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
Waiting in the train station, Kim reflects on being alone, wondering who will think of him when he is dead. Asking himself over and over “Who is Kim?, ” Kim descends into a state of deep speculation about his personal identity. A holy man approaches Kim and, recognizing his personal crisis, affirms Kim’s journey. Kim feels better, and on the train ride to Benares, cheers his fellow travelers with stories. On his way to the Tirthankars’ Temple, a Jat farmer asks Kim for help curing his sick child. Kim, touched by the man’s show of respect for him—proof of Kim’s burgeoning maturity—agrees to help. The lama emerges from the temple, and Kim asks his blessing to cure the child. The lama agrees, and Kim proudly administers medicinal treatment from his betel-box.
Leaving St. Xavier’s for the last time, Kim undergoes a crisis of identity, echoing the existential crisis he felt upon first entering the school. However, where his first crisis concerned his uncertainty about his place in the world, here Kim’s anxiety reflects his connections to others. Though confident in his trajectory and status considering his impending job as a chainman, he is confronted with the fact that these things do not provide true affirmation. This signals a new way of thinking about identity for Kim, shifting away from defining himself by occupation, race, or status, to focusing instead on human connection.
Themes
Kim waves off the Jat farmer’s worries over payment with a humorous proverb from the Jat’s country. The Jat leaves, promising to return the next day. The lama compliments Kim’s newfound wisdom: Kim, forgetting his station as a sahib and student of St. Xavier’s, bows to touch his master’s feet, crediting him with all his teaching. Reminiscing about their shared past, the lama takes Kim to his cell and shows him his drawings of the Great Wheel. The narrator notes the lama’s mastery of the art, being able to both draw the wheel and explain it. Telling Kim a parable about patience and fate, the lama expresses his desire to continue his search now that Kim has returned to him.
Despite his newfound status as an educated Englishman, Kim subordinates himself to the lama, breaking societal norms and illustrating the transcendent nature of Kim’s love for the lama relative to the other aspects of his identity. This signals a profound shift in Kim’s relationship with the lama and his worldview. Formerly egoistic, viewing the lama as a possession, Kim now sees him as his master, thus transforming into the loyal chela he once only pretended to be.
Themes
Kim and the lama continuing talking, but Kim notes the lama only has interest in their past, not the events that have transpired since. They sleep in the lama’s cell, waking early in the morning from dreams. The lama, reflecting on the unstoppable effects of Cause, bemoans what a “great and terrible world it is”; Kim replies that he thinks it is good, and asks what there is to eat. The Jat farmer returns with his cured child, thanking Kim and offering to join their Search. Kim tells him to meet them beneath the railway bridge, and after an emotional goodbye between the temple priests and the lama, reunites with the Jat and his child.
Kim discovers the lama to be uninterested in his new life, preferring instead to speak of their shared past. This is both sweet and somewhat self-centered, for while it suggests that time has stopped for the lama since parting ways with Kim, it also suggests he has little interest in Kim’s life outside of his role in it. This underscores the contrast between Kim’s relationship with the lama and his other mentors; while Mahbub and Creighton are heavily invested in the material reality of Kim’s everyday life, the lama prefers to think of Kim in more pure terms, as his chela only.
Themes
The Jat farmer repays Kim’s services with food, and Kim tells him that he and the lama are “beyond all castes.” The lama suggests they travel to the widow’s residence in the far north, and Kim begs for train tickets. The Jat, deciding to join them on their travels, celebrates the government for its introduction of the train, despite its heavy taxes. On the train, Kim meets an injured Mahratta with an amulet around his neck. Kim shows him his own amulet and, using the test phrases given to him by Hurree, confirms him to be a son of the charm.
Kim's assertion that he and the lama are "beyond all castes" highlights his inclusive perspective on social hierarchy, rejecting the notion that people's treatment of each other should be based on societal constructs such as status, wealth, or race. This shared perspective reflects the convergence of Kim and the lama's worldviews, with the lama drawing from Buddhist philosophy and Kim drawing from his personal experience as a person who has inhabited many different identities.
Themes
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Pretending to look at the Mahratta’s injuries, Kim quietly asks the man to tell his story. Revealing himself as E23, the man describes how, chased by police down South, he was forced to hide an important letter under the so-called Queen’s Stone at Chitor. Continuing, E23 describes being hunted by spies and police, disguising as a Mahratta to avoid detection but eventually being captured; though he managed to escape onto the current train, he predicts there will be police waiting for him at the station in Delhi. E23 asks Kim for help, but the Jat interrupts, insulting the Mahratta. Kim shames the Jat, and asks him for supplies from his bag, reminding him that he cured his child.
Recognizing the coded gestures of a fellow “Son of the Charm,” Kim discreetly learns about E23’s predicament, pretending to inspect his injuries. This highlights Kim’s newfound maturity and tact, as does his clever de-escalation of the Jat’s outburst, reducing the risk of drawing unwanted attention. Thus, Kim proves himself a quick and capable thinker in a moment of unexpected crisis.
Themes
The Jat begrudgingly obliges, and Kim, using a mix of ash and flour, disguises E23 as a near-naked Saddhu. As he does, Kim convinces the Jat to cover his eyes and tells the lama he intends to heal the man “against the shadow of death.” Upon opening his eyes, the Jat calls Kim a warlock; Kim, taking advantage of his new reputation, threatens to curse him if he tells anyone what he saw. The lama, witnessing the whole spectacle, warns Kim not to grow prideful from his new skills and wisdom.
Kim puts his newly learned skills as a chainman to the test, cleverly disguising E23 as a Saddhu to evade detection from the police. Notably, Kim makes no attempt to hide his actions from the lama, as he does with the Jat. This underscores Kim’s trust in the lama. While he might disapprove of his actions, Kim is confident the lama would never betray or compromise him.
Themes
