For Thursday: Kim, pp.150-203

The gun Zam-Zammah (featured in Ch.1) today

NOTE: We will spend two more days on Kim, since it is a harder and longer read than the previous books.  Try to finish the book for next Tuesday.  Here are some questions to consider for Thursday's chapters:

* How does Kim continue to grapple with his own identity, particularly regarding the two "paths" that his life seems to take--the chela and the Sahib?  Consider also the famous passage in Chapter 11, "Who is Kim--Kim--Kim?"

* What does Kim learn from the lama?  While he seems eager to learn the ways of the Game from Mahbub and Lurgan Sahib, he is less enthusiastic (initially, perhaps) about the lama's teachings.  Does he seem taken with any of his stories, sayings, or lessons?  Does the lama change Kim in the same way that the Game does?

* Consider the imperialist critique in Chapter 13, when Kim overhears the French and the Russian speaking of India.  What is he commenting on specifically here?  Is it a blanket condemnation of imperialist views, or just aimed at non-English ones?  Consider the Russian's statement, "It is we who can deal with Orientals."

* If we take the lama seriously as a character, how is he "tested" and how does he grow in the same manner as Kim?  What revelations (or disappointments) does he find on his quest?