Alice, Rose, and Margaret are three minor characters in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.
Role in the film[]
They are first seen during an art class with Dr. Plumford. Plumford asks his class to name some of the primates that they plan to paint, but receives no answer. Resigned, he turns to Katherine "Kitty" Brydon, one of the girls, as final resort and asks her to name the monkeys, which she does. Dr. Plumford is relieved that at least she remembers the names. Kitty then alerts the group of "a spider monkey with a mustache", they initially look around for the monkey but when Kitty adds that the "spider monkey" is wearing a white hat and a linen suit (which is what Plumford is wearing), the ladies realize the joke and laugh while Plumford is annoyed.
Later, Plumford (in an act of bravado) over-dramatizes the danger of the Black Jungle which is separated from them via a rope bridge, but Kitty corrects him that the sign he was "reading" was in reality warning people that the bridge was old. Plumford is irritated that his fun has been spoiled, but insists that Kitty's translation was "very literal."
Alice, eager to misbehave, dares Rose to cross the bridge but she refuses. They look to Margaret who also refuses, and Alice refuses as well. Kitty does, however.
The three of them are later seen during a banquet. Mowgli approaches the drink stand near Margaret and Rose. Mowgli takes a cup and smiles politely at them, but the two avoid looking at him. A fly hassles Rose who swats at it, but Mowgli effortlessly catches it in his hand. This surprises both girls who now look at Mowgli. Mowgli pretends to eat the fly, which disgusts Margaret and she and Rose walk away and begin talking with Alice and Kitty before Kitty asks Mowgli to dance.
Later, they are joyous to hear of Kitty's engagement to William Boone and they toast them. Afterwards, John Wilkins and a few of his friends bump into Mowgli purposefully and then push him into the buffet table, embarrassing him in front of many people. The girls laugh at Mowgli, along with Wilkins and his friend. This upsets Kitty who runs after Mowgli to persuade him to come back when he leaves the banquet, and ultimately she calls off her engagement to William.
Alice, Rose, and Margaret are not seen again after this, but it can be assumed that Kitty fell out with them following their torment to Mowgli.
Trivia[]
- It is likely, judging by the way Margaret and Rose ignore Mowgli when he approaches them, that Margaret and Rose (being upper-class aristocrats) do not believe in socializing or being friends with not just with Mowgli but the people of India in general.
