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
Kim embraces the idea of being a sahib again, asking a Hindu child in English for directions to Mr. Lurgan’s house. The child leads Kim to the house, announcing Kim’s arrival. Kim meets Mr. Lurgan, a black-bearded man who, while stringing pearls, immediately sends Kim to bed. Kim sleeps horribly, the room being full of strange noises and things, including a so-called “trumpet-box” which he suspects of housing a devil and ultimately breaks. Kim wakes to Lurgan Sahib standing over him. They shake hands, and Kim notes peculiarities in Lurgan’s identity: though wearing sahib's clothes, he speaks with an accent that is anything but white and treats Kim as an Asiatic equal.
Kim meets his equal in Lurgan Sahib, a new mentor who, like Kim, does not easily fit into a single racial category. Dressing as a sahib but speaking with a vernacular accent, Lurgan exists in the same liminal space as Kim, at least based on appearance. However, his “equal” treatment of Kim on the “Asiatic side” signals that he does not see himself as white; though he may technically be Kim’s superior, Lurgan makes it clear that such colonial hierarchy is meaningless to him on a personal level.
Themes
As though reading his mind, Lurgan calmly tells Kim he cannot beat the Hindu child—who had bothered him the night before—claiming he has already attempted to poison Lurgan that morning. Lurgan shows Kim around his wonder-filled shop, explaining that he works with precious stones. Putting his hand on Kim’s neck, Lurgan attempts to perform a bit of magic—akin to hypnosis—on him to magically repair a broken glass, but Kim successfully resists him, seeing through the false vision. Lurgan expresses his admiration of Kim, claiming that no one has ever resisted the magic as he has. Kim hears the Hindu child sobbing, and Lurgan explains the child is jealous that he is more pleased with Kim than with him.
Kim reveals his impressive willpower, repelling Lurgan’s hypnosis more successfully than any before him. Though Kim’s natural talents have never been in doubt, his performance underscores the true extent of Kim’s abilities, portraying him as a prodigy, at least in the world of espionage.
Themes
Lurgan chastises the Hindu child for attempting to poison him, and the child apologizes profusely. Lurgan tells the child to play the Game of Jewels—a game of memory—against Kim, and the child retrieves a tray of different jewels from the other room. The child beats Kim several times in a row, and Lurgan declares him Kim’s master. For the next 10 days, Kim plays the jewel game every morning against the child, and in the afternoon they stand guard together at the shop. At the end of the day, Kim and the child report everything they can remember, and later Lurgan dresses them up as characters from all walks of life, instructing them in their mannerisms and behavior.
Despite him successfully fending off Lurgan’s magic, further testing shows that Kim still has much to learn. In the Game of Jewels, a memorization game, he is consistently beaten by the Hindu child, a humbling experience which highlights the gaps in his learning. Unlike the Hindu child, however, Kim accepts his lack of mastery with grace and works hard to improve. This demonstrates Kim’s impressive work ethic and growing maturity.
Themes
Kim proves particularly adept at disguises, and Lurgan invites a Babu to witness one of his performances. The Babu expresses his admiration for Kim, inquiring how long it will be before he becomes a chain-man. The Babu leaves, and Lurgan explains that he also works for the Colonel, being among the top 10 agents in the world. Kim expresses regret at his youth and Lurgan promises to put in a good report to the Colonel, but asks him not to talk about his training in school. Four days later, Kim rides back to school, accompanied by the Babu. After monologuing about the practical value of education, the Babu gifts Kim a betel box of valuable medicines.
Kim makes fast progress under Lurgan Sahib, particularly in the art of disguises. Given Kim’s background, however, this is hardly surprising: a white boy who grew up passing as Indian, Kim has had to navigate the nuances of identity and presentation his entire life. Kim’s natural talent, in other words, is less an innate skill than a direct product of his environment and upbringing; he has been training in the art of disguise his entire life.
Themes
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The narrator recounts Kim’s experience at St. Xavier’s, highlighting his accomplishments in math and map-making as well as his frequent visits from the lama. At 15, Kim passes an examination in elementary surveying, after which time his record states him as having been “removed on appointment.” The narrator recounts the lama’s three years at the Temple of Tirthankars, describing how he faithfully awaits Kim’s return from school to continue his search for the River. Mahbub convinces Creighton to let Kim continue traveling during breaks so as not to turn him against them, arguing that only “once in a thousand years” is a horse so “well fitted for the game” as their colt, Kim.
Mahbub’s advocacy for Kim, comparing him to a “once in a thousand years” “colt,” underscores the dual nature of their relationship. While on one hand it speaks to Mahbub’s confidence in Kim’s abilities, it also underscores the transactional, objectifying nature of Kim’s relationship to his mentors. Much like a horse-owner, Mahbub and Creighton’s affection for Kim is not unconditional: at the end of the day, they expect him to follow their orders.
Themes
