Misogyny Theme Analysis

In Kim, women are frequently depicted as perilous or, at the very least, distracting to men. Though such portrayals are often delivered humorously—take, for instance, the lama’s quip that “the husbands of the talkative have a great reward hereafter”—such jests often harbor real complaints. Repeatedly, both Kim and the lama (and often Mahbub too) lament the superficial and hazardous influences of women, often holding them responsible for diverting their focus from their goals. For example, when Kim begrudgingly rejects the advances of the Woman of Shamlegh, he questions how a man can "follow the Way or the Great Game when he is so—always pestered by women?" 

However, such criticism seldom aligns with the actual experiences of men in Kim. In fact, Mahbub is perhaps the only character overtly brought to ruin by a woman— the Flower of Desire—an incident which reflects far more on Mahbub’s shortcomings than women at large. For Kim and the lama, women prove more often than not to be helpful allies: Huneefa uses magic to disguise Kim; the Woman of Shamlegh provides transportation and food, despite Kim’s rudeness; and the widow nurses Kim back to health, extending hospitality on numerous occasions. If, as the widow claims, there are two types of women, "those who take the strength out of a man and those who put it back," then the world of Kim would seem to be populated far more with the latter. 

Kim and the lama are not blind to this reality, despite their rhetoric. While the lama criticizes the widow, he still visits her regularly, often casting protective spells for her and her family. Only when exposed for such sentimentality—an embarrassment for a supposedly passionless Buddhist—does the lama turn to misogyny, scapegoating the widow for his own deviation from “the Way.” In this way, Kim presents a nuanced portrait of misogyny, underscoring its (albeit regrettable) social utility in the novel’s male world. While men clearly value the companionship of women, such companionship often comes at the expense of pursuing their goals in the male-dominated spaces (i.e., the Way, or the Great Game). Embarrassed by their willingness to make such sacrifices, they turn to misogyny to justify their deviations from duty to other men.