Faithful Elephants Reading Response

                   In the story "Faithful Elephants" by Yukio Tsuchiya the theme is that just because you believe something is going to happen it doesn't mean that it is.  "Faithful Elephants" is a depressed tale about these three elephants John, Tonky,  and Wanly being killed.  The zookeepers had starved John, Tonky, and Wanly because they thought the elephants were going to die by bombs dropping from the war.  
                   For the zookeepers at the zoo they believed that since there was a war going on that the three elephants and the other animals weren't safe, though that might not be true.  The story states "what would happen if bombs hit the zoo?  If the cages were broken and dangerous animals escaped to run wild through the city, it would be terrible!  Therefore by command of the Army, all of the lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and big snakes were poisoned to death."  The zookeepers were compassionate and showing pity to the animals in the zoo.  Lastly the story states "as it seems no other way, we must inject poison directly into his body."  As you can see the zookeepers went a little too far on thinking that they had to kill all the animals for the city to be safe.
                    For the elephant trainer if the three elephants were killed he would be lonely, miserable, and empty.  They starved the elephant John first.   John passed away 17 days later.    Then they zookeepers started starving Tonky and Wanly.  In the story it says "the elephant keepers stopped feeding Tonky and Wanly.  As the days passed, the elephants became thinner, weaker and weaker."  The elephants ears seemed too big for their bodies and the elephants were sad and hungry.  "All this while, the elephants ' trainer loved them as if they were his own children."  The elephant trainer was loving, caring, and joyful around the elephants.  The story states "the trainer could stand it no longer.  Oh, Tonky!  Oh, Wanly! he wailed, and dished to the food shed.  He carried food and pails of water to them and threw it at their feet.  Here!  he said, sobbing, and clung to their thin legs.  Eat your food!  Please drink.  Drink your water!"  Also "at last, Tonky and Wanly could no longer move.  Seeing his beloved elephants dying this way, the elephant trainer felt as if his heart would break. '  The elephants are dead! ' screamed the elephant trainer as he ran into the office.  He buried his head in his arms and cried, beating the desk top with his fist."  The elephant trainer thought he couldn't stop the zookeepers from starving his elephants and when they died he was very depressed.
                     The "Faithful Elephants" tells the story about three elephants John, Tonky, and Wanly that were put to death by the zookeepers.  The message in this story is that just because you think something is going to occur, you can't predict the future.  In conclusion don't do something because you think its going to happen, do what you think is best.