Analysis of The Conflicts in E.M.Forster's 'A Passage To India' and Rudyard Kipling's 'Kim'.
ABSTRACT
Dalam skripsi ini saya membahas konflik-konflik yang terjadi antara
penduduk asli India dengan pendatang-pendatang Inggris yang terdapat dalam novel
karangan E.M. Forster berjudul A Passage to India dan novel karangan Rudyard
Kipling berjudul Kim.
Konflik-konflik yang terjadi adalah konflik sosial dan dapat dijelaskan dengan
teori yang ditawarkan oleh Edward Said dalam bukunya yang berjudul Orientalism.
Menurut saya bahasan ini menarik karena merupakan masalah budaya yang pelik dan
mempunyai dasar-dasar yang sama yang melandasi konflik-konflik antar budaya
yang lainnya, baik konflik-konflik pada masa lalu maupun pada saat ini.
Pertama-tama saya menganalisis konflik-konflik sosial yang ada pada kedua
novel lalu kemudian mengaplikasikan teori Orientalisme untuk mendapat penjelasan
atas penyebab konflik-konflik tersebut. Setelah itu saya menarik kesimpulan yang
terdapat pada bab terakhir skripsi ini.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ……………………………………………………………………..
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………................................................................
ii
ABSTRACT ………….……………………………………………………….. iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTODUCTION :
Background of the Story .......................................................................
Statement of the Problems ....................................................................
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................
Method of Research ..............................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ....................................................................
1
3
4
4
5
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS IN
A PASSAGE TO INDIA…………..………………………………….
6
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS
IN KIM ……………….……………………………………………… 18
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION …………………………....................
28
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………..……
33
APPENDIX:
Synopsis of A Passage to India ............................................................ 34
Synopsis of Kim ................................................................................... 35
Biography of EM Forster ..................................................................... 37
Biography of Rudyard Kipling ............................................................. 38
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APPENDIX
Synopsis of A Passage to India
A Passage to India is a novel about the relationship between a native
Indian doctor named Aziz with his associates many of whom are British settlers.
The story is set in Chandrapore, a city where the British settlers rule. Generally,
Aziz has no good relationship with the British settlers until Adela Quested comes
to the city.
Adela is the city magistrate’s fiancee, who is very curious about India.
Aziz and Adela make good friends. They prepare a journey to an exotic cave not
far from Chandrapore. Adela, feeling bored, unintentionally insults Aziz. He is
shocked, and leaves her for a moment to light a cigarette and to calm himself.
Then Adela, who at that time has a problem with her upcoming marriage,
suddenly panics inside the cave; she runs outside and throws herself from the cliff,
landing right in front of a British settler’s car passing at that very moment. The
news widely and quickly spreads. Aziz is instantly accused of assaulting Adela.
The British settlers put Aziz in jail and accuse him of assaulting Adela
without any proper proof. His settler friend, Fielding, who at that time tries to
defend Aziz, is powerless. Adela, recovering from her wounds, does not try to
explain the truth; she is too afraid. Aziz is locked up for several days until his trial
35
day comes. When the court is in progress the people of Chandrapore come to
support and to free Aziz and they are succesful.
Aziz, being treated unfairly, turns to despise the British settlers. He hates
Adela, who does not tell the truth to the people; moreover, he despises the British
settlers who put him in jail without any proper proof. Then Fielding tries to calm
him and he persuades Aziz not to sue back, but Aziz is very angry. He even hates
Fielding, whom he thinks does nothing to defend him. Aziz’s greatest hatred for
Fielding is because Aziz finds that Fielding and Adela leave India together. He
thinks that there is a romance between them.
Years later, Fielding and his wife visit Aziz in his new residence. Aziz
realizes that he is wrong, Fielding does not marry Adela; he takes Adela outside
India at that time to prevent any violence. Fielding then tries to make Aziz
understand the British presence in India. Nevertheless, Aziz has become anti–
British and does not change his mind. The two of them separate at the end of the
novel. They realize that they cannot be friends only because of their different
cultures.
Synopsis of Kim
Kim was published in 1901. It is a story about an orphaned son of an Irish
soldier. His father and mother are white people but he is born and grows in the
rural area of India. Thus, he is a native but no one realizes that he is a white
descendant. Kim is a very clever boy; though he is in the poor care of an Indian
widow, he is able to survive. He also has good conections with native Indians.
36
Kim meets a Tibetan lama in the city of Lahore. Kim decides to
accompany the Lama in his search for a mystical river that he believes will
cleanse his sins, the River of Arrow. Kim treats the Lama well and the Lama is
fond of him. In their journey, they meet a group of Irish soldiers. Kim is curious
because his father once tells him to come to an Irish flag once he finds one. Kim is
accused of being a thief when an Irish reverend catches him sneaking in the camp.
He catches Kim by the throat and beats him.
Only after he opens Kim’s charm and finds his father’s note that he
realizes Kim is a descendant of an Irish soldier. Instead of letting Kim continue
his journey with the Lama, the British settlers force Kim to enter a British school
and to leave the Lama. He objects but the settlers insist.
In the schooling institution, Kim is despised by his classmates and
teachers. A colonel notices Kim’s ability and he is then moved to the surveillance
school where the Irish regiment trains him to be a spy. The settlers do not let Kim
continue his journey with the Tibetan Lama; however, Kim intends to continue his
journey right after his school and his service to the Irish regiment ends.
Kim proves to be a good spy. He manages to get hold of an important
surveillance paper. He is also able to make the British settlers approve his request
to continue his journey with the Lama. Kim finally meets the Lama and asks the
Lama to stay while he finishes his duty and they will continue their journey as
planned. Kim is finally able to gain advantages from the British settlers and at the
same time finishes his search with the Lama.
37
Biography of EM Forster
Edward Morgan Forster was born in London on 1 January 1871. His
father, an architect, died when Forster was about 2 years old. He spent his
childhood and adult life with his mother and aunt. He then suffered from cruelty
of his classmates when he was in school. He attended King’s College in
Cambridge (1897-1901). There, he met his friends with whom he later formed a
group, Bloomsbury group. Graduating from the college, he started to write some
essays and short stories for Independent Review.
His first novel was Where Angels Fear to Tread, published in 1905. Some
of his novels are The Longest Journey (1907), A Room With A View (1908), a
novel based on his holiday in Italy with his mother, and Howards End (1910), a
story about a clash between two families in England. Forster also wrote some
biographies such as of Goldsworthy Lowes Dickenson (1934) and Marianne
Thornton (1956).
Forster travelled in India between 1912 and 1913 but he came back to
London in 1914 to work for the National Gallery for two years. In the First World
War Forster served in Red Cross and went to Alexandria, Egypt. He returned to
India in 1921 to work as private secretary of Maharajah Dewas. India was the
scene where he wrote his last novel, A Passage to India. After that, he devoted his
life to other activities, mostly writing reviews and essays.
In 1934 he was elected the first president of the National Council for Civil
Liberties. He was also elected as an honorary fellow of King’s College. He
refused a knighthood in 1949 and was made a Companion of Honour in 1953. He
38
accepted an Order of Merit a year before his death in 1969. EM Forster died on 7
June 1970.
Biography of Rudyard Kipling
Kipling was born in Bombay, India, on 30 December 1865, but he was
educated in England at the United Service College. Then he returned to India in
1882 to work in an Anglo-Indian newspaper. He was soon popular and became
the poet of the British Empire and its yeoman. His early works were Plain Tales
from the Hills (1888), and Soldiers Three (1888), and a collection of short stories
with soldier portraits. His writings about soldiers continued and Barrack Room
Ballads (1892) was published.
In 1894, his famous work, Jungle Book, was published and soon became
children’s favourite. The novel Kim was published in 1901 and said to be his
masterpiece. He also wrote other novels such as The Second Jungle Book (1895),
The Seven Seas (1896), Captain Courageous (1897), The Day's Work (1898),
Stalky and Co. (1899), Just So Stories (1902), Trafficks and Discoveries (1904),
Puck of Pook's Hill (1906), Actions and Reactions (1909), Debits and Credits
(1926), Thy Servant a Dog (1930), and Limits and Renewals (1932). Kipling was
said to be the best children story–writer, but this was quite a controversy because
many people saw prejudices and militarism in his works. During the break of the
First World War Kipling wrote some propaganda books for the United Kingdom.
Kipling received a lot of honorary degrees and awards. He was awarded
Gold Medal of The Royal Society of Literature. Only Scott, Meredith, and Hardy
had been awarded the same Medal. Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in
39
Literature. He rejected a number of knighthood occasions just like Forster did.
Rudyard Kipling died on January 18, 1936.
40
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
The era of European colonialism started in the 15th century and lasted until
the mid-20th century. During that time people in many European countries
invaded the Eastern parts of the globe, in the interest of trade and to spread their
culture in their colonies. By 1921, the country with the greatest number of
colonies was the Great Britain with about a quarter of the globe. However, most
of its empire had the same problem, their natives in the colonies could not have a
good relationship with the settlers. The colonizers acted as superiors and
underestimated the natives.
There were different perceptives of colonialism in the British society,
some people supported the colonialism but some were against it. Then people
found some ways to express their ideas. Some of them showed their perceptions
through literature. Kim and A Passage to India are two novels written by two
English writers, Rudyard Kipling and EM Forster respectively. These novels are
about
the
relationships
between
1
the
natives
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and the settlers with its problematic conflicts in India, one of the British colonies, in
which the natives objected to the coming of the settlers because they could not have a
good relationship with them. In the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, native is
defined as ‘a person who was born in a particular country or area’ ;while the second
definition is ‘a person who lives in a particular place, especially sb [somebody] who has
lived there a long time.’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2000: 848). On the
other hand, settler, in the same dictionary is defined as ‘a person who goes to live in a
new country or region.’ (P.1171). Although the two novels have a similar topic, Kim, the
protagonist in Kim, seems to have been able to settle his conflicts with the settlers. While
Azis, the protagonist in A Passage to India, does not have a good relationship with the
settlers due to the conflicts. These conflicts are the unifying elements of the two novels
and this will be the focus of my thesis as I would like to analyse the cause of the conflicts
and to compare the different conflict resolutions between the natives and the settlers
found in the novels.
The two writers, Rudyard Kipling and E.M. Forster, spent a lot of time in India so
they knew exactly what had happened in India and the relationships between the natives
and the settlers. Rudyard Kipling was a pro-imperialist, while EM Forster supported
Indian independence. Thus there are two objective points of view about the relationships
between the natives and the settlers in India.
In analyzing the conflicts between the natives and the settlers in both novels I
would like to concentrate on the element of conflict. In Dictionary of Literary Terms,
Harry Shaw defines conflict as ‘the opposition of person/forces upon which the action
depends in drama & fiction’. (Shaw, 1972: 91-92) There are three types of conflict,
2
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namely social conflict, physical conflict and internal conflict. In this thesis I would like to
focus on social conflict only. Social conflict is ‘a struggle between man and man or man
and society’ (p.91).
To understand the reason why there are two different relationships between the
natives and settlers in the same colonized country in the two novels I would like to use
the theory of Orientalism by Edward Said. According to Said, the world is divided in two
parts, the Orient and the Occident. The Orient is inhabited by people such as Africans,
Indians, and Indonesians, and the Occident by people such as the British, French,
Americans, and Australians. The images, ideas and personalities of people in the
Occident are in contrast with those in the
Orient. Moreover, ‘The relationship of
Occident and Orient is that of power, of domination, and varying degrees of a complex
hegemony’ (Said, 1978:5). The main idea of Orientalism is that the Orientals cannot
represent themselves because their existing ideas or images adopted in the world are
Occident-made. These ideas or images are very poor, untrue and manipulated. The
images or identities of the Orient are made by the Occident for a certain purpose, that is
for the sake of the Occident themselves. Because Orientals and Occidentals are supposed
to be in contrast, thus by giving the Orient the image of bad, evil and weak race, the
Occident will be the good, kind, and powerful race. The existing representations of native
Indians make most Occidentals react towards the Orientals with some kind of disrespect
or disgust. This is the trigger of most conflicts between Orientals and Occidentals.
Statement of the Problems
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The problems that will be analyzed in this major thesis are:
1. What conflicts happen between the natives and settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim
and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India ?
2. What are the causes of those conflicts that happen between the natives and the
settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India?
3. How does the theory of Orientalism help to give a better understanding about the
relationships between the natives and settlers in the two novels?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of the problems above, the purpose of this study is:
1. To describe the conflicts that happen between the natives and the settlers in
Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India
2. To know what causes those conflicts that happen between the natives and the
settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India.
3. To know how the theory of Orientalism helps in giving a better understanding
about the relationships between the natives and the settlers in the two novels.
Method of Research
The method of research used is library research. First of all, I read the two novels
as the primary texts. I then gather the information needed for the major thesis through
library research and the internet to support the analysis of the primary text. Next, I apply
the Postcolonialism approach to have a better understanding of the conflicts between the
natives and the settlers. Finally, I draw some conclusions from the analysis.
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Organization of the Thesis
I divide this thesis into four chapters, which are preceded by the Preface and the
Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which contains the Background of the Study,
the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and the
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two deals with the analysis of the conflicts between
the natives and the settlers in EM Forster’s A Passage to India, whereas Chapter Three
deals with the analysis of the conflicts between the natives and the settlers in Rudyard
Kipling’s Kim. Chapter Four is the Conclusion, in which I conclude and compare my
analysis of the conflicts in the two novels. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendix, which consists of the summaries and the biographies of the two writers.
5
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the two novels, I would like to draw some conclusions. In
these two novels, Forster’s A Passage to India and Kipling’s Kim, there are
always conflicts in the interaction between the native Indians and the British
settlers. The conflicts are varied; nevertheless, the triggers of most conflicts in
these novels are actually the same.
The social conflicts in A Passage to India happen because most of the
British settlers in the story believe in certain stereotypes of the native Indians.
Aziz, the main character in the novel, a native Indian, has problematic conflicts
mainly with Adela, some officers in the City of Chadrapore, and his settler friend
Fielding. These characters have the mindset that native Indians are all the same;
evil, uneducated and weak. They do not consider Aziz’s personal characteristics
and other objective truth, which results in Aziz’s rejection towards their attitude,
thus conflicts are inevitable.
Kim, like Aziz, experiences conflicts with the British settlers in the novel
Kim. These conflicts are also triggered by the British settlers’ tendency to use the
stereotypes of the Orientals when they are interacting with native Indians and
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assume whatever the British settlers do is right and vice versa. The main conflicts in
Kim are between Kim and Reverend Arthur Bennett, Father Victor, and the people in
the schooling institution. These people assume that their race is the better one, and
they know what is right or wrong for other races. Assuming they are the better race,
they believe that they have power over other races as well. That is why they have
conflicts with Kim, whom they think is a native Indian, and
thus he is their
subordinate.
According to Edward Said in his book entitled Orientalism, the Occidentals
tend to use their own-made stereotypes about the Orientals in their interaction with
the Orientals. The Occidentals put themselves in a binary opposition as the better race
with the attribute of being kind, educated and powerful in order to put their opposite,
the Orientals, as the worse race that are evil, uneducated and weak. This theory can
greatly explain the conflicts that both Aziz and Kim experience in the novels.
However, these two novels show a difference in the end of the conflicts, and
this is what makes the two novels different. Aziz, in A Passage to India, turns to hate
the British settlers and never makes peace with any of them. These conflicts are not
settled throughout the novel. It is different with Kim, in the novel Kim, who finally
realizes that what the British settlers do is not all bad. He takes the advantage of
British education and after that he comes back to the Lama and continues the journey
until at the end of the novel the two of them finish their search.
In my opinion the difference between the resolutions of the conflicts in the
two novels are due to the personal lives of the authors themselves. EM Forster was
known for his support for Indian independence. His support can be seen clearly in the
30
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conflicts in his novel where Aziz finally fights the British settlers with their
colonialism out of India. In the novel, there is a message that the Indians shall be free
and gain their independence. The Indians are actually able to control themselves and
do not need the presence of the British. This is some kind of propaganda telling the
Indian to rise and fight for their own nation.
On the other hand, in his life, Rudyard Kipling was known to be a proimperialist. His loyalty to the Kingdom was unquestionable. He spent most of his
time writing journals and propagandas for the sake of the British. He also wrote many
columns in newspapers showing his support for British colonialism. In my opinion,
the novel Kim was one of Kipling’s propagandas. By giving such resolution of the
conflicts, where Kim and the British settlers finally get along together, Kipling would
like to deliver a message to the readers that it is possible for India to get along with its
colonizers. All the Indians should do is obey the British at first, just like Kim, who
finally realizes that British education is good for him and good things will follow in
the end.
A Passage to India was first published in 1924, and the number of copies were
later multiplied, in the era when the freedom movement in India arose. The
movement continued until India’s independence in 1947. It is very possible, in my
opinion, that indirectly the novel gave quite a number of effects to the freedom
movement in India at that time. As I have mentioned before, A Passage to India is a
form of propaganda made by Forster to the people of India, as shown in how Aziz
responds to his conflicts.
31
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Nevertheless, not long after its independence, India in fact suffered declines in
many aspects, unlike when it was ruled by Great Britain. Conflicts happened, the
quality of education was poor, many people starved, etc. These show that the people
of India were actually not prepared for its independence, despite the fact that there is
an opinion saying that the decline of India was caused by the British themselves who
divided India into two nations, Pakistan and India, by the time they left India. I
cannot agree to the opinion saying that the separation of India was behind the decline.
In my opinion, it should not have been the problem because the two nations should
have been able to cope with the separation and work together as they were actually
one nation. I do believe that there were some cases in which India still needs the
attention of the British. This is Kipling’s opinion that I think is true.
However, a nation needs its independence. Being independent, a nation can
have unity in some aspects including a unity in past times, culture and views. These
aspects could have been the basic identity of a nation which I cannot find in colonized
India. According to Orientalism this is because the Occidentals, in this case the
British, will not allow the Orientals to show their own identity; instead, they make
Oriental stereotypes in order to gain advantages for their own race. The Occidentals
make the bad images of the Orientals for their own sake; this is why the Orientals
find difficulties to show their own identity.
In conclusion, there is the most ideal solution to this situation. At that time,
India neeeded the attention of the British in order to be a better nation, and at the
same time the British needed India to strengthen its economy and politics. The two
nations should have created a mutual agreement in order to gain advantages for both
32
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of them. In the process, the two nations should pay respect to all aspects including the
most sensitive one, culture. By respecting the other race, one would let the other race
show their own identity. Showing the Oriental identity
is also the core of
Orientalism. Orientals need to be given the opportunity to show their own true
identity, instead of the ones given by the Occidentals, and that is all they need. Then,
with their own different identity, together they can be part of the world without
discrediting each other. This way, the two races will have the benefits of reaching
their own targets. I believe that today’s conflicts suffered by a number of nations can
be solved in this way.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-hill Company,
1905.
Internet Website
Wikipedia. 8. March. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
10 March 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy.
Primary Texts
Forster, EM. A Passage to India. Great Britain: Penguin Books, 1961.
Kipling, Rudyard. Kim. Great Britain: Wordsworth Edition Limited, 1993
34
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Dalam skripsi ini saya membahas konflik-konflik yang terjadi antara
penduduk asli India dengan pendatang-pendatang Inggris yang terdapat dalam novel
karangan E.M. Forster berjudul A Passage to India dan novel karangan Rudyard
Kipling berjudul Kim.
Konflik-konflik yang terjadi adalah konflik sosial dan dapat dijelaskan dengan
teori yang ditawarkan oleh Edward Said dalam bukunya yang berjudul Orientalism.
Menurut saya bahasan ini menarik karena merupakan masalah budaya yang pelik dan
mempunyai dasar-dasar yang sama yang melandasi konflik-konflik antar budaya
yang lainnya, baik konflik-konflik pada masa lalu maupun pada saat ini.
Pertama-tama saya menganalisis konflik-konflik sosial yang ada pada kedua
novel lalu kemudian mengaplikasikan teori Orientalisme untuk mendapat penjelasan
atas penyebab konflik-konflik tersebut. Setelah itu saya menarik kesimpulan yang
terdapat pada bab terakhir skripsi ini.
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ……………………………………………………………………..
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS …………................................................................
ii
ABSTRACT ………….……………………………………………………….. iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTODUCTION :
Background of the Story .......................................................................
Statement of the Problems ....................................................................
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................
Method of Research ..............................................................................
Organization of the Thesis ....................................................................
1
3
4
4
5
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS IN
A PASSAGE TO INDIA…………..………………………………….
6
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS
IN KIM ……………….……………………………………………… 18
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION …………………………....................
28
BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………..……
33
APPENDIX:
Synopsis of A Passage to India ............................................................ 34
Synopsis of Kim ................................................................................... 35
Biography of EM Forster ..................................................................... 37
Biography of Rudyard Kipling ............................................................. 38
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APPENDIX
Synopsis of A Passage to India
A Passage to India is a novel about the relationship between a native
Indian doctor named Aziz with his associates many of whom are British settlers.
The story is set in Chandrapore, a city where the British settlers rule. Generally,
Aziz has no good relationship with the British settlers until Adela Quested comes
to the city.
Adela is the city magistrate’s fiancee, who is very curious about India.
Aziz and Adela make good friends. They prepare a journey to an exotic cave not
far from Chandrapore. Adela, feeling bored, unintentionally insults Aziz. He is
shocked, and leaves her for a moment to light a cigarette and to calm himself.
Then Adela, who at that time has a problem with her upcoming marriage,
suddenly panics inside the cave; she runs outside and throws herself from the cliff,
landing right in front of a British settler’s car passing at that very moment. The
news widely and quickly spreads. Aziz is instantly accused of assaulting Adela.
The British settlers put Aziz in jail and accuse him of assaulting Adela
without any proper proof. His settler friend, Fielding, who at that time tries to
defend Aziz, is powerless. Adela, recovering from her wounds, does not try to
explain the truth; she is too afraid. Aziz is locked up for several days until his trial
35
day comes. When the court is in progress the people of Chandrapore come to
support and to free Aziz and they are succesful.
Aziz, being treated unfairly, turns to despise the British settlers. He hates
Adela, who does not tell the truth to the people; moreover, he despises the British
settlers who put him in jail without any proper proof. Then Fielding tries to calm
him and he persuades Aziz not to sue back, but Aziz is very angry. He even hates
Fielding, whom he thinks does nothing to defend him. Aziz’s greatest hatred for
Fielding is because Aziz finds that Fielding and Adela leave India together. He
thinks that there is a romance between them.
Years later, Fielding and his wife visit Aziz in his new residence. Aziz
realizes that he is wrong, Fielding does not marry Adela; he takes Adela outside
India at that time to prevent any violence. Fielding then tries to make Aziz
understand the British presence in India. Nevertheless, Aziz has become anti–
British and does not change his mind. The two of them separate at the end of the
novel. They realize that they cannot be friends only because of their different
cultures.
Synopsis of Kim
Kim was published in 1901. It is a story about an orphaned son of an Irish
soldier. His father and mother are white people but he is born and grows in the
rural area of India. Thus, he is a native but no one realizes that he is a white
descendant. Kim is a very clever boy; though he is in the poor care of an Indian
widow, he is able to survive. He also has good conections with native Indians.
36
Kim meets a Tibetan lama in the city of Lahore. Kim decides to
accompany the Lama in his search for a mystical river that he believes will
cleanse his sins, the River of Arrow. Kim treats the Lama well and the Lama is
fond of him. In their journey, they meet a group of Irish soldiers. Kim is curious
because his father once tells him to come to an Irish flag once he finds one. Kim is
accused of being a thief when an Irish reverend catches him sneaking in the camp.
He catches Kim by the throat and beats him.
Only after he opens Kim’s charm and finds his father’s note that he
realizes Kim is a descendant of an Irish soldier. Instead of letting Kim continue
his journey with the Lama, the British settlers force Kim to enter a British school
and to leave the Lama. He objects but the settlers insist.
In the schooling institution, Kim is despised by his classmates and
teachers. A colonel notices Kim’s ability and he is then moved to the surveillance
school where the Irish regiment trains him to be a spy. The settlers do not let Kim
continue his journey with the Tibetan Lama; however, Kim intends to continue his
journey right after his school and his service to the Irish regiment ends.
Kim proves to be a good spy. He manages to get hold of an important
surveillance paper. He is also able to make the British settlers approve his request
to continue his journey with the Lama. Kim finally meets the Lama and asks the
Lama to stay while he finishes his duty and they will continue their journey as
planned. Kim is finally able to gain advantages from the British settlers and at the
same time finishes his search with the Lama.
37
Biography of EM Forster
Edward Morgan Forster was born in London on 1 January 1871. His
father, an architect, died when Forster was about 2 years old. He spent his
childhood and adult life with his mother and aunt. He then suffered from cruelty
of his classmates when he was in school. He attended King’s College in
Cambridge (1897-1901). There, he met his friends with whom he later formed a
group, Bloomsbury group. Graduating from the college, he started to write some
essays and short stories for Independent Review.
His first novel was Where Angels Fear to Tread, published in 1905. Some
of his novels are The Longest Journey (1907), A Room With A View (1908), a
novel based on his holiday in Italy with his mother, and Howards End (1910), a
story about a clash between two families in England. Forster also wrote some
biographies such as of Goldsworthy Lowes Dickenson (1934) and Marianne
Thornton (1956).
Forster travelled in India between 1912 and 1913 but he came back to
London in 1914 to work for the National Gallery for two years. In the First World
War Forster served in Red Cross and went to Alexandria, Egypt. He returned to
India in 1921 to work as private secretary of Maharajah Dewas. India was the
scene where he wrote his last novel, A Passage to India. After that, he devoted his
life to other activities, mostly writing reviews and essays.
In 1934 he was elected the first president of the National Council for Civil
Liberties. He was also elected as an honorary fellow of King’s College. He
refused a knighthood in 1949 and was made a Companion of Honour in 1953. He
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accepted an Order of Merit a year before his death in 1969. EM Forster died on 7
June 1970.
Biography of Rudyard Kipling
Kipling was born in Bombay, India, on 30 December 1865, but he was
educated in England at the United Service College. Then he returned to India in
1882 to work in an Anglo-Indian newspaper. He was soon popular and became
the poet of the British Empire and its yeoman. His early works were Plain Tales
from the Hills (1888), and Soldiers Three (1888), and a collection of short stories
with soldier portraits. His writings about soldiers continued and Barrack Room
Ballads (1892) was published.
In 1894, his famous work, Jungle Book, was published and soon became
children’s favourite. The novel Kim was published in 1901 and said to be his
masterpiece. He also wrote other novels such as The Second Jungle Book (1895),
The Seven Seas (1896), Captain Courageous (1897), The Day's Work (1898),
Stalky and Co. (1899), Just So Stories (1902), Trafficks and Discoveries (1904),
Puck of Pook's Hill (1906), Actions and Reactions (1909), Debits and Credits
(1926), Thy Servant a Dog (1930), and Limits and Renewals (1932). Kipling was
said to be the best children story–writer, but this was quite a controversy because
many people saw prejudices and militarism in his works. During the break of the
First World War Kipling wrote some propaganda books for the United Kingdom.
Kipling received a lot of honorary degrees and awards. He was awarded
Gold Medal of The Royal Society of Literature. Only Scott, Meredith, and Hardy
had been awarded the same Medal. Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in
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Literature. He rejected a number of knighthood occasions just like Forster did.
Rudyard Kipling died on January 18, 1936.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
The era of European colonialism started in the 15th century and lasted until
the mid-20th century. During that time people in many European countries
invaded the Eastern parts of the globe, in the interest of trade and to spread their
culture in their colonies. By 1921, the country with the greatest number of
colonies was the Great Britain with about a quarter of the globe. However, most
of its empire had the same problem, their natives in the colonies could not have a
good relationship with the settlers. The colonizers acted as superiors and
underestimated the natives.
There were different perceptives of colonialism in the British society,
some people supported the colonialism but some were against it. Then people
found some ways to express their ideas. Some of them showed their perceptions
through literature. Kim and A Passage to India are two novels written by two
English writers, Rudyard Kipling and EM Forster respectively. These novels are
about
the
relationships
between
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the
natives
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and the settlers with its problematic conflicts in India, one of the British colonies, in
which the natives objected to the coming of the settlers because they could not have a
good relationship with them. In the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, native is
defined as ‘a person who was born in a particular country or area’ ;while the second
definition is ‘a person who lives in a particular place, especially sb [somebody] who has
lived there a long time.’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2000: 848). On the
other hand, settler, in the same dictionary is defined as ‘a person who goes to live in a
new country or region.’ (P.1171). Although the two novels have a similar topic, Kim, the
protagonist in Kim, seems to have been able to settle his conflicts with the settlers. While
Azis, the protagonist in A Passage to India, does not have a good relationship with the
settlers due to the conflicts. These conflicts are the unifying elements of the two novels
and this will be the focus of my thesis as I would like to analyse the cause of the conflicts
and to compare the different conflict resolutions between the natives and the settlers
found in the novels.
The two writers, Rudyard Kipling and E.M. Forster, spent a lot of time in India so
they knew exactly what had happened in India and the relationships between the natives
and the settlers. Rudyard Kipling was a pro-imperialist, while EM Forster supported
Indian independence. Thus there are two objective points of view about the relationships
between the natives and the settlers in India.
In analyzing the conflicts between the natives and the settlers in both novels I
would like to concentrate on the element of conflict. In Dictionary of Literary Terms,
Harry Shaw defines conflict as ‘the opposition of person/forces upon which the action
depends in drama & fiction’. (Shaw, 1972: 91-92) There are three types of conflict,
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namely social conflict, physical conflict and internal conflict. In this thesis I would like to
focus on social conflict only. Social conflict is ‘a struggle between man and man or man
and society’ (p.91).
To understand the reason why there are two different relationships between the
natives and settlers in the same colonized country in the two novels I would like to use
the theory of Orientalism by Edward Said. According to Said, the world is divided in two
parts, the Orient and the Occident. The Orient is inhabited by people such as Africans,
Indians, and Indonesians, and the Occident by people such as the British, French,
Americans, and Australians. The images, ideas and personalities of people in the
Occident are in contrast with those in the
Orient. Moreover, ‘The relationship of
Occident and Orient is that of power, of domination, and varying degrees of a complex
hegemony’ (Said, 1978:5). The main idea of Orientalism is that the Orientals cannot
represent themselves because their existing ideas or images adopted in the world are
Occident-made. These ideas or images are very poor, untrue and manipulated. The
images or identities of the Orient are made by the Occident for a certain purpose, that is
for the sake of the Occident themselves. Because Orientals and Occidentals are supposed
to be in contrast, thus by giving the Orient the image of bad, evil and weak race, the
Occident will be the good, kind, and powerful race. The existing representations of native
Indians make most Occidentals react towards the Orientals with some kind of disrespect
or disgust. This is the trigger of most conflicts between Orientals and Occidentals.
Statement of the Problems
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The problems that will be analyzed in this major thesis are:
1. What conflicts happen between the natives and settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim
and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India ?
2. What are the causes of those conflicts that happen between the natives and the
settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India?
3. How does the theory of Orientalism help to give a better understanding about the
relationships between the natives and settlers in the two novels?
Purpose of the Study
Based on the statement of the problems above, the purpose of this study is:
1. To describe the conflicts that happen between the natives and the settlers in
Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India
2. To know what causes those conflicts that happen between the natives and the
settlers in Rudyard Kipling’s Kim and E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India.
3. To know how the theory of Orientalism helps in giving a better understanding
about the relationships between the natives and the settlers in the two novels.
Method of Research
The method of research used is library research. First of all, I read the two novels
as the primary texts. I then gather the information needed for the major thesis through
library research and the internet to support the analysis of the primary text. Next, I apply
the Postcolonialism approach to have a better understanding of the conflicts between the
natives and the settlers. Finally, I draw some conclusions from the analysis.
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Organization of the Thesis
I divide this thesis into four chapters, which are preceded by the Preface and the
Abstract. Chapter One is the Introduction, which contains the Background of the Study,
the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research and the
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two deals with the analysis of the conflicts between
the natives and the settlers in EM Forster’s A Passage to India, whereas Chapter Three
deals with the analysis of the conflicts between the natives and the settlers in Rudyard
Kipling’s Kim. Chapter Four is the Conclusion, in which I conclude and compare my
analysis of the conflicts in the two novels. The thesis ends with the Bibliography and the
Appendix, which consists of the summaries and the biographies of the two writers.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the two novels, I would like to draw some conclusions. In
these two novels, Forster’s A Passage to India and Kipling’s Kim, there are
always conflicts in the interaction between the native Indians and the British
settlers. The conflicts are varied; nevertheless, the triggers of most conflicts in
these novels are actually the same.
The social conflicts in A Passage to India happen because most of the
British settlers in the story believe in certain stereotypes of the native Indians.
Aziz, the main character in the novel, a native Indian, has problematic conflicts
mainly with Adela, some officers in the City of Chadrapore, and his settler friend
Fielding. These characters have the mindset that native Indians are all the same;
evil, uneducated and weak. They do not consider Aziz’s personal characteristics
and other objective truth, which results in Aziz’s rejection towards their attitude,
thus conflicts are inevitable.
Kim, like Aziz, experiences conflicts with the British settlers in the novel
Kim. These conflicts are also triggered by the British settlers’ tendency to use the
stereotypes of the Orientals when they are interacting with native Indians and
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assume whatever the British settlers do is right and vice versa. The main conflicts in
Kim are between Kim and Reverend Arthur Bennett, Father Victor, and the people in
the schooling institution. These people assume that their race is the better one, and
they know what is right or wrong for other races. Assuming they are the better race,
they believe that they have power over other races as well. That is why they have
conflicts with Kim, whom they think is a native Indian, and
thus he is their
subordinate.
According to Edward Said in his book entitled Orientalism, the Occidentals
tend to use their own-made stereotypes about the Orientals in their interaction with
the Orientals. The Occidentals put themselves in a binary opposition as the better race
with the attribute of being kind, educated and powerful in order to put their opposite,
the Orientals, as the worse race that are evil, uneducated and weak. This theory can
greatly explain the conflicts that both Aziz and Kim experience in the novels.
However, these two novels show a difference in the end of the conflicts, and
this is what makes the two novels different. Aziz, in A Passage to India, turns to hate
the British settlers and never makes peace with any of them. These conflicts are not
settled throughout the novel. It is different with Kim, in the novel Kim, who finally
realizes that what the British settlers do is not all bad. He takes the advantage of
British education and after that he comes back to the Lama and continues the journey
until at the end of the novel the two of them finish their search.
In my opinion the difference between the resolutions of the conflicts in the
two novels are due to the personal lives of the authors themselves. EM Forster was
known for his support for Indian independence. His support can be seen clearly in the
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conflicts in his novel where Aziz finally fights the British settlers with their
colonialism out of India. In the novel, there is a message that the Indians shall be free
and gain their independence. The Indians are actually able to control themselves and
do not need the presence of the British. This is some kind of propaganda telling the
Indian to rise and fight for their own nation.
On the other hand, in his life, Rudyard Kipling was known to be a proimperialist. His loyalty to the Kingdom was unquestionable. He spent most of his
time writing journals and propagandas for the sake of the British. He also wrote many
columns in newspapers showing his support for British colonialism. In my opinion,
the novel Kim was one of Kipling’s propagandas. By giving such resolution of the
conflicts, where Kim and the British settlers finally get along together, Kipling would
like to deliver a message to the readers that it is possible for India to get along with its
colonizers. All the Indians should do is obey the British at first, just like Kim, who
finally realizes that British education is good for him and good things will follow in
the end.
A Passage to India was first published in 1924, and the number of copies were
later multiplied, in the era when the freedom movement in India arose. The
movement continued until India’s independence in 1947. It is very possible, in my
opinion, that indirectly the novel gave quite a number of effects to the freedom
movement in India at that time. As I have mentioned before, A Passage to India is a
form of propaganda made by Forster to the people of India, as shown in how Aziz
responds to his conflicts.
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Nevertheless, not long after its independence, India in fact suffered declines in
many aspects, unlike when it was ruled by Great Britain. Conflicts happened, the
quality of education was poor, many people starved, etc. These show that the people
of India were actually not prepared for its independence, despite the fact that there is
an opinion saying that the decline of India was caused by the British themselves who
divided India into two nations, Pakistan and India, by the time they left India. I
cannot agree to the opinion saying that the separation of India was behind the decline.
In my opinion, it should not have been the problem because the two nations should
have been able to cope with the separation and work together as they were actually
one nation. I do believe that there were some cases in which India still needs the
attention of the British. This is Kipling’s opinion that I think is true.
However, a nation needs its independence. Being independent, a nation can
have unity in some aspects including a unity in past times, culture and views. These
aspects could have been the basic identity of a nation which I cannot find in colonized
India. According to Orientalism this is because the Occidentals, in this case the
British, will not allow the Orientals to show their own identity; instead, they make
Oriental stereotypes in order to gain advantages for their own race. The Occidentals
make the bad images of the Orientals for their own sake; this is why the Orientals
find difficulties to show their own identity.
In conclusion, there is the most ideal solution to this situation. At that time,
India neeeded the attention of the British in order to be a better nation, and at the
same time the British needed India to strengthen its economy and politics. The two
nations should have created a mutual agreement in order to gain advantages for both
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of them. In the process, the two nations should pay respect to all aspects including the
most sensitive one, culture. By respecting the other race, one would let the other race
show their own identity. Showing the Oriental identity
is also the core of
Orientalism. Orientals need to be given the opportunity to show their own true
identity, instead of the ones given by the Occidentals, and that is all they need. Then,
with their own different identity, together they can be part of the world without
discrediting each other. This way, the two races will have the benefits of reaching
their own targets. I believe that today’s conflicts suffered by a number of nations can
be solved in this way.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
References
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979
Shaw, Harry. Dictionary of Literary Terms. New York: McGraw-hill Company,
1905.
Internet Website
Wikipedia. 8. March. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
10 March 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy.
Primary Texts
Forster, EM. A Passage to India. Great Britain: Penguin Books, 1961.
Kipling, Rudyard. Kim. Great Britain: Wordsworth Edition Limited, 1993
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