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
At moonrise, Kim, the lama, and the coolies travel to Shamlegh, a town on the edge of the 2,000-foot cliff. The lama is given the best room in town and the coolies promise to deliver food and the bag of documents later on. Once alone, the lama expresses regret over his actions, claiming that he was overtaken by a “lust to return evil;” instead of remaining passive, he wanted to let the coolies kill the Russian man. Troubled, the lama meditates for the rest of the night. In the morning Kim meets the Woman of Shamlegh, a bold woman who gives Kim the kilta left by the coolies. When Kim asks to sort through the items in private, she throws the kilta into her own hut.
Troubled by his violent inclinations and lack of passivity, the lama expresses deep remorse over his actions the night before. By contrast to his usual unapologetic departures from rigid beliefs, this reaction is striking, suggesting a deeper meaning behind his turmoil.
Themes
Kim goes through the kilta, throwing out everything inessential. Re-entering her hut, the Woman of Shamlegh asks Kim to make sure the sahibs do not cause trouble for her village. Kim asks her to deliver a message for Hurree for him, and she obliges, saying there is nothing she “would not do for thee.” Kim writes a letter to Hurree, updating him and asking for directions. The Woman agrees to deliver the letter, but provocatively demands a “reward” afterward. Kim reflects on the evil temptations of women, wondering how men are ever supposed to follow the Way or the Great Game.
Kim exhibits his characteristic misogyny, suggesting that women are always hindrances between men and their goals. While Kim's criticism of the Woman of Shamlegh may have some merit, as she explicitly leads him on, the generalized nature of his rhetoric reveals an unjust prejudice largely inconsistent with his experiences. In most if not all instances, such as with the widow, women serve as catalysts in his journey, not obstacles.
Themes
Kim and the lama socialize with the villagers on the edge of the cliff. The lama expresses his passion for life in the Hills. Later, the Woman of Shamlegh returns with Hurree’s response, which states his hope to rejoin them at Shamlegh soon. The lama refuses to stay, however, claiming the Hills made him too strong for his own good, pushing him towards evil and making him forget his Search. He claims that the Russian’s blow—which landed on a scar from a previous battle—is a sign he does not belong in the mountains. As proof, the lama shows Kim the ripped Wheel of Life with its tear running directly from the House of Desire to the empty House of the Senses.
Emerging from his meditation, the lama expresses his desire to leave the hills, suggesting that their invigorating influence led him astray. This rationale inverts conventional notions of health and well-being, suggesting that strength and vigor, typically seen as desirable traits, are negative influences, at least insofar as they prompt activeness. Though consistent with his beliefs, this decision appears at least partly rooted in the lama’s traumatic experience with violence; conscious of his capacity for evil, he is more vigilant and self-reprimanding than normal.
Themes
Kim accepts the lama’s decision but asks if they can wait for the hakim (Hurree Babu); the lama, not understanding Kim’s intentions, refuses. Kim speaks to the Woman of Shamlegh, who demands her reward. However, Kim says he must leave, expressing remorse for not being able to act on the “desirable things” he had planned. The woman protests, but Kim claims it is the lama’s decision, and asks for food. The woman agrees, but not before cursing Kim’s gods, works, and words, recounting she had once been beautiful—so much so that a European man had almost married her. In a final act of generosity, the woman, seeing the lama’s weakness, calls two men to transport Kim and the lama by cart down the mountain.
Despite Kim rudely breaking his promise to “reward” her for her help, the Woman of Shamlegh provides him and the lama with food and transportation. Such generosity undermines Kim’s prior rhetoric around the evils of women, highlighting the unjust nature of Kim’s prejudice. Though she has every reason not to help him, the Woman of Shamlegh still does, looking past Kim’s rudeness and her own negative experiences with sahibs to do so.
Themes
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The Woman of Shamlegh takes Kim to her tent, but he spurns her advances again—though not before kissing her on the cheek. Kim and the lama leave, and the Woman of Shamlegh waves goodbye. The lama claims the woman won merit by sending a man on the “way to Freedom;” thinking of his own past, Kim reflects that he might also have won merit. The lama says the drivers also deserve merit, and Kim quips that they have earned silver as well, as the woman already gave him money to pay them with.
Adding insult to injury, Kim kisses the Woman of Shamlegh on the cheek before leaving, congratulating himself afterward for showing such restraint. Given Kim’s earlier promise to “reward” her, however, Kim’s actions here look more dishonest than admirable.
Themes
