Kim - Rudyard Kipling

 

Kim is a novel by the prolific author and poet Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), who was the first English-language recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The novel was originally released in a serialised version in 1900-1901, after which it was published in book form. It offers a wide-ranging view of the cultural and religious diversity of British India in the late-19th century, as perceived through the experience of an Indian-enculturated Irish boy named Kim. Along with The Jungle Book and Captains Courageous, it stands as one of Kipling’s most enduring and beloved novels, although its reception has at times been marked by controversy regarding its depictions of British colonialism.

Kim is the story of young Kimball O’Hara, the orphaned son of an Irish regimental soldier living in British India in the late nineteenth century. Known simply as Kim, the boy is so thoroughly enculturated in his surroundings that no one suspects him of being white. He moves effortlessly through the complex cultural milieu of Lahore, where the story begins, and his character is marked by cleverness, wonder, and a zeal for the diversity of life’s experiences. The story begins when Kim encounters a Buddhist lama in Lahore, and he is so struck by the lama’s words and actions that he volunteers to be the lama’s chela (disciple). The lama is on a quest for enlightenment, seeking liberation from the Wheel of Things, and he expects to find this liberation by coming to the legendary Arrow River spoken of in tales of the Buddha’s life. Kim, now the lama’s chela, agrees to accompany him on this quest to find the Arrow River.

At the same time, Kim finds himself pulled into an espionage intrigue when he is tasked by his friend, Mahbub Ali, with taking a message to the British commander in Umballa. Kim delivers the message, which concerns geopolitical intelligence about the situation to the north, and then resumes his journey with the lama. As they travel across India together, Kim and the lama come across the Irish regiment with which Kim’s father had served and which is moving north in response to the intelligence Kim had provided to the British commander. Two clergymen attached to the regiment discover Kim’s identity and insist that he be taken into the care of a British school. The lama agrees to this plan now that he knows Kim is white, even offering to pay for Kim’s schooling, but the expectation remains that one day he and Kim will take up their quest for the river again.

The story of Kim is very significant, it not only captures the adventure experienced by a young boy, but it describes the imagery of the developed and less developed nations. Although these nations have diverse customs and values, this book demonstrates that it is possible for the two worlds to meet.

Kim’s character has two identities, he is Irish but he is intertwined in the Indian lifestyle. Religion plays a major role in the story. With the help of the Lama, Kim was able to understand the importance of impartiality and unity.