
others. ‘He’ll be all right, you
know, if we give him a chance,’
said Hazel to Bigwig by the
lake. ‘So he darned well ought
to be,’ replied Bigwig, ‘the
great dandy’ – for by their
standards Strawberry was
scrupulously clean and
fastidious. ‘Well, I won’t have
him brow-beaten, Bigwig,
mind. That won’t help him.’”
“’No, I’m Hawkbit,’ said the
rabbit who was peering over
the edge, He jumped down
among them, landing rather
heavily. ‘Do you remember me,
Hazel? We were in the same
burrow during the snow last
Winter. Dandelion told me you
were going to leave the warren
tonight. If you are, I’ll come
with you.’ Hazel could recall
Hawkbit- a rather slow, stupid
rabbit whose company for five
snowbound days had been
distinctly tedious.”
What the character
wants- He wants to
prove himself to the rest
of the warren.
This describes Strawberry and
how he is faring with the other
rabbits. He is sad, and doesn’t
fit in because he is used to
good food. I can infer that he
has a lot of potential with this
group once he gets used to it.
What the other
characters say about
him- Hazel wants to give
him a chance, but Bigwig
is skeptical.
What the other
characters think about
him- Hazel thought
Hawkbit was stupid and
thought that spending
time with him was
tedious.
What the character saysHawk bit doesn’t make a
decision himself, he did
something because
Dandelion did.
Hawkbit is a pretty easy-going
rabbit. He leaves the warren
because his friend is, and if he
follows his friends, he will be
an easy rabbit to lead, even
though he isn’t smart.
Chapter
2, pages
10-11
Chapter
20, page
139
“The Chief Rabbit’s name and
style was Threarah, meaning
‘Lord Rowan Tree’. For some
reason he was always referred
to as ‘the Threarah’ – perhaps
because there happened to be
only one Threar, or Rowan,
near the warren, from which
he took his name. He had won
his position not only by
strength in his prime, but also
by level-headedness and a
certain self-contained
detachment, quite unlike the
impulsive behavior of most
rabbits. It was well-known that
he never let himself become
excited by rumor or danger.
He had coolly – some even said
coldly – stood firm during the
terrible onslaught of the
myxomatosis, ruthlessly driving
out every rabbit who seemed
to be sickening. He had
resisted all ideas of mass
immigration and forced
complete isolation on the
warren, thereby almost
certainly saving it from
extinction. It was he, too, who
had once dealt with a
particularly troublesome stoat
by leading it down among the
pheasant coops and so (at the
risk of his own life) on to a
keeper’s gun. He was now, as
Bigwig said, getting old, but his
wits were still clear enough.
When Hazel and Fiver were
brought in, he greeted them
politely. Owsla like Toadflax
might threaten and bully. The
Threarah had no need.”
“In the Sandleford Warren,
Holly had been a rabbit of
consequence. He had been
greatly relied upon by the
Threarah and had more than
The character’s nameThe Threarah’s name
means Lord Rowan Tree,
and there is only one
rowan in the warren.
Threarah is a unique rabbit. He
is a good leader, and he is calm
and level-headed unlike most
rabbits. The Threarah is
somewhat mysterious and
wise.
How the character treats
and interacts with
others- he threw out any
sickening rabbit during
the myxamatosis
epidemic.
How the character deals
with problems- He risks
his own life to rid the
warren of a stoat
What other characters
say about him- Bigwig
said he was getting old.
How other characters
treat the character- Holly
was greatly relied upon
by the Threarah
Holly has great leadership and
initiative. He is strong and
loyal. He would never, ever,
leave the warren. It was more
surprising than ever to find
Chapter
23, page
182
once carried out difficult
orders with a good deal of
courage. During the early
spring, when a fox had moved
into a neighboring copse, Holly,
with two or three volunteers,
had kept it steadily under
observation for several days
and reported all its
movements, until one evening
it had left as suddenly as it had
come. Although he had
decided on his own initiative to
arrest Bigwig, he had not the
reputation of being vindictive.
He was, rather, a stander of no
nonsense who knew when
duty was done and did it
himself. Sound, unassuming,
conscientious, a bit lacking of
the rabbit sense of mischief, he
was something of the born
second-in-command. There
could have been no question of
trying to persuade him to leave
the warren with Hazel and
Fiver. To find him in Watership
Down at all, therefore, was
astonishing enough. But to find
him in such a condition was all
but incredible.”
“’Finish eat.’ It paused. ‘Vat for
you do?’
‘You hurt?’ said Hazel.
The bird looked crafty. ‘No
hurt. Plenty fight. Stay small
time, den go.’
‘You stay there you finish,’ said
Hazel. ‘Bad place. Come
Homba, come Kestrel.’
‘Damn the lot. Fight plenty.’
‘I bet it would, too,’ said
Bigwig, looking with
admiration at the two-inch
beak and thick neck.
‘We no want you finish,’ said
Hazel. ’You stay here you
finish. We help you maybe.’
How the character
solves/ deals with
problems- Under a fox
attack, Holly kept a close
eye on it until it went
away. He took initiative
to arrest Bigwig.
What the character looks
like- Kehaar has a long
beak and large neck
Holly in the warren. Something
truly terrible must have
happened to find Holly so far
from home.
Kehaar is an unfamiliar person
to the rabbits. He speaks
differently, looks different
from other birds they’ve seen,
What the character
and stubborn. He also should
wants or desires- Hazel
watch his language. He will be
wants to befriend Kehaar hard to befriend, but will
for reasons that none of probably be useful once he is
the other rabbits know.
befriended because of his
strength.
What the character says- Hazel Is going to need a lot of
Kehaar talks with a
patience and effort to befriend
dialect not like the
Kehaar. He must have a very
rabbits.
good reason to do this if he is
investing so much time into
What characters say
him.
about him- Silver thinks
Chapter
12, page
63
‘Piss off!’
‘Come on,’ said Hazel
immediately to the others. ‘Let
it alone.’ He began to lollop
back to the wood. ‘Let it try
keeping the kestrels off for a
bit.’
‘What’s the idea, Hazel?’ said
Silver. ‘That’s a savage brute.
You can’t make a friend out of
that.’
‘You may be right,’ said Hazel.
‘But what’s the good of a blue
tit or a robin to us? They don’t
fly any distance. We need a big
bird.’”
“As they approached, the other
rabbit kept still and watched
them intently. They could see
now that he was a big fellow,
sleek and handsome. His fur
shone and his claws and teeth
were in perfect condition.
Nevertheless, he did not seem
aggressive. On the contrary,
there was a curious, rather
unnatural gentleness about the
way in which he waited for
them to come nearer. They
stopped and looked at him
from a little distance.
“I don’t think he’s dangerous,”
whispered Blackberry. “I’ll go
up to him first if you like.”
“We’ll both go,” replied Hazel.
But at this moment the other
rabbit come toward them of
his own accord. He and Hazel
touched their noses together,
sniffing and questioning
silently. The stranger had an
unusual smell, but it was
certainly not unpleasant. It
gave Hazel an impression of
good feeding, of health and of
a certain indolence, as though
the other came from some
rich, prosperous county where
Kehaar is a “savage
brute”
What the character looks
like- Cowslip is sleek and
handsome, he has nice
claws and teeth, and he
has brown eyes
How the character
interacts with others- He
is curious and
unnaturally gentle, and
“he had the air of an
aristocrat.” He also
didn’t talk much.
What the other
characters think about
him- Hazel thought he
seemed healthy and rich.
What the character saysCowslip didn’t talk a lot
Cowslip is a mysterious rabbit.
He seems rich, and is curious
and strangely gentle. He is
quiet and seemed melancholy.
This is unusual because a
rabbit shouldn’t be sad if he is
healthy and Handsome.
Chapter
2, page
9-10
Chapter
1, page
4
he himself had never been. He
had the air of an aristocrat and
as he turned to gaze at
Blackberry from his great
brown eyes, Hazel began to
see himself as a ragged
wanderer, leader of a gang of
vagabonds. He had not meant
to be the first to speak, but
something in the other’s
silence compelled him.
“We’ve come over the
heather,” he said.
The other rabbit made no
reply, but his look was not that
of an enemy. His demeanor
had a kind of melancholy
which was perplexing.”
“Here they were stopped by a
large, heavily built rabbit- one
of the Owsla. He had a curious,
heavy growth of fur on the
crown of his head, which gave
him an odd appearance, as
though he were wearing a kind
of cap. This had given him his
name, Thlayli, which means
literally, “Furhead” or, as we
might say, “Bigwig.””
“His companion seemed less at
ease. He was small, with wide,
staring eyes and a way of
raising and turning his head
which suggested not so much
caution as a kind of ceaseless,
nervous tension. His nose
moved continually, and when a
bumblebee flew humming to a
thistle bloom behind him, he
jumped and spun round with a
start that sent two nearby
rabbits scurrying for their holes
before the nearest, a buck with
black-tipped ears, recognized
him and returned to feeding.
‘Oh, it’s only Fiver,’ said the
black-tipped rabbit, ‘jumping at
What the character looks
like- Bigwig has a strange
tuft of fur on top of his
head.
The characters nameBigwig’s name, Thlayli,
means furhead because
of his tuft of fur on top
of his head.
Physical description of
the character- Fiver is
small with wide eyes
What other characters
say about him- Toadflax
says that it’s amazing
Fiver hasn’t been caught
by someone yet because
he is so small
The characters nameFiver got his name
because he was fifth and
last in the litter.
Bigwig is easily noticed. He is a
member of the Owsla,
meaning he is big and strong,
and he has a unique tuft of fur
on his head. He is the kind of
person you would remember.
Fiver is alert and somewhat
paranoid because he jumps at
the sight of a bumblebee. He is
nervous always. He has very
strong senses, though, Rabbits
do not think very highly of him
because of his small size and
overalertness.
Chapter
6, page
27
Chapter
29, page
255
bluebottles again. Come on,
Buckthorn, what were you
telling me?’
‘Fiver?’ said the other rabbit.
‘Why’s he called that?’
‘Five in the litter, you know: he
was the last- and the smallest.
You’d wonder why nothing had
got him by now. I always say a
man couldn’t see him and a fox
wouldn’t want him.’”
“Then Frith said to El-ahrairah,
‘Prince Rabbit, if you cannot
control your people, I shall find
ways to control them. So mark
what I say.’ But El-ahrairah
would not listen and he said to
Frith, ‘My people are the
strongest in the world, for they
breed faster and eat more than
any of the other people. And
this shows how much they love
Lord Frith, for of all the animals
they are the most responsive
to his warmth and brightness.
You must realize, my lord, how
important they are and not
hinder them in their beautiful
lives.’
Frith could have killed Elahrairah at once, but he had a
mind to keep him in the world,
because he needed him to
sport and jest and play tricks.”
“’I think I will have to come,
just to satisfy my curiosity. I’ve
been opening and shutting my
mouth like a baby bird to know
about this plan and no one
puts anything in. I suppose
Bigwig’s going to dress up like
a hrududu and drive all the
does across the field.’
Hazel turned on him sharply.
Bluebell sat up on his hind legs
and said, ‘Please, General
Woundwort, sir, I’m only a
How the character treats
others- El-ahrairah
doesn’t give Frith the
respect he deserves
What other characters
think about him- Frith
doesn’t want to kill him
because he is needed for
his tricks
I think that El-ahrairah is
somewhat disrespectful
because he thinks his people
are better than others. He
could have been dead long ago
if it weren’t for his trickiness.
What the character saysEl-ahrairah says things
that make him sound full
of himself and his
people.
What the character
wants and how he tries
to get that- Bluebell
wants everyone to cheer
up in the face of danger
so he tells jokes
How the other
characters treat himHazel tells Bluebell to
shut up because this is
serious business
Bluebell just doesn’t know
when to stop telling jokes. He
always finds a way to make a
serious situation funny.
Sometimes others don’t want
him to. Bluebell is important to
the warren because he cheers
the rabbits up.
Chapter
16, page
102
Chapter
4, page
18
little Hrududu and I’ve left all
my petrol on the grass, So if
you wouldn’t mind eating the
grass, sir, while I just give this
lady a ride-‘
‘Bluebell,’ said Hazel, ‘Shut up!’
‘I’m sorry, Hazel-rah,’ replied
Bluebell in surprise. ‘I didn’t
mean any harm. I was only
trying to cheer everyone up a
bit. After all most of us feel
frightened at the idea of going
to this place and you can’t
blame us, can you? It sounds
horribly dangerous.’”
“… Hazel was surprised to
realize that Silverweed was a
mere youngster. In the
Sandleford warren no rabbit of
his age would have been asked
to tell a story, except perhaps
to a few friends alone. He had
a wild, desperate air, and his
ears twitched continually. As
he began to speak, he became
less and less aware of his
audience and continually
turned his head, as though
listening to some sound,
audible only to himself, from
the entrance tunnel behind
him. But there was an arresting
fascination in his voice, like the
movement of wind and light on
a meadow, and as its rhythm
entered into his hearers the
whole burrow became silent.”
“’ He asked me f I was sure I
wasn’t working up some kind
of plot against the Threarah
and he got awfully angry and
suspicious. It put the wind up
me, to tell you the truth, so
I’ve just brought Hawkbit along
and left it at that.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ said Hazel.
‘Knowing Toadflax, I’m
What the character saysBluebell tells jokes and
makes light of a
dangerous thing
What other characters
think about him- Hazel
was most surprised to
see that this respected
rabbit was young
Silverweed is very much like
Fiver. He is twitchy and
nervous. He seems to hear
thing that most don’t. He is
respected unlike most young
rabbits.
What the character looks
like- He has twitchy ears,
and a fascinating voice
How the other
characters treat himSilverweed is respected
and when he speaks,
everyone listens
How the character treats
others- Toadflax was
angry and suspicious of
Dandelion
What other characters
say about him- Hazel
said he was surprised
that toadflax didn’t
knock Dandelion over
Toadflax is an Owsla and
exercises his power often.
Hazel seemed to imply that
Toadflax usually knocks rabbits
over. He also protects the
Threarah and is suspicious.
Chapter
12, page
69-70
Chapter
24, page
203
surprised he didn’t knock you
over first and ask questions
afterward.’”
“Blackberry, alert and
intelligent, looking first up and
then down the ditch before he
crossed it. Bigwig, cheerful at
the prospect of action. The
steady, reliable Silver.
Dandelion, the dashing
storyteller, so eager to be off
that he jumped the ditch and
ran a little way into the field
before stopping to wait for the
rest. Buckthorn, perhaps the
most sensible and staunch of
them all. Pipkin, who looked
round for Hazel and then came
over to wait beside him. Acorn,
Hawkbit and Speedwell, decent
enough rank-and-filers as long
as they were not pushed
beyond their limits. Last of all
came Fiver, dejected and
reluctant as a sparrow in the
frost.”
“The hutch rabbits seemed at
once bewildered and
fascinated. Clover, the Angora
doe – a strong, active rabbit –
was clearly excited by Hazel’s
description and asked several
questions about the warren
and the downs. It became plain
that they thought of their life
in the hutch as dull but safe.
They had learned a great deal
about elil from some source or
other and seemed sure that
few wild rabbits survived for
long. Hazel realized that
although they were glad to talk
to him and welcomed his visit
because it brought a little
excitement and change into
their monotonous life, it was
not within their capacity to
What the other
characters think about
them- This whole
paragraph describes
Hazel’s thoughts on all
the different
personalities and
behaviors of all the
rabbits as they go to
Cowslip’s warren
All the characters of Watership
Down have very different
personalities. Blackberry is the
brains of the group, Bigwig
loves action, Silver is reliable,
Dandelion is an eager
storyteller, Buckthorn is
sensible, Pipkin is shy, Acorn,
Hawkbit, and Speedwell are
kind of normal, and Fiver is
reluctant to go with the rest of
the group. Despite the
differences in all the rabbits,
they get along well.
What the character looks
like- Clover is a strong
and active angora doe
The hutch rabbits find their life
on the farm boring, but they
are content with it. They think
Hazel’s life is interesting, but
they really couldn’t imagine
living that way.
How the characters
interact with others- The
hutch rabbits want to
talk to Hazel, but they
don’t really want to join
his warren
What the character
thinks- the hutch rabbits
think their life is “dull
but safe”
take a decision and act on it.”