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Lurgan Sahib
Father Victor is the resident Catholic priest of the Mavericks, the former regiment of Kim’s father. Upon discovering Kim’s true identity, he and Reverend Arthur Bennett take Kim hostage with the intention of sending him to a military orphanage. Though well-intentioned and more sympathetic to Kim’s plight than Reverend Arthur Bennett—he at least takes the lama’s promise to pay for Kim’s schooling seriously—Father Victor is still an antagonistic and narrow-minded character. In Kim’s own words, Father Victor is the sort of person who believes that “once a sahib is always a sahib,” a naïve and over-simplified understanding of identity and its nuances.
Father Victor Quotes in Kim
The Kim quotes below are all either spoken by Father Victor or refer to Father Victor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
Oh, it is true. I knew it since my birth, but he could only find it out by rending the amulet from my neck and reading all the papers. He thinks that once a Sahib is always a Sahib, and between them they purpose to keep me in this Regiment or to send me to a madrissah [a school].
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Chapter 7 Quotes
‘My order is to take thee to the school.’ The driver used the ‘thou,’ which is rudeness when applied to a white man. In the clearest and most fluent vernacular Kim pointed out his error, climbed on to the box-seat, and perfect understanding established, drove for a couple of hours up and down, estimating, comparing, and enjoying.
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Father Victor Character Timeline in Kim
The timeline below shows where the character Father Victor appears in Kim. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
...amulet case of documents. Kim pleads for it back in English and Bennet, surprised, calls Father Victor for help.
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Reverend Arthur Bennett and Father Victor find the documents in Kim’s amulet, discovering him to be Kimball O’Hara’s son, a former...
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...whom he believes “follow desire and come to emptiness,” plan to do with Kim and Father Victor tells him about various educational options.
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Before leaving, the lama has Father Victor write down the name of the best school and its cost, promising to send a...
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Chapter 6
...but Kim placates him by asking for stories of England. Later, Kim is called by Father Victor , who has just received the lama’s letter.
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Father Victor reads the lama’s letter, detailing his travels with the widow and promising 300 rupees a...
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...white stallion. Kim is brought back to the barracks, and the Englishman introduces himself to Father Victor as Colonel Creighton. Kim curses Mahbub, but Mahbub claims to have done him a “great...
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Father Victor and Colonel Creighton discuss Kim’s past and the lama’s offer to pay for his schooling....
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Chapter 7
Several days later, Father Victor brings Kim to the train station, expressing hope that St. Xavier turns him into a...
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