King Rat | Themes

King Rat Themes

Survival

Survival is the dominant theme in James Clavell's King Rat. It is most succinctly summed up in the final paragraphs when, deserted by the humans who have bred them for food, the the strongest of the rats caged in slit trenches beneath a POW hut rip free, devour the starved corpses of their fellow captives and resume having sex. The first rat captured, Adam, rules as King until his will departs and he becomes food for someone stronger. The strongest rat is always King by cunning, luck, and strength.

Cunning, luck, and strength are, throughout the body of the novel, the keys to survival among the humans, dreadfully underfed and forced to supplement their diet by whatever means possible. The King, an American corporal whose deprived childhood convinces him never to be deprived again, is the master of survival, forming a cadre of foragers, guards, and servants with whom he...
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