Some say Kipling was an imperialist. Some say he was an Indophile. I think he was both at the same time. One Kipling was a polished and sophisticated part of the ruling class, the British. Another Kipling was a child, innocent of the artificial divisions of the society, fascinated by the color and splendour of the Jewel in the Crown, India.
This novel at a subtle level, to me, represents a tug of war between the the two warring Kiplings. While the British elite Kipling is forced to believe in the good the Raj is doing to the poor rascals, the other Kipling has his doubts and frustrated by his inability to declare them freely, they find a veiled expression in Kim.
Kim is a Classic story of a boy’s adventure in British India. There runs a background plot about ’’the great game’’, the spying war between the British and the Russian empires. Kim becomes a chain-man (spy) for the British and his native early years make him formidable in the profession.
However, more interesting is the other parallel story, that of friendship between Kim and a Tibetan lama and their wanderings together which also make this a road novel.
Kipling understands the oriental way of life and its philosophy. ’’Only chicken and Sahibs walk around without reason’’ he says. Through many such comments Kipling questions the western way of work, hurry and constant activity. As the lama says ’’to refrain from any action is best’’.
Lastly, one can not but wonder, how much Kim represents a fantacy of Kipling that he wanted to happen to himself. A few common facts between the story and Kipling’s own life, for example his father’s association with the Lahore Museum, his own schooling experience etc are revealing. They almost make you hear Kipling sighing ’’I wish thus would have happened with me!’’
Highly recommended.