Kim

Consider Kim’s Personal Identity in the novel. How does his identity change throughout the text? What are some of the main factors responsible for this change? Based on his experiences, which choice do you believe he made in the book’s final scene—to follow the lama to enlightenment or to join the British secret service? Explain.

Teaching Suggestion: In the Personal Connection Prompt, students were asked how the experiences a person faces as a child shape who they become. Now that they have finished the novel, they should reconsider their answers to the prompt considering Kim’s experience.

This novel is a bildungsroman set against the backdrop of colonial India. Kim has come of age by the novel’s end—he has learned what it means to be a man and who he is as an individual—yet the author leaves this final decision to the reader’s imagination.

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

DEBATE: “Does Kim Advocate for British Colonialism?”

In this activity, students will participate in a debate where they argue either for or against the assertion that Kipling’s Kim is a work of propaganda for British colonialism.