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International Journal of Research in English

Vol. 5, Issue 1, Part C (2023)

Race, gender and religion: A postcolonial reading of Kipling’s the light that failed and Kim

Author(s):

Rituparna Chakraborty Adhikari

Abstract:

Rudyard Kipling cut across two culture, British and Indian and represented the face of the empire. This research paper aims at a study of Rudyard Kipling from Postcolonial perspective; how various tropes like race, class and gender have been treated in Kipling's novels will be discussed in the paper. The very theme of colonialism and nationalism has been focused upon and the researcher strives to show how Kipling has treated these issues, which are perhaps two faces of the same coin. This paper would also try to investigate how the theme of India has recurred frequently in various works of Rudyard Kipling and would like to make a study on the politics of Kiplingean representation of India. Another important theme in Kipling’s work is Victorian activism. The protagonists in several novels of Kipling represent this spirit. This paper would also focus on the dilemma that Kipling faced as an Anglo-Indian author, his penchant for India and his commitment towards the empire. The dilemma which has been faced by Kipling has been several times reflected in his characters. Kipling's misogyny is another issue which calls for a discussion. In Kim, we find Kipling created a masculine world in keeping with his obsession with the male machismo. The world of the Great Game was dominated by travel, trade and extraordinary adventures. Kipling's The Light that Failed also stinks of Kipling's misogyny. The researcher aims at investigating how the imperial mindset has influenced Kipling’s attitude towards women and how he has negotiated the gender issue in his works. The researcher has addressed the politics of race, gender and religion as delineated in Kipling’s two novels Kim and The Light that Failed.

Pages: 151-154  |  471 Views  133 Downloads


International Journal of Research in English
How to cite this article:
Rituparna Chakraborty Adhikari. Race, gender and religion: A postcolonial reading of Kipling’s the light that failed and Kim. Int. J. Res. Engl. 2023;5(1):151-154. DOI: 10.33545/26648717.2023.v5.i1c.94
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