Kim Novel Review by the renowned novelist Rudyard Kipling - Book Report/Review Example

Kim Novel Review Kim is a novel written by the renowned novelist and Rudyard Kipling. Rudyard Kipling was bred in the Indian subcontinent under the rule of the British Empire, which is suggested in almost all his writings as they concern the Indian society and the dynamics of Indian social trends at that time. Kim, the character of his novel, dwells on the aforementioned in a very apt and descriptive manner, like many of his other novels, such as the acclaimed The Jungle Book. The story is set at a period, which is contemporary to the novel’s publication; its background is the Indian subcontinent of the British Empire. The main character is an orphan of the Irish descent who is getting mature through life being self-sufficient on the roads of India. He is looked after by a “half-caste” lady, a warden of an opium den. An animated and spirited personality, Kim, though completely Irish-blooded, is raised up as a “local” and attains the capability to flawlessly merge into the numerous cultural and spiritual collections of the Indian subcontinent. Once he encounters a traveling Tibetan Lama who is searching for a holy stream; Kim becomes his disciple and continues on an expedition across the entire country of India. The author’s explanation of Kim’s journeys through the sub-continent provided him the chance to style the various populates and beliefs that constituted India, and a important share of the story is dedicated to such images, which unquestionably have been both praised as enchanted and farsighted and disparaged as conventional and imperialistic. Kim in due course comes in contact with the militia troop that his dad had belonged to and creates the social contact of the colonel. Colonel Creighton distinguishes Kim’s inordinate aptitude for amalgamation into the various assorted ethos of the Indian sub-continent and helps him to become a secret agent and a cartographer for Britain’s army. The escapades that Kim experiences as a secret agent, his engaging connection with the lama, and the ability and workmanship of the author’s script indeed altogether produced this exploratory and evocative —if contentious — story to persevere as a trivial classic of ancient English prose. The author, Rudyard Kipling apart from the portrayal of the British Raj in Indian subcontinent and the view of a normal Indian society has also presented forth an insight into the politics of the region. The politics of the British Raj and all the stakeholders involved in the running of the country, more particularly, the princely states as well as the conflict zones can be seen in the story. The novel Kim is regarded as bringing the notion of The Great Game into conventional consciousness. The notion of the Great Game entails to the rivalry for power gain between the forces of the British and the Russians in the region of Central Asia. Moving further in the book, it is observed that despite attempting to receive education at the military school, Kim is spotted by the Colonel, who decides to make Kim a part of the “Great Game”. Kim is taught the principles of the so-called Great Game, the intricacies and the theories existential from both the rivals, the British and the Russians about the power struggle and dominance, concerning the regions of India and Afghanistan, where Kim is sent as a spy, to work for the British Army. The theme of this novel focuses greatly on the Buddhist teachings of Teshoo Lama, where at several instances in the book, Kim, the author Rudyard Kipling with utter prominence, has made and declared the ideals of equality and unity amongst the mankind very significant. At one point Teshoo Lama tells the protagonist, Kim, the following: ‘To those who follow the Way there is neither black nor white, Hind nor Bhotiyal. We’ll be all souls seeking to escape’. The mentioned statement by Teshoo Lama shows the importance of the aforementioned notions of equality and unity and clears the society of then, of all distinctions, regardless of any one may possess. This is despite the fact that the Hindu society of that time was largely divided into and believed in the systems of caste and creed. This predominant tradition has been highlighted in the novel Kim, by the author Rudyard Kipling as he must have seen this in the aura around him, while he lived in India. In this novel, Kim, the writer Rudyard Kipling portrays his own opinion about the British Rule in the Indian subcontinent. Rudyard Kipling was born and bred in India and was the son of a British museum curator, who headed the Lahore Museum and served Her Majesty The Queen of England, moreover the British government. It can be concluded that Rudyard Kipling, having a rich background, was most probably kept in a cocoon of his own about the actual nature of the British Rule in the Indian subcontinent and was not aware of the opinions of the general masses, but just those which were presented forth to him upon request, therefore Rudyard Kipling, in his book has portrayed the image of the British Empire, as that of a very positive one, contrary to the reality. At some points, Kipling however expressed his criticism towards the British Empire as well, in order to sound unbiased. Kim, keeping in tradition with the works of Rudyard Kipling has depicted the human nature in the most realistic and the best possible manner. In the novel, Kim, the author shows that a situation must be changed to one’s own advantage, showing the human nature, very accurately. This novel addresses the social sensitivity very tactfully. It deals with the problems existential in the world back then and presents solutions to them, likewise. Not only that, but Rudyard Kipling has also been critical about certain practices prevalent in the Indian society in this novel and states how the problems must be rectified. In this very novel, Rudyard Kipling describes Kim as someone who concerns himself with his business only. This can be seen from the part of the story where he is delivering messages for the shady people after nightfall to earn a living. This very quality was the one that inspired the Colonel, who later decided to employ him for the Great Game, for the aforementioned quality. Furthermore, another reason why Kim is given the job, because whatever he is assigned to do, regardless of the fact whether he knows about it or not, he does it with dedicated, devotion and excitement, as the delivering of the messages has been described in the book as “intriguingly exciting” for him. Because of his previous job, Kim happens to be aware of all the hidden places and secret passages in the city too, which makes the protagonist, Kim, perfect for his inclusion in the Great Game, between the Russians and the British. His previous job had made Kim aware of the importance of being undercover and had taught him the tact of becoming one as well. “Although Kipling was one of the most popular writers of his time, his work was often met with sharply differing criticisms by the literary establishment. His work previous to Kim, which included more verse, political essays, and children’s stories, was often met with contempt and scorn; indeed, the fact he received the Nobel Prize in 1907 was criticized by the literary establishment, who viewed him more as a popular writer than a true artist, a writer of verse rather than a poet, and who disapproved of the often coarse nature of his political writings” (E-Notes, n.p.). The story is one of the most remarkable pieces of adventurous fiction in this history which mixes the fun of adventures in the young age with the prose of a young man. The story overall gives an experience into the adventurous life of how a man can be able to reach answers that he is long lasting for. The skills of the author can clearly be witnessed in the story as to how he has portrayed the character of Kim. He has used his skills to give an insight of the life of Kim who is looking to find out the truth of his life. One can appreciate the skills of the author after going through the transitions in the story with a remarkable ending that leaves the audience thinking. Works Cited E-Notes. Kim by Rudyard Kipling. n.d. Web. 1 Oct 2012 . Read More