Kipling's Treatment of Culture

Rudyard Kipling’s Kim presents an interesting view on Children’s Literature, or what one considers as literature enjoyed by children.  Set in India, Kim explores the story of a young, white, English boy living in India, engrossed by its culture and his relationship to it.  Reflective of Kipling’s personal experience as an English child raised in India, this setting illustrates specific elements of Eastern life that do not transcend into English and American cultures, presenting to the readers of those nationalities a differing view of the world, and to Indian readers a glimpse of how these different cultures relate to one another. 

The story of Kim meeting the holy man, or the lama, and their subsequent journeys, presents a patchwork of cultures and customs, creating a collaged view of facets of Indian culture.  The containment of Buddhism and its central ideologies lies in accordance with this.  Religious beliefs motivate the characters, and they often discuss and exhibit pillars of the religion—the Middle Way, the Wheel of Things both become integral to the plot.  The practice of the characters themselves also utilize Buddhism as a plot influence, as the lama’s identity as a priest allows Kim to follow as his helper, and their quest for the River and the Bull draw heavily upon their religious aspirations.

Kim also presents a challenge to its adult and child readers.  Because it contains so many elements of Eastern cultures, those that differ so strongly from Western thought, this novel can incite broad interpretations, beyond the page.  Even this simple blog takes a stance as a white American reader—although I am conscious of my comparing the cultures, I still know my culture and view Kim as representative of a different one.  This can be a heavy load for children, either Western or Eastern, as they begin to develop ideas about races, religions, and identities different from their own.  Kipling holds a high amount of power in this novel, and the second half of the novel will solidify a representation of these difficult concepts.