Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We're just going to throw this out there. Think about the story of the Garden of Eden. A quick refresher, if you need it:
In Judeo-Christian tradition, God creates Adam and Eve and sets them down in the Garden of Eden, an awesome paradise. They get tricked out of that paradise (and innocence) thanks to the maneuverings of the wily serpent/ Satan.
And now think about the story of "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." There's an innocent boy in a garden. He's threatened by a snake. (Sound familiar? Yeah.) But instead of getting kicked out of the garden, he gets to stay in the garden. The snake is defeated; innocence is preserved.
And that sounds a lot like a reversal of Eden to us.