KIM XXI -- chapter 15: THE OLD EAT THE YOUNG DAILY

Today just a few thoughts as I finish out the book and muse over the past several weeks:

1. I've read most of Kipling's Just So Stories and quite a lot of his poetry.  While I enjoy the Stories, I can't say the same for Kim.  The stories, obviously, are short format, much like poetry, really, and the poems--if you doubt it just read the introductory verses to each chapter of Kim--are far superior to anything of the text that follows each, except possibly chapter 9.
2. Notice the use of present tense--inconsistent, though it is--in the beginning of this chapter.  If I remember correctly, this is the first  in the book.  Does it do anything, in your opinion, to benefit the story--er, the story's narration?
3. Considering the unilateral focus on finding the River of the Arrow here in the last chapter, I wonder if the entire middle of the book (because Kim's literal finding of the Red Bull on the Green Field seems to have nothing to do with anything, least of all his life--and this by fault of the narrative, not Kim or the soldiers of the Red Bull unit) is not dissimilar, other than its exceedingly length, from Shakespeare's induction stories, giving context to what's after (and before, in this case).  (Check James Smith's unmoderatedcaucus.blogspot.com for further discussion.)
4. Of course it makes sense that the Lama is dying as we approach the end of the book (almost makes me wish he had in the end--not because I don't like him, but so we could have something happen), and as death is an end, perhaps the book--or the story--too is dying, though if we follow that comparison the other way round, then the Lama would have died sometime shortly after the third chapter of so.
5. I'm going to ask this with deliberate obtuseness: do Kim and the Lama have to find the River to find the River?  How do you feel about the fact that they do, supposedly, find it in its tangible, physical iteration?
6. Has the story improved--even if insufficiently--in these final two chapters?
7. Further proof that Kipling likes to narrate what no one wants to read and bypass what might actually prove interesting: The Lama found the River of the Arrow, and we didn't even get to watch him do it!  I feel robbed!  Further, look at all that happens in this chapter.  We read and read and don't read anything and then hear that Kim is sick, sick, and he's got someone tending him, and there are momentous occurrences while he's out aside from his massage.  I've never read someone (save perhaps myself) who could say so little with so many words!
8. And the ending could have been just fantastic--even redemptive.  Look back at what Kim's journey was until he and the Lama came to the River.  The story--the STORY--is good; the narration is ABYSMAL.
9. And now that I'm done with this book, I am tired.  Tired.  Tired.

KIM XX -- chapter 14: JUST IS THE WHEEL and SO THE TWINGING SCARS

by Mary GrandPre

If, let's just say, I am attempting to tread the Wheel--or even escape it--and if the Wheel is indeed just, I can probably expect some comeuppance for my "passionate" thoughts regarding this book.  Should I take shelter?  Might I expect to be reborn a snake or some other unclean beast?  Of course, perhaps the gods don't like this book either, but then--o, dear! --I'm still no better off, because then haven't I been wasting not only my time but yours?  Maybe there's still time to salvage my situation.  Maybe the last chapter will be so surpassingly excellent as to redeem (for lack of a better word) the previous fourteen.  I doubt it, though.  Does that make it impossible?  At this rate, I will never attain Nirvana.

• I like "The Woman of Shamlegh"; she's got depth, dimension, and is easily the most interesting character since, I think, the priests at the military camp or Mr. Lurgan, if not of the entire book.  Even better, there's only one chapter left of the book, so it's unlikely Kipling will have time to ruin her!  (Sorry.  That was mean.)
• "Umm," said Kim thoughtfully, considering the past. "It may be that I have acquired merit also. . . . At least she did not treat me like a child."  Is this what this whole thing's been all about?

(I wonder if the Lama's scar is shaped like a bolt of lightning.)

DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

WE START OUR NEW BOOK ON MONDAY, MAY 30

In case you haven't heard, our next book, starting this coming Monday, is brilliant.  If you love poetry and/or so-called "experimental" writing, and if you love the best that either of these--or better, both together--has to offer, then this (have I overdone it yet?) will wow you.  It wowed me.  (And hopefully I'm not presuming too much assuming that since I've loved it, so you will love it.  See, not only am I really excited about the new book, I'm really excited to be done with Kim, which I think may very well be slowly killing me--even, dare I say, crushing my very soul.)  I will stop now.  Here's a picture.  Get a copy--GET A FREAKING COPY! --and join us on Monday.

"Interpretation of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities,"
courtesy of maryannpark.com

"The Castle of the Pyrenees," by Rene' Magritte,
courtesy internetculturale.it

KIM XIX -- chapter 13: SWEARING LIKE A CAT

(MS Paint is fun.  Feel free to copy
and use this if you'd like; it's mine.)

I thought I might approach this chapter with a little positivity for a change.  Forget discussion questions and all their frustration.  I am, instead, going to list the literary moments—the little nuggets—of good, great, or excellent wit and sentence craft I encounter.  Indeed, there have been many such moments (as long as you don’t compare that number to the overall word count, of course).  Let's see what we get in chapter thirteen.

• "...drew a deep double-lungful of the diamond air...."
• "All day long they lay like molten silver under the sun, and at evening put on their jewels again."
• "...he mourned aloud that he could not have been in the place of the stubborn, inattentive coolies, who with grass mats over their heads and the raindrops puddling in their foot-prints, waited on the weather."
• "He discoursed of botany and ethnology with unimpeachable inaccuracy, and his store of local legends—he had been a trusted agent of the State for fifteen years, remember—was inexhaustible."
• "There are more ways of getting to a sweetheart than butting down a wall."
• "...Kim hurried upward through the gloom, swearing like a cat...."
• And that’s it.  The end.  Of the chapter.  Not the book.  Sorry if I got your hopes up there.

*

If there is someone out there, anywhere, through the vast reaches of the ether and who loves this book, Kim, please tell me where I'm going wrong!  I wonder if it's possible that some personal prejudice is getting in my way and if so what I might do to right it.  My problem is that I see nearly no narrative skill in this book—with the English language, sure, but that’s a different animal.  Here in chapter thirteen, for example, there's a spot of violence.  It lasts a paragraph.  And don’t get me wrong, this is not to say I crave or require violence from the stories I read, but the moment here in Kim got my hopes up that maybe, just maybe, something interesting was about to happen or was in the process of happening.  And I think it was.  And that’s my point!  Even when something cool is happening, we don’t get to read about it!  Some pages later it's even mentioned that the "war was breaking out afresh," but there's no narrative evidence save shoddy dialog.  Is it but a cultural thing?  Am I, a 21st century American to far distant—in geography and time—from the events to get them?  I think I’m actually a pretty good—even skilled—reader.  I am frustrated!  This book is defeating me.

Kim XVIII -- chapter 12: TO SEE ONESELF IN A CLEFT STICK

"The Wheel of Things"

1. Were somebody else writing this book, I'd be less inclined to think there's nothing to what I'm about mention, but, as it's digging me, here it is: what do you make of the use of a serial number, essentially, as designation for and in place of a name for the young spy Kim saves?  Does the lack of name alter our perspective of the character?  Why not have Kim--and this would not, I think, be out of his character--press the young man for his rightful name and thence use it?
2. "...by the curse of the Queen's stone ... and by an assortment of Gods with wholly new names."  (haha)
3. new word (as always, new, anyway, for me): ruck: n. a crease or wrinkle (as in fabric, cloth), or crowd of people; v. to compress into untidy folds.  Off-hand, I wonder if this word might apply to the waves and bowing of very old panes of glass.
4. Potential for a complication!  Will Kipling take advantage of the opportunity he's created for himself?  It seems to me that the misjudgment by the Lama on Kim early in the chapter could open up a conflict.  Will this have lasting effect on Kim or the relationship between him and [one of] his [many, though this the first] master[s]?
5. Kim, as Friend to all the World, lives in more than world.  In particular, of course, is his duel citizenship to that of the Sahibs and of the Lama.  What do you make then of the Lama's words, "No matter what thy wisdom learned among Sahibs, when we come to my River thou wilt be freed from all illusion," inasmuch as it may indicate a required choice, and therefor abandonment of one World for another, of Kim, especially as it was the Lama who essentially paid for Kim's tuition to the Sahib's world?
6. "Let us get to the yolk of the egg":  What is this chapter even about?
7. On racism (this time brought up by Kim's discussion with Huree Babu): I'm feeling the need to defend, at least for the moment, and maybe by some personal tendency toward devil's advocacy, against accusations of Kipling's racism.  Can it be racist to indicate, and often as dominant label, race and caste if this too is the manner by which individuals of the story--time and place--identify themselves?  Would it have been even possible for Kipling to avoid the potentially racist labels (and why would he, as there was little cultural reason for him to do so)?
8. On finger-snapping (an aside): There are, obviously, I think, two or three general applications of the finger-snap (aside from musical), that is [1] the "darn-it", [2] the "hurry-up" or otherwise indication of velocity, and [3] the less-common-to-US impatience, irritation, or disagreement (that of finger-snapping under another's nose, for example).  The first two, and their derivatives, I've seen and used most of my finger-snapping life.  The third, however, I've only observed in connection to British and other European cultures, until my son (6-years-old) mentioned an observation of his from a student in his kindergarten class: a girl, of apparently long-term family residency in the USA, snaps her fingers under the nose of anyone she disagrees with when she corrects that person.  Thoughts or other applicable experiences?
9. "There is no hurry for Hurree" (haha).
10. "He believed that the dung of a black horse, mixed with sulphur, and carried in a snake-skin, was a sound remedy for cholera; but the symbolism interested him far more than the science."
11. How often Kipling appears to fully narrate the unimportant or disinteresting while glossing over the stuff I think I'd actually enjoy reading!
12. What does the Lama require of Kim in return for the latter's paid tuition for his three-year sahib's education?

KIM XVII -- chapter 11: ELEPHANTS, DONKEYS, OPIUM, and a FEW DEAD BODIES

1. If I were more interested, I might go back through the chapters (especially since chapter 9) and see if there's a theme for each.  If this chapter has a theme, or at least a motif, what is it?
2. I'm curious about Kim's religiosity.  Certainly the general quagmire of deities and zealots, gates and roadways make things difficult--or at least confusing--for one unsure, and Kim, in his capacity of wanderer and pretender and, at least in the past, beggar, bring him to at least feign to believe any number of things.  When he speaks with the farmer and his fevered son, he demonstrates a level of personal reform (explanation?), certanily borne of his sahib's education, or at least of three year's maturation, and offers to endorse the farmer and son to the Lama (Kim's Lama) for healing (though Kim will ultimately perform the rite, such as it is).  Does he really believe the Lama might heal the boy or anyone, for that matter?  And, more generally, what of the tendency of the desperate wandering from one holy man to the next, regardless of creed or god, searching for a miracle (if one god can't or won't perform the desired blessing)?  Isn't that a little like a sports fan picking a different team just because his is losing, and worse, picking randomly because anyone is better than the one he was just with?
3. "Where there is no eye, there is no caste."
4. The word has been officially used now: Spies.  What of it?
5. What is "The Game"?

(O, wherefore art thou, Dramatic Tension?)

KIM XVI -- chapter 10: COTERIES and MEDIUMS (media?)

Ventriloquy and bellyspeak: "...he was careful not to step in Huneefa's blotched, squat shadow on the boards. Witches—when their time is on them—can lay hold of the heels of a man's soul if he does that."


So what is Kim now?

(I'm not sure what else to say or ask about this chapter.  Any other thoughts?)

KIM XV - chapter 9: PRESTO, CHANGE-O!

1. Best chapter yet!  Do you disagree?  And leaning on the newly designated (by me, who is so slow on the uptake) episodic nature of the book, this story, chapter 9, is grand.  As always, I checked the number of pages in the chapter, marked down an approximate halfway point, and began reading to it to determine a good stop-point for the day.  I read right past it.  Magic, right?  And why not?  Aside from the o-so-typical designation of, shall we say, "kinetic" writing to magically carry away the reader, this chapter's theme is Magic.  Aside from the obvious magic performed by Mr. Lurgan, what other such feats are there?
2. I'm intrigued, greatly, by Mr. Lurgan:  "'Was that more magic?' Kim asked suspiciously. The tingle had gone from his veins; he felt unusually wide awake. // 'No, that was not magic. It was only to see if there was—a flaw in a jewel. Sometimes very fine jewels will fly all to pieces if a man holds them in his hand, and knows the proper way. That is why one must be careful before one sets them. Tell me, did you see the shape of the pot?' // 'For a little time. It began to grow like a flower from the ground.' // 'And then what did you do? I mean, how did you think?' // 'Oah! I knew it was broken, and so, I think, that was what I thought—and it was broken.' // 'Hm! Has any one ever done that same sort of magic to you before?' // 'If it was,' said Kim, 'do you think I should let it again? I should run away.' // 'And now you are not afraid—eh?' // 'Not now.' // Lurgan Sahib looked at him more closely than ever. 'I shall ask Mahbub Ali—not now, but some day later,' he muttered. 'I am pleased with you—yes; and I am pleased with you—no. You are the first that ever saved himself. I wish I knew what it was that . . . But you are right. You should not tell that—not even to me.'"  What is going on in the final bolded statements here?
3. This chapter is freaking loaded with potential metaphors and parallels.  What about the memory game?  Take a look at just as it is: a memory recall challenge.  Extend that to the circumstances around the challenge and the motives (regarding the Hindu boy, as well as regarding Kim's potential for the future) of Mr. Lurgan to initiate it.
4. And what about this Hindu boy?  He attempts the killing of his master with "white arsenic," and the Sahib doesn't even bat an eye!
5. This chapter is confusing and fully intriguing and huge.  What overall impressions did you gain from it?
6. The Lama's dream that he will only find the River of the Arrow with the help of his chela, Kim combines perfectly with the Tale of the Fettered Elephant.  Thoughts?
7. I felt pretty sure the 81 beads of the Lama's rosary would come back.  What do you make of the convergence of its usages of prayer mnemonic and abacus?
8. "Colonel Sahib, only once in a thousand years is a horse born so well fitted for the game as this our colt. And we need men."

KIM XIV -- chapter 8: Meantime a Place by the Fire

1. Churel: The overlapping of folkloric creatures / ghosts / monster / characters across cultures is fascinating.  The churel reminds me of La Llorona and the diviners from L'Inferno.  Of course, folklore derives itself from the human needs of its inventors and propagators, and no matter the culture, little differs among the peoples of world.  Right?  Anyway:  Inasmuch as the churel is a woman who died in childbirth, is there any symbolic connection that you can, well, divine, from/to the text?
2. Seeing the substantial role that Mahbub Ali yet plays, I haven't given up on the notion that perhaps he is the Red Bull after all, and that the Red Bull on the Green Field of Kimball's father's old regiment is ancillary, at least for Kim's coming-of-age.  Interesting, however, and especially from our current perspective from within the story where Kim is yet to commit to any one particular way of life, that not only is the beard dyed (within the context of the story) but also that (meta-story) the Red Bull regiment is an invention of Kipling's.  Thoughts?
3. "They were unfriends of mine."
4. "Very foolish it is to use the wrong word to a stranger; for though the heart may be clean of offence, how is the stranger to know that? He is more like to search truth with a dagger."  Akin to (off the top of my head, though a common enough theme) Ender's Game and its Buggers versus Humans: "If the other fellow can't tell you his story, you can never be sure he isn't trying to kill you."   This, of course, is a perfectly apt theme (potentially, anyway -- though, of course, we'll see...) for Kim as there are so many cultures and the issue of communication between them is at point, else Kim would certainly not be Friend to all the World.
5. And so, building from the previous: "Thou art beyond question an unbeliever, and therefore thou wilt be damned. So says my Law—or I think it does. But thou art also my Little Friend of all the World, and I love thee. So says my heart."
6. Forgetting the final section, evaluate this chapter [1] as compared to those we've read so far and [2] as a story--a short story--unto itself, isolated from the rest of the book.

KIM XIII -- chapter 7: The Bureau of General Misinformation

Through the Gates of Learning

1. Clearly a bildungsroman; Kim finally asks himself, and by extension the reader, the pertinent question himself, and, perhaps, opens a door for finally drawing up some shape from the elements of the story: "I go from one place to another as it might be a kick-ball. It is my kismet. No man can escape his kismet. But I am to pray to Bibi Miriam and I am a Sahib"—he looked at his boots ruefully. "No; I am Kim. This is the great world, and I am only Kim. Who is Kim?"
2. "He considered his own identity, a thing he had never done before."  How, though more significantly, why, has Kim made it this far through his life without considering his identity and abilities?  What is he likely to discover?
3. Who is Colonel Creighton?
4. "There is no sin so great as ignorance."
5. Any intention here: that as Kim and the Lama part ways for, perhaps, quite a long time, "the gates of learning" shut?  Is this a commentary on the education that will become available to Kim now that he enters the school yet leaves the Lama?  Would he have been better served, educationally-speaking, to skip school and find the river?
6. new word (for me): scrupulosity -- I would have left it, less succinctly and certainly more sibilantly, at scrupulousness.  (Along similar lines, since when is the past participle of to thrive, throve?)
7. Is Kim likely to be brainwashed while at school?  Might he go from Gryffindor to Death Eater, from the White City to Barad-dur?  Will he who was once a native, be able to command like all the rest of his racist sahib classmates?
8. "Men are like horses. At certain times they need salt, and if that salt is not in the mangers they will lick it up from the earth."

KIM XII -- chapter 6.2: I Will Wait but the Boys Will Beat Me

Mahbub Ali

Start reading at: "On the morning of the fourth day a judgment overtook that drummer."


Okay.  I've decided I need to be more optimistic and assume that there's more of substance here than just the "window" to Indian cultures.  My fear is that I may simply be too ill-equipped to get it.  Normally, I'm pretty adept at culling bits and pieces of meaning from between the words and lines, but, here--and especially here as there is so much dialog and so little exposition--I'm distracted or lost, which alone are usually not so bad, but [again] here accompanied by a regrettable disinterest, those bits and pieces may go entirely unnoticed.  Of course, I can't cast the book aside; we've begun and we will finish (or I'll finish it on my own, at least).  So here are a few things I plan to look out for, all of which are potentially significant, as they've shown up in other important works:

1. this is a historically significant book--the reputedly best of an author who won a Nobel Prize for literature--and its seeming lack of excellence is almost certainly my fault, not Kipling's;
2. there is as much, if not more, "melting pot" going on in India as there is in England or the United States or anywhere else, and so there's got to be some statement about the influence of one culture upon the next and, as we've already examined to a degree, the inherent bigotries and tolerances that come along for the ride;
3. as Kim moves between the various cultures, bearing his passport of "Friend to All the World," and eventually assumes his birthright under one in particular, how will he maintain or lose the others;
4. Father Victor puts it most succinctly as he claims the label of "ethnologist" for himself, which, in the case of his obvious amateur status thereof, reminds me strongly of the enthusiast, amateur dinosaur hunters.

KIM XI -- chapter 6.1: Trousers and Jacket Cripple [the] Body and Mind

"First I will take my pay."

Stop reading at: "This somewhat consoled Kim for the beatings."


While I enjoyed this chapter perhaps more than much of the rest of the book to this point, there's not really a lot to discuss or question.  One thing, however, that caught my eye here as well as previously, and which also connects to something I learned prior to beginning the reading of the novel, is the issue of Kipling's racism.  While decidedly racist (and how could one supporting imperialism not be, really?), his bigotry appears to toe a line.  In this chapter we see the distasteful word, "nigger," repeatedly, but Kipling's use thereof is about as favorable as that of Twain's--that is an indicator of ignorance, stupidity, or simply [the stultifying, as opposed to Kipling's subtler and entirely non-self-conscious, brand of] racism and superstition on the part of the one uttering it.  Kipling appears here to recognize a line dividing acceptable and unacceptable "levels" of racism.  Thoughts?  In support of this, there is the issue of Kipling's use of the swastika as an accompaniment to his signature and emblem appearing in early editions of his books.  Despite the immensely negative connotations of the swastika, it's originally/etymologically intended use is markedly innocuous.  The word itself is Sanskrit for "auspicious object" (and I prefer Princeton's definition of "auspicious" simply for its simplistic elegance).  In other words, a swastika is pretty much a good-luck charm.  Yet, according to Wikipedia and its pertinent article's sources, Kipling tossed aside the symbol as soon as there was even the slightest possibility that it might associate him with the Nazi movement, which, of course, was founded nearly entirely upon racism, bigotry, and supposed biological superiority.  But isn't this essentially what an imperialist movement is also built on? --that one race (or government/religion) is exactly what makes the moving country better than / superior to the one it's invading and conquering?  Kipling supported imperialism.  Where did his racism lie?

KIM X -- chapter 5.2: Injia's a Wild Land

Begin reading at: "They found the lama where he had dropped."

1. "...once a Sahib is always a Sahib...."  This interpretation of Kim's heritage makes sense coming from imperialistic England; since we're dealing a bit with politics right now, how might an American approach Kim differently?
2. "Kimball, I suppose you want to be a soldier?  . . .  "...and you should be grateful that we're going to help you."  Explain Bennett's forceful and indignant perspective here.
3. From his current perspective, which would Kim have preferred: the brief, though likely severe, beating and releasing if he'd been solely judged a native beggar, or his current predicament of, essentially, kidnapping and enslavery to a British school?  What has this situation done to his attitude toward his father's prophecy?

not exactly Kim's destination....  (wikipedia)

KIM IX -- chapter 5.1: Nine Hundred Pukka Devils

courtesy: dontaylorbookbinder.blogspot.com

Stop reading at: "'Powers of Darkness!' was all that Father Victor could say, as Bennett marched off, with a firm hand on Kim's shoulder."

1. The psychology of prophesies (and I can't help but mentally separate from the red bull those which I believe to be "true" prophesies, on the/my religious front, though these must by necessity be just as subject to this question as any other, as Christianity is as much a mythology as any other religion) interests me, inasmuch as the fulfillment of Kim's father's prophesy is subject upon Kim's interpretation of both the prophesy and the circumstances around him.  We've already seen one instance when perhaps the prophesy had potential to be fulfilled (the red-faced "bullish" horse trader), but as of now Kim has disregarded it.  What would have happened had he believed it the fulfillment of his prophesy back at that point?  Rather, now, the red bull on the green flag, which also happens to be the flag of his father's Irish regiment (the deus is it!), appears, and Kim believes it to be the fulfillment--or, at least, a signpost toward (and, admittedly, this is a much stronger potential fulfillment than the old horse trader!) --the prophecy.  Thoughts?
2. The Royal Loyal Mavericks
3. The Lama: "I have considered the countenance of that priest, and I think he is learned."  Is this possible?
4. Kipling doesn't spend (waste?) any time describing the internal emotional machinations of his characters, and in this case we see little physical evidence of how the discovery makes him feel, beyond Kim's muttering "It certainly was a Red Bull—my Red Bull".  Is there turmoil?
5. An obscure, nearly-impossible, yet potentially humorous cross-textual comparison: Kimball O'Hara, Jr. and the Lama :: Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins.
6. Coincidence???  (the regiment is his father's who and their symbol is his)  --  Regardless, I finally feel a connection to the story (and yes, I'm still so callow a reader that, while not requiring one, a connection is yet highly desirable and influential).

KIM VIII -- chapter 4.2: Bring Her Her Pipe

The Grand Trunk Road: http://www.jimwegryn.com

Start reading at: "The diamond-bright dawn woke men and crows and bullocks together. Kim sat up and yawned, shook himself, and thrilled with delight."

1. What does Kipling mean by, "he borrowed right- and left-handedly from all the customs of the country he knew and loved."
2. "If Kim had walked proudly the day before, disciple of a holy man, to-day he paced with tenfold pride in the train of a semi-royal procession, with a recognised place under the patronage of an old lady of charming manners and infinite resource."  Would Kim be satisfied remaining in such a position, despite his current pride and comfort, for a permanent of even extended duration?
3. The plot of Kim is not particularly "tight," you might say.  What are your thoughts at this point regarding the story's development?  Additionally, many excellent novels feature relatively loose plots.  How might such narration be indeed effective and under which circumstance?

Aside: I'm reading Kim in Microsoft Word after having copied and pasted it from a gutenburg.org etext.  The problem with this, of course, and without turning off the application under the software's innumerable options, is the absurdly consistent appearance (just imagine it, considering all the cultural references in the text if nothing else) of those little red and green spelling and grammar squiggles.  Two occasions, however, brought me to think a bit about how this particular MS Word convention--not to mention that of Google and various other software--affects my writing.  Aesthetically, I hate the squiggles.  They irritate me, and they, well, make me nervous and self-conscious.  Despite my understanding of their frequent inaccuracies, I can't help but feel their criticism when they appear below my words (I'm not so bothered when they appear under another's, like Kipling's, for example), and find myself rewriting/-wording my sentences, even when I know I'm not wrong so to write.  Two examples of one English grammar issue that I nearly always rewrite for reason of this personal insecurity appeared today: "bring her her pipe" and "what was going on on the road."  Interesting that English's construction permits the appearance of the same word repeated consecutively and yet be accurate.  I think I understand that MS Word is simply trying to draw the writer's attention to potentially accidentally repeated words, but come on, there's really no smooth way to rewrite either of these two phrases.

KIM VII -- chapter 4.1: A Second Son at Least!

"On the Road"

stop reading at: "He was nearly asleep when the lama suddenly quoted a proverb: 'The husbands of the talkative have a great reward hereafter.' Then Kim heard him snuff thrice, and dozed off, still laughing."

1. age-old question: The Lama's situation reminds me of a theme from the Agent Pendergast novel (Lincoln/Child) I just finished reading.  Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss, inasmuch as the truth--or the process of gaining it--is so potentially painful.  Is the Lama better off in the dark regarding, or ignorant of, the "real world" (he wonders whether Kim is a spirit or an evil imp) or to see it, experience it, and gain wisdom?  Is Kim better off as he is (he is, after all, an exceedingly happy and optimistic individual), or were he more like the Lama?  More broadly, I think about my children: is it better to protect them from the world that perhaps they may be happier for the lack of darkness thereof, or better off experiencing/observing as much of it as possible?
2. Along the same lines, Kim, particularly considering his so-terrene nickname, is worldly, while the Lama seeks apparently to avoid worldliness.  The word (and its derivations), "worldly," is pretty plastic in its application.  In its most obvious, Kim is in "the seventh heaven of happiness" as he passes along the Old Trunk Road, watching the world pass by below him, while the Lama keeps, essentially, his eyes and mind closed to all but his own meditations.  Any thoughts here?
3. The long descriptive paragraphs in the first few pages of this chapter are gorgeous--not necessarily in their prose, but in their subject and the details of which Kipling chooses to accent: a riot of color, life, creatures--animal and humans alike (and how appropriately so!) --sin and piety, caste and race.  What is your impression of life around the Old Trunk Road?
4. (Is it just me, or is there a taste of Dickens about this book: the orphan, the bustling city...?)
5. I'm interested in the tonal arc of this chapter and how the ambient activity and light/dark reflect in the mood of the day's inhabitants.

KIM VI -- chapter 3.2: I Do Not Pester Them

the old soldier

starting reading at: "'Certainly the air of this country is good,' said the lama. 'I sleep lightly, as do all old men; but last night I slept unwaking till broad day. Even now I am heavy.'"


(I didn't think of this until just now:) We've briefly covered another pilgrimage--another type of pilgrimage--on the blog: that of the Japanese hyohakusha.  In this case, Basho is the master and his travelling companion, Sora, is the chela.  While both Buddhist (Lama and Basho--regarding the latter, I'm assuming), Kim's master is on a religious quest, while Basho's is more of personal, spiritual enlightenment.  Is there a difference?  What draws mankind to quest and pilgrimage?  My family is moving across the country this summer, and I can already smell the asphalt of the road, and it is exciting!  The "pilgrimage" seems to be as multifaceted as the symbolism of rivers.  Thoughts?

1. I love the comparison of the Lama to the camel.  Maybe it's just the westerner in me, but it seems remarkably indicative of not only gate but demeanor.  More than that there is also the element of a camel's use in travelling long distances.
2. "Delhi is the navel of the world."  Hmm, how many such navels are there across the globe?
3. "I have never pestered them: I do not think they will pester me."
4. Matthew 13:42 -- "I have noticed in my long life that those who eternally break in upon Those Above with complaints and reports and bellowings and weepings are presently sent for in haste, as our colonel used to send for slack-jawed down-country men who talked too much."
5. Why is longing for the past, according to the Lama (or anyone else for that matter), weakness?
6. Narratively speaking, what is the point of showing the episode with the old soldier?  (Though I haven't read it, the old soldier reminds me a little of the bumbling Don Quixote.)

Regarding the Rosary
This is a handful of cardamoms,
This is a lump of ghi:
This is millet and chillies and rice,
A supper for thee and me!

KIM V -- chapter 3.1: The Meaning of My Star is War

Indian Cobra -- wikipedia

stop at: "and Kim had enjoyed a most interesting evening with the old man, who brought out his cavalry sabre and, balancing it on his dry knees, told tales of the Mutiny and young captains thirty years in their graves, till Kim dropped off to sleep."

1. The Lama's statement, "We go from these unblessed fields," reads like a passive-aggressive, not to mention rather whiny, gripe against the farmer, yet the farmer takes it as an actual curse from a man who is "Holy" (priest) in a religion not his own, and he believes the malediction will damage the prospects of his establishment.  Why does he so believe?
2. As the farmer judged Kim and the Lama upon their trespass to his land, did not the Lama similarly so judge the farmer (yet he manages to observe the snake charitably!)?  What is your judgment on the Lama (for this or for any other reason)?  What does he tell us--think about Lama's judgment on farmer versus judgment on snake--about human nature?
3. Grand Trunk Road
4. "Then, if thy Gods will, be assured that thou wilt come upon thy freedom."  Describe the nature of this particular brand of freedom.
5. Is Kim more likely to attract belief from his audience, as he foretells of coming war, by imitating a bazaar fortuneteller or by speaking baldly of how he came across such information?
6. "This is a great and terrible world.  I never knew there were so many man alive in it."

I'm still having a hard time "getting" a lot of the story.  Now, however, I seem to be over the hurdle of filtering cultural references, culling for those most important and looking them up, but am often stymied by Kipling's narrative stylings.  It is always enriching to immerse oneself in something so, well, not new, but different.  If you're reading this, please let me know what you think thus far of the book and its author.

KIM IV -- chapter 2.2: "The Good-Tempered World"

Start reading at: "'Let thy hair grow long and talk Punjabi,' said the young soldier jestingly to Kim, quoting a Northern proverb. 'That is all that makes a Sikh.' But he did not say this very loud."

"om mani padme hum"

1. How will the Lama know when he's found the River [of the Arrow / of His Healing]?
2. Interesting, Kim's perspective: "The Good-Tempered World."
3. We don't know much yet about Kim's Red Bull, but try comparing what we do know to "Nandi."
4. The relationship between Lama and Kim is, to me, odd.  Kim, supposedly and according to the Lama, and to a degree Kim, is the chela, yet it is the Lama who relies entirely upon Kim, as guide, facilitator, tutor-of-the-world, etcetera.  What is Kim's reliance upon the Lama, and/or how does Kim benefit from the partnership?
5. Well that was fast and easy!  Kim didn't even have to search in order to find the Englishman he sought:  Deus ex Machina or simply a cutting-to-the-chase?
6. Kim's expert delivery and culling of secrets plus the India's British-rule culture of war predict what for Kim?
7. The Lama's quest and his pursuit of it make me think of pilgrimages in general.  Any extended travel abroad, and that only for more than sightseeing-pleasure-seeking, is a sort of pilgrimage, akin to that of the Lama, whether the pilgrim so intends it or not.  Thoughts?
8. Red is (as far as I can discover) considered the color of the rising sun and new beginnings.  Consider this against the color of Kim's bull.
9. What if everyone were "freed from the Wheel of Things" (not according to Kim, though his answer is at least humorous, but according to you)?

Nandi

KIM III -- chapter 2.1: De-Plane! De-Plane! :: Te-Rain! Te-Rain!

Kim and the Lama

STOP READING HERE: "The last of the Great Ones," said the Sikh with authority, "was Sikander Julkarn (Alexander the Great). He paved the streets of Jullundur and built a great tank near Umballa. That pavement holds to this day; and the tank is there also. I never heard of thy God."

1. Evaluate the racism of India as it appears in the book.  Is there racism about Kipling himself, Kim, or simply the culture in general.  If not Kipling, since the narrative is essentially described through Kim's eyes, does Kipling, do you believe, possess any of that racism?
2. Cool pun: "I know the ways of the train" :: "I know the ways of the te-rain/terrain."
3. By continuation of the number 1, what happens on the train--at least the night trains--that can never happen elsewhere?  Judging by the so-public display between Husband and Wife, is there more "freedom" (for my lack of a better word) here than elsewhere?  Notice which individuals (as much as I can tell by my limited understanding of India back then (or now, for that matter)) don't care about caste and which do.
4. "Are we Rajahs to throw away good silver when the world is so charitable?"
5. Check Google Earth if you get a chance for the relative locations of Lahore (in Pakistan) to Umballah (Ambala, modern spelling) to Benares (or Banaras, official called Varanasi).
6. There is a crazy amount of folklore throughout the world built around rivers, and, more often than not, their healing effects, from La Llarona to Naaman and Styx to the Ganges (also called, as it is in Kim, the Gunga), not to mention the general Buddhist comparison (if I'm not mistaken, which is always a possibility, unfortunately) between the flow of life and the flow of a river.  Also, there's an obvious visual correlation between the path of an arrow as compared to that of a river.  Thoughts about this general confluence?
7. "He began in Urdu the tale of the Lord Buddha, but, borne by his own thoughts, slid into Tibetan and long-droned texts from a Chinese book of the Buddha's life. The gentle, tolerant folk looked on reverently. All India is full of holy men stammering gospels in strange tongues."  Tolerant, nonplussed, or numbly indifferent?