In Kipling's Kim, our protagonist plays the role of a hybrid: he is Irish, but born in India. As a result, his life is split in two by different influences. His duality allows him to cover the various roles that are required of him. Kim is a versatile boy, capable of handling several difficult tasks beyond his age. Indeed, it is evident that he is a “two-faced man”. This theme is introduced in the poem “The Two-Faced Man,” by Kipling, a section of which can be found in the introduction to chapter eight. Emphasize the duality of the character in the sentence: "And praise Allah who has given me two / separate sides of my head!" For Kim, it seems that each of his parts is divided into two separate worlds, one of being a chela and one of being a sahib. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The world Kim lives in is the world created with the Lama. After joining the Lama's journey, he is sucked into the world of the spiritual. In the poem, there is a reference to the “side” of the spiritual, as it says: “Wesley's retinue, Calvin's flock, / White or yellow or bronze, / Shaman, Ju-ju or Angekok, / Minister, Mukamuk , Bonzo.” This implies that all paths of spiritual life are good, creating an equality reflected in Kim's ethnic origin. Although he is Irish, he is on the same level as any Indian. He fits the role of an Indian, which helps him as he carries out his duties as a chela. Being the Lama's chela, he is hired to help the old man with his basic needs and works to guide him to the river he seeks. They get by together, often with the bare minimum. The poem also refers to this. He says, “I would be left without shirt or shoes, / Man, tobacco or bread.” Being an orphan and living on the streets allowed him to face such conditions and thrive. His background as an Indian street rat comes in handy. It helps him provide for the Lama's needs, as well as helping him interact with people. He knows the customs of the natives and takes advantage of them; furthermore, his contacts are invaluable throughout the novel. While this doesn't help the Lama, being the son of a soldier helped him get an education and that of St. Xavier. All his interactions with the Lama and the native peoples can be grouped into one section, which is his life as a chela. On the other hand, however, Kim is also sahib, or white. This side of Kim is obviously strongly linked to colonialism. Since the British Empire has a strong presence in India, Kim's whiteness reflects the role of the British Army in the novel. When Kim is recruited as a spy for Colonel Creighton, he falls into the world of the English. Everything British is separate from everything Indian. His white background helps him carry out his spy duties. He's intelligent, for starters, and his candor influences how people receive him. Enter a world where Indians were generally not accepted. It fits perfectly into Colonel Creighton's world. It even seems that Kim considers him a father figure and role model. In fact, it appears that Creighton takes on a stronger role, as a father figure, than Mahbub Ali. But it is Mahbub Ali who tells Kim: “Once Sahib, always Sahib.” There is a certain permanence to Kim's state. He cannot change the color of his skin, nor his heritage. He will always be a sahib for the natives. Even though he saw a role model in Mahbub Ali, he belongs to a different world. Ultimately, they will always be on the other end of the spectrum. Even his Indian friends are separated from him, regardless of his wishes. Once his whiteness is established, it prevents any further strong sentimental interaction between him and the Indian world. Also.
tags