This article analyzes the effects of Kim, in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim, leaving a free, or boundless culture, to a strict, and regulated British culture. I imagine that Kim feels like a wild animal being locked in a cage at a Zoo. Continue reading for a more in depth view at this interesting situation Kim is put into.
There are many boundaries that Kim faces with the Sahibs. He grew up roaming the streets of India, whereas the Sahibs grew up in a more structured lifestyle in England. Kipling makes clear the struggles of the Sahibs and Kim. Kim is referred to as a wild animal with no boundaries, while carrying a particular set of streets skills that set him apart from most people. The culture that Kim was raised in, divides him from his Sahib counterparts who grew up in a culture very different.
In chapter six, Kim is forced from the streets into a life of discipline and boundaries. He’s frequently referred to as a wild animal. He doesn’t seem to fit into the life of the Sahibs. After Kim is let out class on his first day, he is the first one out the door. He points toward the open air to see about a letter writer, when he is yanked back by a fat drummer boy. The drummer boy explains to Kim that he can’t go past that tree, but “Kim did not know what bounds meant(86).” At this moment, the drummer boy realizes that Kim, “is not like other boys(87).” There is a definitive boundary between what Kim knows as normal, and what the drummer boy knows as normal.
Kim grew up on the streets of India. His mother was most likely a prostitute, however, Kipling doesn’t say for sure. Therefore, allowing Kim to wander the streets and acquire the great street knowledge that Kipling does make evident. At such a young age, Kim is able to roam from group of people to another. He, essentially, has no identity. The drummer boy grew up in England. He was most likely raised with a family that sent him to a school. He probably had rules to follow, a strict schedule, and a definitive idea of right and wrong. After analyzing the previous life of the drummer boy, it is clear to see the distinct divisions between Kim and the drummer boy.
In this moment, Kim stands on the boundary between the Sahibs and the wild. The Sahib drummer boy is confused that Kim doesn’t have the discipline to stay within his boundaries. Kim doesn’t understand not being able to roam where he pleases all the time. Kim is similarly bound by himself, because his whole life he has been loose on the streets. He knows nothing of the disciplined life of a Sahib. There is an evident clash of cultures.
Kim is much different than the other Sahib school boys. He has an education from the streets, that is much different than the formal education of the Sahibs. Kipling shows us many examples of his quick wit and street smarts. One example, Kim knows how to beg well, yet, even when he has money, he will still beg because he realizes you never know what may happen on the streets. Another example, when Creighton asks Kim to bring a letter to his house, “his quick wit told him that he was being tested in some fashion(99).” His intuition turned out to be the right one. Because of the struggles Kim has experienced on the streets, most people, especially the Sahibs, can’t relate to him.
Kim knows nothing of formal education. Though his street smarts are the best, he is bound by his limited formal knowledge. Creighton, Mahbub Ali, and the Lama all realize that Kim could benefit from a formal education. They realize that he will be bound by his current lifestyle, with no hope of moving forward without a formal education. The Sahib school boys lack the street smarts of Kim, while Kim lacks the formal education of the Sahibs. There is a clear division between the life that the Sahib boys have always known and the life that Kim has always known. Kim is confused by the importance of a formal education. This is easy to understand because he has made it this far in life without any formal education. The Sahib boys are equally confused why Kim hates formal education and why he has such good street smarts. There is a clash of cultures here.
In the Disney movie, Madagascar, Marty, the Zebra, is taken from the wild and placed into a zoo with a other animals who have spent their whole lives in the zoo. Marty’s experience is very similar to that of Kim. When he is placed in the zoo he is lost and confused. He immediately makes plans to escape the confines of the zoo. Similarly, to Kim, Marty has skills in the wild that the other zoo animals don’t possess. This becomes evident, when Marty convinces all the zoo animals to escape and they hysterically attempt life in the wild. They experience a clash of culture just like Kim does with the Sahibs. Its interesting to note, that Kim has such a great ability to weave in and out of different sects of life, yet he has such a hard time with the Sahibs. It’s a culture class that we all have experienced in our lives, and one that I’m sure Kim will learn from and use to his abilities on whatever road he takes in life.
