Stephen Alter Takes on Rudyard Kipling's Classic

The author's latest novel shows Kim conflicted between his Indian roots and duty to British intelligence services

- Avantika Bhuyan

I was first introduced to Rudyard Kipling's Kim in middle school, where an abridged version of the novel served as our English reader. I had at the time read Ruskin Bond's Adventures of Rusty several times, and the two books seemed to be kindred spirits. Though set in different time periods, the two books painted quite the portraits of the bustling bazaars, complete with vibrant characters and subcultures, which morphed as the setting shifted from the plains to the mountains. Kipling's book, set in the late 19th century, is centered around the orphan Kimball O'Hara, as he sets off on an adventure with a lama from Tibet in search of the River of Arrow, while getting embroiled in "The Great Game," the rivalry between the British and Russian powers over dominance in central Asia.

Over the years, my reading of Kim has changed a little. You come to recognize the colonial gaze of the author—Kim, in a way, stands as a metaphor for it, as someone who is part of the Indian milieu and yet stands at a distance from it. He has a close view of the caste system, Imperial domination and religious differences, and yet it feels as if he is on the margins. But at the heart of it, this is an adventure of a cocky, free-spirited young boy, adeptly navigating the spy network while also developing a deep emotional bond with a lama.