Kim

Kim

• Genre: Fiction; adventure novel
• Originally Published: 1901
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 940L; grades 9-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 15 parts; approximately 368 pages; approximately 13 hours, 19 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The central conflict in the story follows Kimball “Kim” O’Hara, an orphaned, biracial British boy who grows up in the streets of British-occupied India during the late 19th century. As he becomes entangled in the world of espionage, Kim’s adventures take him on a journey through the diverse landscapes and cultures of India. The story explores themes of identity, espionage, and the clash of cultures in colonial India.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Colonial-era themes; cultural appropriation; depictions of British colonialism

Rudyard Kipling, Author

• Bio: Born 1865; died 1936; British author and poet; known for his works of fiction and poetry inspired by his experiences in India and other British colonies; awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907; famous for works such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories; controversial for his views on imperialism and colonialism
• Other Works: The Jungle Book (1894); Just So Stories (1902); Captains Courageous (1897); “The Man Who Would Be King” (1888); “The White Man's Burden” (1899); “If—” (1910)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Life as a Game
• Personal Identity
• Religious and Cultural Diversity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and literary contexts regarding British imperialism in 19th- and 20th-century India, impacting the characterization of the protagonist Kim in colonized India.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Life as a Game, Personal Identity, and Religious and Cultural Diversity.
• Prepare for and participate in a debate on whether Kipling’s text could be viewed as a piece of pro-British imperialist propaganda, based on text details.
• Analyze and evaluate the main characters, key narrative points, and themes to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the novel’s narrative structure, the controversy over its handling of race, and other topics.