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An Analysis of Kim from the Perspective of Initiation Stories

Yan Shi

Abstract


The novel Kim chronicles the adventures of Irish orphan Kim and Tibetan lama. During the journey, Kim, as a perplexed go-between in the Anglo-Indian world struggling with hybrid identity and looking for his true self during the adventures, experiences the physical and psychological transformation from being immature to mature. Based on the perspective of initiation stories, this paper intends to analyze Kim from three aspects: his disillusionment of innocence, the life guide on his way of growth and self-discovery of the meaninglessness of hybrid identity, which means that he finally breaks the shackles of identity with maturity.


Keywords


Rudyard Kipling; Kim; Initiation Stories; Hybrid Identity

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v7i11.8403

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