Peii Su

Dualism and Cultural Hybridity in Rudyard Kipling's Kim: Identity Crisis or Political Propaganda? Where Does a Cultural Hybrid Like Kim Belong To? Peii Su

Cultural hybrids like Kim often have trouble with identifying himself with either the blood or the culture. Located in the colonial context, Kipling is often defined as a patriot who glorifies the British Empire in the way he represents Indian cultures in the eyes of the colonizer. However, in Kim, it seems that there are more complexities in the protagonist's swings among India, Lama, and the Secret Agent as well as his spiritual quest with Teshoo Lama. The binary opposition of the colonizer and the colonized has been subtly switched with Kim's multiple role-playings. If read merely as a political propaganda, a cultural hybrid like Kim would never be as appealing as what is seen a cultural stereotype to us today...