Kim Literary Elements

Picaresque, travel, coming-of-age

The story takes place in late-19th-century British India.

Third-person, omniscient narrator.

The tone of Kim is eager, excited, and adventurous. The mood is optimistic, energetic, and cheerful.

The protagonist of the story is Kim. The antagonists are the two European spies that are working for the Russian Empire.

There are various major conflicts at the heart of the story. There is Kim's internal conflict, which surrounds his issues of identity and cultural belonging. Primarily, he wants to become a spy so that he can continue leading a life of adventure.

The story's climax occurs when the Russian spy strikes the lama across the face. This sets the rest of the plot into motion, and ultimately Kim and the lama are able to reach a resolution on their respective & shared journeys.

The red bull on a green field is a powerful symbol that foreshadows Kim's future involvement in the foreign policy choices of the British Empire.

At one moment in the story, the lama says that he wants to know what exactly is in Kim's head. Kim replies understatedly, knocking on his head and telling the lama "nothing." This is clearly an understatement for both literal and figurative reasons. Kim is extremely smart and insightful, and he has so much more going on internally than he lets on (perhaps a result of his childhood trauma).

At one point in the story, the Babu says "Ah! That is the question, as Shakespeare hath it." This allusion to Hamlet's famous "to be or not to be" soliloquy underscores Kim's exploration of purpose and identity.

An example of tactile imagery is "the caress of soft mud squishing up between the toes." Kim craves this sensation when he is confined by St. Xavier's strict school uniform; all he wants is to be back in the city streets, barefoot and free.

Kim's identity is often seen as paradoxical. Although he is white, he is more at home in the streets of India than he would ever be in Ireland or England.

The lama's quest for enlightenment parallels Kim's quest for personal growth, development, and finding a sense of community.

Kim's body is a metonymy of his white, British identity. An example of synecdoche is when Kim "offers his hand" to help the lama.

Kim and the lama take a rest from their travels and sit underneath a mango tree. While there, nature is personified as "drowsily buzzing," "cooing," and "droning." In personifying the environment, Kim and the lama recognize that nature is living, breathing, and worthy of respect.