Summary
The Babu, the lama, and Kim begin climbing the Himalayas. The route is challenging for Kim, and he feels out of place. The three come across a valley in the mountain range, but the Babu soon leaves to meet up with two men—one from Russia and one from France. The lama and Kim are left in the valley alone overnight while the Babu helps the European men navigate the route to Simla. The Babu brings the men back to Kim’s “base camp” in the valley, where he secretly tells Kim that these Europeans are the reason for their Northern mission. The lama begins explaining his drawing of the Great Wheel of Existence to the Europeans, but his holistic description is soon thwarted by the Russian man’s desire to purchase the drawing.
When the lama refuses to sell his drawing, things escalate quickly. The Russian man strikes the lama in the face, and Kim retaliates. The Europeans quickly flee the scene, since they know it is horrible luck to strike a holy man. Kim runs after them, and a bullet nearly strikes him in his pursuit. Kim pulls out the .45 rifle he received from Mahbub Ali and fires it off while he and the lama take cover.
The lama divulges his contradictory feelings to Kim. While he desires peace, he confesses that a part of him wanted to shoot and harm the European men. He is upset by his lapse in morality, and he sinks to the ground in disappointment. Meanwhile, the Europeans have gotten themselves into quite a pickle—they’re unable to proceed to Simla to speak to the Five Kings since they have harmed the lama, and they have lost their luggage which contains all of their belongings. Out of frustration, they begin fighting one another. At the end of the chapter, it’s clear that the Russian spy mission is no longer much of a threat to the British.
The following morning, Kim heads to a village called Shamlegh to sort through the documents left behind by the European men. He finds a variety of material, such as letters and messages between the Europeans and the Five Kings. He strikes up a conversation with a woman from the village who knows the Babu. The woman delivers a message to the Babu on Kim’s behalf, in which he explains that he has all of the documents he needs. The Shamlegh woman flirts with Kim, telling him that he resembles an English lover she had in her youth.
Meanwhile, the lama continues to struggle spiritually. He fears that his desire for vengeance has been a mishap on his journey towards enlightenment, and he needs to urgently resume his search for the River of the Arrow. Kim attempts to console the lama, explaining that he has endured a head injury which may be affecting his thinking. However, the lama is adamant in his request. He’s been prideful, as evidenced by the tear in his picture of the Wheel of Things. The Shamlegh woman returns, explaining that the Babu is on his way to the village. Although she continues to flirt with Kim, he stops her attempts by telling her that the lama is insisting on leaving. She provides the two with a litter (a wheel-less vehicle) carried by her multiple husbands that will get the duo south. As Kim and the lama depart, Kim exchanges words in broken English with the Shamlegh woman.
Kim and the lama travel out of the mountains. On their journey, they are greeted by various local villagers who are eager to visit the sick holy man. After leaving the hills, the two begin walking in search of the River of the Arrow. While walking, the lama asks Kim if he ever wanted to leave his side, to which Kim replies no. The lama is getting weaker on his walk, and Kim grows sick. Kim writes to the Kulu woman asking for a litter to alleviate the lama’s need for physical exertion.
Kim begins to break down in tears. He feels guilty for putting strain on the lama, but the lama explains that Kim has done nothing wrong. Soon after, the Kulu woman arrives and promises to look after the duo. Kim sleeps for a day and a half, and when he awakes, he is greeted by the Babu dressed in his “hakim” disguise. The Babu collects the documents that Kim has recovered from the European men, and he heads back to Umballa with the classified information.
Kim, rested and rejuvenated, puts his existential pondering to rest. He realizes that he has a place in the world, and working as a spy is a mere extension of the life he has been living since he was an orphaned child. Kim, having achieved a certain form of self-actualization, is greeted by news from the lama. The lama tells Kim that during the protagonist’s long sleep, the lama fasted and had a vision. In his vision, he was united with the Great Soul of the Universe who told him where to find the River of the Arrow—however, he is also told that it is not a path to be navigated alone. The lama tells Kim that he has returned from this point in his spiritual journey in order to bring Kim along with him. At the end of the story, the lama smiles as “a man may who has won Salvation for himself and his beloved.” Ultimately, the lama has found a way for his religious faith to coexist with his love for Kim, and the two bathe in the River of the Arrow side by side.
Analysis
In this final section of the novel, we see the climactic culmination of Kim’s involvement in the “Great Game.” As Kim ascends the mountain with the Babu and the lama, he is accompanied by these two (albeit quite different) paternal figures on one of the final legs of his journey. Kim has been groomed his entire life to be a spy, but it is not until he faces the European men that he is placed under a new level of performance pressure. After the Russian man strikes the lama, Kim springs into action in an instinctive, protective way. In this manner, we see Kim’s loyalty in action—he will stop at nothing to protect those that he loves.
Despite the emotional intensity and physical exhaustion of the journey to the Northern mountains, Kim is still expected to deliver professionally. He is forced to carry heavy trunks of classified documents on his winding journey, and he must stop in the village of Shamlegh to evaluate the importance of the European men’s belongings. While in Shamlegh, Kim encounters a polyamorous village woman who flirts with him. The woman, like so many of the characters in the novel, is connected to Mahbub Ali and the Babu. In this way, we see the duality of Kim’s autonomy. Although he has an immense amount of responsibility, Kim is constantly watched and monitored by others. Following the moment in Shamlegh, it is clear that Kim experiences a new level of exhaustion. The threads tying him together are unraveling.
Kim isn’t the only one feeling burnt out. Following the fight between Kim’s crew and the European men, the lama also experiences his respective version of a breakdown. The lama, who has received an injury to the head and face, is unable to shake his sense of guilt for wanting to avenge his aggressor. The lama’s head injury symbolizes the profound changes he is experiencing in the realm of thought. When Kim tells the lama that he never once wanted to leave his side, the lama cannot help but be impacted by his young companion’s sense of attachment.
When Kim calls on the Kulu woman for help, we truly see the protagonist at his most vulnerable. His anxieties cause him to question his purpose in the world, and he loses grasp of his sense of identity. The Kulu woman takes on a maternal role, as she provides Kim with safety, security, and stability. It is symbolic that, in her care, Kim sleeps for nearly 36 hours. When he awakes, it is clear that the protagonist has undergone some form of transformation. This is significant, as the lama later reveals that he has also experienced transformation through fasting and meditation while Kim rested. In this way, we see how the paths of Kim and the lama are mirroring one another.
The story’s final scene is an emotional, full-circle moment. The River of the Arrow is mentioned in nearly every chapter of the book as a sort of far-off vision or goal, so it is fitting that the closing moment of the story metaphorically occurs at the riverbank. Although the lama has finally attained a sense of spiritual peace, he is unable to take the “final step” until Kim is by his side. In this way, we see the lama’s evolution—while he was once tortured by his friendship with Kim as something that kept him within the earthly realm, he now accepts that loving Kim is an extension of his faith. Similarly, Kim has made peace with himself. Although he was once worried about his sense of identity, he ultimately realizes that he is a man of the world—working in a way that allows him to indulge his sense of curiosity is, ultimately, the most fulfilling.
