Summary
Kim makes his plans to go to the school in the south. He writes the lama to inform him of this development, but the lama doesn’t respond. Meanwhile, Colonel Creighton and Kim begin to have an exchange over a message delivery. Both realize that they have the propensity to be secretive, and a light goes off in Creighton’s head. When Kim is en route to St. Xavier’s School, he runs into the lama. The two catch up with one another, but Kim notices that the lama is rather cold. The lama explains that he is determined to find the River, and he cannot be distracted by earthly things (including Kim). Although the two part ways once again, the lama promises to visit Kim at St. Xavier’s someday.
Much to Kim’s surprise, St. Xavier’s is enjoyable. He finds that most of the European students have grown up in India, and he finds them culturally relatable. During the summer, Kim is essentially left alone on campus, as many students return to their family homes. On one summer day, Kim solicits a prostitute to help him disguise himself as an Indian boy. Once in costume, Kim takes a train to Umballa to visit the former soldier from earlier in the novel. Colonel Creighton receives word that Kim has disappeared from campus, and he expresses his concern about the boy’s whereabouts to Mahbub Ali. About a month later, Mahbub Ali actually runs into Kim begging in the streets of Umballa. He chastises Kim for escaping Saint Xavier’s, and he wants to understand his motivations for leaving.
Mahbub Ali and Kim begin chatting. Kim tells Mahbub Ali about the night that he went to Creighton’s house to deliver the letter, and he explains that thieves were searching Mahbub Ali’s body for the classified document. The two express words of appreciation for one another—Mahbub Ali is grateful for Kim delivering the letter before the thieves got to him, and Kim similarly is grateful for Mahbub pushing him to enroll in Saint Xavier’s. Kim explains that he is fine with staying at the school until Creighton hires him for work, since he’s aware that Creighton has been “grooming him” for a particular career.
Later that evening, Kim overhears two people plotting to kill Mahbub Ali. Kim informs Mahbub Ali, who approaches a local official to explain the “suspicious behavior” of the two men. The assassin’s plan is thwarted, and Mahbub Ali, once again, narrowly avoids attack. Mahbub Ali and Kim journey to Simbla, where Mahbub Ali praises Kim for his social and cultural malleability. Upon their arrival in Simbla, Mahbub Ali tells Kim that Creighton is upset at him for being on the road instead of in school. However, someone named Lurgan Sahib is in Simbla, and he has offered to take Kim under his wing until the new school term begins.
Kim encounters a young Hindu boy, who shows him to the house of Lurgan Sahib. Kim is struck by Lurgan’s appearance—he has a long black beard, and he wears a green visor. When Kim goes inside Lurgan’s home, he encounters a broad array of collectibles and knick-knacks from across Asia. The objects are somewhat unsettling—among them are devil dance masks from Tibet and clunky suits of armor from Japan. Lurgan tells Kim that he will need to spend the night alongside the objects as a test of his bravery. Although his sleep is disturbed, Kim makes it through the night.
The following morning, Lurgan praises Kim for overcoming the challenge. Specifically, he applauds Kim for muffling the sounds coming from a rumbling music player. The two chat, and Kim is particularly drawn to Lurgan’s ability to camouflage himself—he doesn’t strike Kim as very “English.” Lurgan then initiates another test; he slides a jar across a table until it breaks. Lurgan asserts that the glass isn’t broken, but Kim pushes back. Lurgan is once again impressed by Kim’s commitment to what he knows is true. Meanwhile, trouble emerges with the Hindu boy from the beginning of the chapter. He is extremely jealous of Lurgan’s relationship with Kim, and he threatens to harm the protagonist. Lurgan, Kim, and the Hindu boy begin playing a memory game with stones. The Hindu boy beats Kim every time, and Kim spends the next days learning the game by heart.
Additionally, Lurgan is impressed by Kim’s ability to imitate others. He decides to introduce Kim to “Babu,” an Indian man who works as a spy. Babu is not nearly as slick as Mahbub Ali or Lurgan, but he also grooms Kim to work in espionage. He presents Kim with a gift of several pill bottles, which Kim can use as a “cover story” while on his missions. The story flashes back to the lama, who is still searching for the River of the Arrow. However, the lama cannot complete his mission until he is reunited with Kim, his disciple. The lama recounts a parable about an elephant captured by hunters whose suffering can only be relieved by a younger elephant. The lama is confident that he will be reunited with Kim again someday.
Analysis
In this section, we notice the developments surrounding Kim’s future career. It is important to note that although Kim has a strong sense of self, he is most definitely “lost.” His path is continually changing as a result of the decisions others—essentially, various pseudo-father figures—make on his behalf. The catch-22 is that all of the men involved in Kim’s daily affairs are acting in their respective self-interests, and they see Kim as an asset to their greater missions. This example of self-absorbedness is further underscored when Kim is greeted coldly by the lama in Chapter Seven. Here, we see that even the lama, a character on his path to enlightenment, is quick to subordinate his relationship with the protagonist for his own needs.
Kim is never able to remain in one place. Although his time at St. Xavier’s is more pleasant than he had thought it would be, something is pulling at him to run away. It’s ironic that although Kim has been given the privilege of an education, he feels more at home begging on the street. While in Umballa, Kim is reunited with Mahbub Ali. The two recognize their mutual vulnerabilities and acknowledge that they are ultimately united by the same mission—to serve the Empire.
These chapters present new characters into the mix; one of the most notable is the “Hindu boy.” It is symbolic that he does not have a name, but rather is labeled by his racial and religious identities. The Hindu boy is a foil character to Kim; both are orphaned and are taken under the wings of men with influence. However, the diction Kipling uses to describe the Hindu boy is undoubtedly racist and classist—he is depicted as threatening and unfavorable. When he outperforms Kim, it is only to his detriment––Kim is seen as the “exceptional one,” a trait inevitably rooted in his whiteness.
It is interesting that, throughout the story, Kipling omits descriptions of Kim’s formal education. Rather, Kim’s education is most notably marked by the “tests” he must pass—some of which are carried out by Lurgan Sahib, one of the characters introduced in this section. Lurgan leaves a broken music player on throughout the night to see if Kim mobilizes when faced with disturbance. Additionally, Lurgan tests Kim’s commitment to the truth when he attempts to manipulate Kim’s memory. Ultimately, Lurgan leaves a profound impression on Kim. His ability to speak Hindi and blend in with his environment are traits that Kim deeply admires and that he doesn't see in others.
Towards the end of Chapter Nine, the story flashes back to detail the whereabouts of the lama. The lama, unable to find the River of Arrow, is hoping to be reunited with his disciple. While visiting a Jain temple, the lama launches into a symbolic tale about an elephant captured by hunters. In the story, the elephant escapes his captors—however, he has an iron ring stuck on his leg that causes him pain. The only time the elephant feels relief is when he encounters a newborn elephant whose mother just died. The elephant decides to raise the orphaned younger elephant, and over the next 35 years, he seems to forget the pain he experiences from the iron ring still lodged into his leg. When the younger elephant is old enough, he notices the older elephant’s suffering and removes the ring with his trunk. The message of the story is quite clear—the lama is distressed without Kim.
