Historical/Cultural Context

In order to understand many of Kipling’s short stories, it is essential to understand the point of view that he is writing from. Kipling, born in India during the reign of the British empire, writes from a very nationalistic and superior position. An understanding of how the British came to believe they were morally superior can only come about after a short history lesson…

          The East India Company, from Britain, had been in India for several years buying tea from the natives and shipping it to other parts of the world. The higher the profit, the more they wanted to gain total control over the market, and in turn, India’s economy. As more English began to settle in India to make money, they began to realize the primitive nature of the Indians, and began to believe that they were morally and ethically superior. It became their right to take over India and make it a better place to live, for both the English and the Indians. Kipling’s father, brought to India to teach at a new college, was raised during the “purification” of the race, when English tried to better the Indians by teaching them their way of life. Kipling was raised believing that it was Britain’s duty as a country to develop India. Also, it is important to understand that Kipling’s writings were affected by the culture of the Indians, as well as the political agenda of the British. Many of his stories reflect the institutions in British India, especially concerning marriage. Many of his stories reflect adulterous relationships, not only in the British Indians, but in the Indians as well. Kipling’s writing often scorn adulterers, which reflect the social consequences of the time.

Kipling’s writings, consequently, reflect his beliefs and values and political and social culture of his era, yet he is judged harshly for that by many critics. However, Kipling was just a product of his times, and his writings would therefore be inaccurate if they represented any other point. It is important to understand that Kipling’s writings were directed toward the English, and that he wrote for the general population, using the popular opinion.

Works Cited

“British Imperialism and Indian Nationalism, 1858-1947.” Cambridge

Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives, The. 1989 edition. The Cambridge Encyclopedia discusses the relations between the English and the Indians during the British-Indian empire. It states five phases that occurred during Britain’s rule. These phases include attempts to civilize the natives, doubt that their presence was improving the people, an increase in social and political engineering, contradictions in British thinking over freedom for the Indians versus intellectual and economical expansion, and finally the surrendering of the British forces. The article also discusses the political expansionism of Britain, and how they invaded India. This article was helpful in explaining how the British came to rule in India, which is the cultural context in much of Kipling’s writing.

Kanatur Bhaskara, Rao. Rudyard Kipling’s India. Norman, OK: University of

Oklahoma Press, 1967. Rao Kanatur Bhaskara, in his book, is a harsh critic of Kipling and his writings. Bhaskara explains the reasons how Britain became involved in India, and briefly explains Kipling’s life in India. While he gives him credit for portraying India accurately, he asserts that Kipling’s attitudes were that of a superior, dominating foreigner. Kipling, the greatest writer of the time, according to Bhskara, still has many flaws with his depiction of the Indian people. This book was an extremely helpful resource because it gave a different point of Kipling than all other sources, and it explained the correlation between Kipling and British India better than all other sources I read.

Marks, Robert B. Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological

Narrative. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002. Robert B. Marks discusses how the modern world has developed from a hunting and gathering society into an agrarian society, into the technological society today. He states that through advances in hunting weapons and farming equipment, people all over the world began to develop, creating better routes for transportation. These transportation routes led to trade, which eventually led to expansionism. Marx discusses the impact of trade with the Eastern world, including India, China, and Japan, and its effects of the global markets. The specific chapter I used explained how the rise of the British empire, specifically the East India Company and their influence on British India. It was a very good resource for background and political information.

Page, Norman. A Kipling Companion. New York: Macmillan, 1984.

Norman Page’s research covers many topics over Kipling, including his biography, the cultural context in which he wrote, and much criticism from many literary critics. Page discusses the achievements Kipling has earned throughout his career from his writings, and also explained why Kipling was popular during his lifetime. This book was an excellent resource because it coupled together many of Kipling’s influences, including his culture and biography. Some of the criticism included was written during his lifetime, which also helped explain the cultural and political nuances throughout Kipling’s writing.