Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Kim, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Mentorship and Parenthood
Race, Identity, and Colonialism
Connection vs. Detachment
Misogyny
Summary
Analysis
Under Lurgan and Mahbub’s watchful guidance, Kim thrives. Though held more accountable for his actions, Kim’s obedience earns him new freedoms and experiences, such as accompanying Mahbub on an adventure-filled trip across the Indian Ocean. Kim continues training under Lurgan, and during the next holidays, Kim travels to Bikanir with Mahbub where he successfully produces a detailed map of the mysterious city. Mahbub, impressed by Kim’s work, calls him “Son” and gifts him a .450 revolver, overwhelming Kim with emotion. On Creighton’s instructions, Kim returns to school, but three weeks later Mahbub and Lurgan convince the Colonel he is ready to begin work.
Here, Mahbub emerges as a father figure to Kim, presenting him with an elegant revolver in recognition of his accomplishments in espionage. A traditional coming-of-age gift, the revolver symbolizes not only Kim’s entry into manhood, but also Mahbub’s increasingly parental role in Kim’s life. This marks a major shift in their relationship, moving beyond the transactional partnership of their past into a more emotionally invested and familial bond.
Themes
Creighton, Mahbub, and Lurgan debate where to send Kim, with Lurgan suggesting he join a mission in the south. Creighton objects, citing the difficulty of the mission, and Mahbub recommends he travel with the lama instead. All three discuss the lama, recounting Hurree Babu’s and their own positive experiences with the man. This turns to gossip about Babu's interest in joining the British Royal Society, but eventually Creighton agrees to let Kim travel with the lama for six months with a monthly stipend of 20 rupees. Upon receiving the news from the head of St. Xavier’s—who thinks Kim is going to work for the Canal Department—Kim is delighted.
Kim finishes school, and his mentors discuss the next steps in his life. While this underscores the loss of autonomy in Kim’s life since his training as a chainman, it also reveals the extent to which his mentors have taken on a shared parental role in his life, becoming a kind of ad hoc nuclear family. Though they all have professional expectations of Kim, they also clearly have his best interests in mind, exemplified by their willingness to let him travel with the lama.
Themes
Mahbub greets Kim at Lucknow station, giving him back his pistol and informing him of his monthly stipend. Kim is gracious and offers Mahbub a commission of two rupees for his efforts. They travel to the residence of Huneefa, a blind woman, with Mahbub warning Kim of the dangers of women along the way. Huneefa performs magic on Kim to darken his skin, summoning devils and putting Kim into a trance in the process. The Babu, witnessing the ordeal, expresses nervousness at the woman’s methods, but Mahbub reassures him. Kim wakes after what feels like thousands of years. The Babu greets him, giving him a proper chela uniform for his travels with the lama.
Huneefa's application of dark magic to alter Kim's skin color implies that such a transformation is ethically questionable or associated with sinister forces. This introduces a nuanced perspective on racial identity, acknowledging that while skin color is not inherently immutable, it appears to be closely tied to one’s soul or identity; severing that connection is not only taboo, but seemingly dangerous.
Themes
Hurree Babu speaks of his encounters with the lama, noting their shared agnosticism. Leaving the Huneefa’s, Hurree explains the purpose behind a special amulet necklace created for Kim by Huneefa, telling him that the necklace signals his membership in Sat Bhai, a secret society. Should Kim ever find himself in a tight situation, his membership might save his life, so long as Kim reveals himself as “a son of the Charm” and properly follows a set of coded conversation pieces. Before leaving, Hurree Babu explains that Kim’s time off is designed to de-English him, and instructs Kim to help any member of Sat Bhai he meets. Kim rejoices in his new equipment, feeling that “kings could be no richer.”
By inducting Kim into Sat Bhai, Hurree Babu affirms Kim’s chosen identity as an “Asiatic.” Though Kim is ancestrally white, Hurree recognizes him as a fellow native, illustrating the depth of Kim’s immersion in Indian culture, as well as Hurree’s expansive vision of racial identity. This scene also emphasizes the dual nature of colonial Indian society; while the British exert authority on the surface, an alternative, subversive world exists below, where British hierarchies and rules hold no sway.
Themes
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