On the surface Kim is an adventure story with some cool espionage shenanigans thrown in and it follows the titular character’s development and the important relationships he forms. The latter part is what really drew me into the novel. At it’s heart Kim is about friendship, friendship that goes beyond race, nationality or religion. Kim himself is a amalgamation of the multitude of cultures that pervade India; an orphan raised in the bosom of Mother India.
Kim effortlessly moves in and out of these different cultures, even in the start of the book he is playing with a Hindu and a Muslim kid. His adeptness at being able to get food for the lama, at the start of the novel, showcases how comfortable he is in India and among its people. But he is still an outsider, Irish by blood and in Colonial India that makes all the difference, no matter how ingrained he is in it’s culture. Silly by today’s standard but Kim’s heritage supersedes his singularly Indian upbringing, he is and will always remain a Sahib in other’s eyes.
He goes undiscovered for most of his life until he is uprooted from his wandering travels with the lama and is thrust into British culture, which Kim abhors at first but he finally he acquiesces later on in the novel. These events end up being quite jarring for him and Kim starts struggling with his own identity.
‘Who is Kim—Kim—Kim?’
He squatted in a corner of the clanging waiting-room, rapt from all other thoughts; hands folded in lap, and pupils contracted to pin-points. In a minute—in another half-second—he felt he would arrive at the solution of the tremendous puzzle; but here, as always happens, his mind dropped away from those heights with a rush of a wounded bird, and passing his hand before his eyes, he shook his head.
And later in a conversation with Mahbub Ali, who says,
‘Therefore, in one situate as thou art, it particularly behoves thee to remember this with both kinds of faces. Among Sahibs, never forgetting thou art a Sahib; among the folk of Hind, always remembering thou art——’ He paused, with a puzzled smile.
To which Kim replies,
‘What am I? Mussalman, Hindu, Jain, or Buddhist? That is a hard knot.’
Kim is unique, he encompasses all these cultures but he does not commit, he enjoys the ‘game’ and aside from a few interactions I believe he lacks the innate feeling of superiority that is present in the British characters. He struggles because of this lack of committal, like we all do, he questions his own identity, “who or what am I?”. He is pulled between the cultures he was raised in and the hold of his heritage by blood. Perhaps it is a bit silly to view identity in the binary, one or the other, fashion, Kim says as much,
‘Thou hast said there is neither black nor white. Why plague me with this talk, Holy One? Let me rub the other foot. It vexes me. I am not a Sahib. I am thy chela, and my head is heavy on my shoulders.’
Near the end of the novel, he finally comes to a realization, though one we are not entirely privy to.
All that while he felt, though he could not put it into words, that his soul was out of gear with its surroundings—a cog-wheel unconnected with any machinery, just like the idle cog-wheel of a cheap Beheea sugar-crusher laid by in a corner. The breezes fanned over him, the parrots shrieked at him, the noises of the populated house behind—squabbles, orders, and reproofs—hit on dead ears.
‘I am Kim. I am Kim. And what is Kim?’ His soul repeated it again and again.
He did not want to cry—had never felt less like crying in his life—but of a sudden easy, stupid tears trickled down his nose, and with an almost audible click he felt the wheels of his being lock up anew on the world without. Things that rode meaningless on the eyeball an instant before slid into proper proportion. Roads were meant to be walked upon, houses to be lived in, cattle to be driven, fields to be tilled, and men and women to be talked to. They were all real and true—solidly planted upon the feet—perfectly comprehensible—clay of his clay, neither more nor less.
He settles his soul, he finally finds his place in the world and I can only assume he has come to terms with his identity. Throughout the novel we see that he incorporates the knowledge he gains in the British school, he even changes the language of his thinking in some parts of the book. He does this all without forgetting his the Indian portion of his identity, at one point he is glad to be on the road with ‘his people’ (Indians). He comes to terms with the world and he wants to be a part of and experience it, for what are we but the sum of our experiences?
His identity doesn’t develop in a vacuum, it is influenced by his relationships. Two of the most important, I believe, are with Mahbub and of course the lama.
Kim is quick-witted and has a sharp tongue; his overtly playful nature made me view his relationships at the beginning as superficial, all a part of the ‘game’. He journeys with the lama due to curiosity and his relationship with Mahbub Ali seems like one of convenience in which they trade favors from one another. His qualities naturally draw people to him, including Creighton Sahib who obviously realizes his excellent potential as a spy.
A conversation between the lama and Mahbub illustrates as much.
‘The Sahiba is a heart of gold,’ said the lama earnestly. ‘She looks upon him as her son.’
‘Hmph! Half Hind seems that way disposed.
As we follow Kim we see that curiosity grows into respect and admiration for his teacher and they form a strong bond of friendship. We also see his relationship with Mahbub, which is not based merely on mutual gain but rather is a strong bond of love. Both these characters act as mentors and father figures for Kim, who is an orphan. Mahbub says the following to Kim,
“Thou art beyond question an unbeliever, and therefore thou wilt be damned. So says my Law – or I think it does. But thou art also my Little Friend of all the World, and I love thee. So says my heart. This matter of creeds is like horseflesh. The wise man knows horses are good – that there is profit to be made from all; and for myself – but that I am a good Sunni and hate the men of Tirah – I could believe the same of all the Faiths. Now manifestly a Kattiawar mare taken from the sands of her birthplace and removed to the west of Bengal founders – nor is even a Balkh stallion… of any account in the great Northern deserts beside the snow-camels I have seen. Therefore I say in my heart the Faiths are like horses. Each has merit in its own country.
We see that Mahbub, a muslim, loves Kim despite what his faith might say about a person that does not follow the same tenets and even espouses the merits of other faiths. He also presents Kim with gifts which results in this exchange,
Then he stooped towards Mahbub’s feet to make proper acknowledgment with fluttering, quick-patting hands; his heart too full for words. Mahbub forestalled and embraced him.
‘My son,’ said he, ‘what need of words between us?
These powerful lines are all that are needed to show their bond.
The relationship between Kim and the lama, the teacher and his chela, is given the largest amount of development. When they are parted and Kim must attend school the lama tries to push him away.
‘But whither shall I send my letters?’ wailed Kim, clutching at the robe, all forgetful that he was a Sahib.
‘To the Temple of the Tirthankars at Benares. That is the place I have chosen till I find my River. Do not weep; for, look you, all Desire is Illusion and a new binding upon the Wheel. Go up to the Gates of Learning. Let me see thee go. . . . Dost thou love me? Then go, or my heart cracks. . . . I will come again. Surely I will come again.’
Due to his beliefs he tries to not have any ties of love but he simply cannot deny his affection for Kim. This relationship culminates into a monumental act of love by the lama at the end of the novel. At the cusp of his enlightenment, with his journey behind him, the lama’s quest finally completed, he has the following realization.
Then my Soul was all alone, and I saw nothing, for I was all things, having reached the Great Soul. And I meditated a thousand thousand years, passionless, well aware of the Causes of all Things. Then a voice cried: “What shall come to the boy if thou art dead?” and I was shaken back and forth in myself with pity for thee; and I said: “I will return to my chela, lest he miss the Way.”
To also emphasize this event, I found the following line spectacular and indicative of the significance of his act.
I pushed aside world upon world for thy sake.
He could not bear to leave Kim alone, he returned for his sake alone, so he could guide his chela to the same enlightenment. With the close of the novel, we see him at peace with his love of Kim and his beliefs.
He crossed his hands on his lap and smiled, as a man may who has won salvation for himself and his beloved.
I’d also like to note that Kipling’s transliteration of Hindi, Urdu and other languages interspersed throughout the novel were great, especially because I could understand a lot of them! The way he shows when characters are speaking Urdu and Hindi or actually speaking English is really brilliant. He even shows the different way of pronunciations due to accents. I just though it was a neat literary device.