Rudyard Kipling's Indian Complex In Kim

Rudyard Kipling, one of the greatest writers of the late Victorian period, the first English man ever to be granted the honor of Nobel Prize, was the most significant and the most representative writer of his time. Yet his literary position went through dramatic change. Though he devoted himself, and has made tremendous contributions, to English literature, he was labeled as an imperial writer by critics and thus withdrew himself from the literary arena, making his works enjoy less and less popularity.This paper endeavors to make a comprehensive evaluation of Kipling. This paper will analyze Kipling's deep affection toward India and the superior thoughts he can't get rid of due to the social environment revealed in Kim, and thus naturally draw the conclusion of the existence of Kipling's Indian complex. The author of this paper holds firmly that it is not fair and precise to judge Kipling as an imperialist without taking the then social setting as well as his controversial attitudes toward imperialism into account.The first chapter of this thesis mainly introduces previous studies on Kipling in western countries as well as in China. The second chapter presents C.G.Jung's complex theory which can be employed to analyze Kipling's ambivalent attitudes toward India. The third chapter studies Kipling in detail by analyzing his pro-imperial and anti-imperial ideas revealed in Kim, reaching the conclusion that Kipling has Indian complex which in return affects his writing. The forth chapter interprets the causes and influences of his Indian complex while the fifth chapter naturally draw the conclusion that due to the existence of Kipling's Indian complex, we cannot make arbitrary decisions by defining Kipling as an imperial writer. The author of this paper hopes to justify for Kipling and give back the place he deserves in English literature.