By the end of the book, I could not help feeling it was almost a piece of Buddhist propaganda, so frequent were the references to the Wheel of Life and earning merit. His main portrayal, though, is of Buddhism as exemplified in the Tibetan Lama whom Kim befriends. Then, too, there is the religious aspect of "Kim." Kipling displays the range of Indian religious sects by introducing characters who are Hindu, Muslim, and Christian (the latter only as the militaristic and slightly dull-witted guardians of Kim at his necessary but tedious school training).
One is much more likely to enjoy Kim as a young ruffian with a Tom Sawyer swagger than as the weary and aware young man he seems at the end of the book. I think the story attempts to be a coming of age tale, although in this it fails to impress. The people, the places, the customs are all described in rich (which might also be unduly drawn out) detail.
Primarily, this would be in its description of India. There are some aspects of it that surpass any other works I can think of. I personally, however, found it less than great. " I understand that "Kim" is generally considered Kipling's greatest novel. Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.This is a true classic that can be enjoyed by the young or old. It will make you want to travel the great Trunk Road and climb through the foothills of the Himalayas. Set against the backdrop of Colonial India during a time of tension between various world powers Kim will draw you in and take you far away. Sometimes the line between the two gets blurred. "Much like Treasure Island, Kim is a story of an adventurous boy on a journey through wondrous places in the company of dastardly rogues and honorable men. By portraying Kim’s utter devotion to the lama and his ability to share the life of the common people intimately and unself-consciously, Kipling creates a vision of harmony-and of India-that unites the secular and the spiritual, the life of action with that of contemplation. The novel is a masterpiece of careful organization and skillfully manipulated narrative techniques. With an old Tibetan lama, he travels through India, enthralled by the “roaring whirl” of the landscape and cities of richly colored bazaars and immense diversity of people. Rudyard Kipling’s Kim is the story of Kimball O’Hara, the orphaned son of an Irish soldier, who spends his childhood as a vagabond in Lahore.
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