In "The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes," an English colonial engineer working in India accidentally falls down a crater with his pony after chasing dogs while in a feverish state. He finds himself in a hellish environment surrounded by Indians who appear to be zombies and cannot escape. Thanks to his servant, Jukes is eventually able to make an escape and return to the land of the living.
Kipling's view of imperialism was a good deal more ambiguous than commonly thought. He was a staunch supporter of the British Empire but still remained sensitive to the plight of indigenous peoples, especially in India, the country of his birth. "Morrowbie Jukes" should be interpreted with that cultural background in mind. When he falls into the crater, Jukes sees a sight that few other colonialists ever see. He's introduced to a hideous half-world of darkness and suffering he never even knew existed.
The moral is that white European imperialists need to become more closely acquainted with the lives of their colonial subjects, more sensitive to their cultural needs. The village of the dead visited by Jukes provides the Anglo-Indian governing class with a frightening glimpse into how the other half lives. On the whole, it's likely that Kipling's intended audience missed the subtle meaning of the story and simply thought that it provided a salutary lesson in maintaining a clear racial and cultural distinction between themselves and the indigenous population.
The treatment of imperialism in "Wee Willy Winkie" is slightly different, but again could be taken in two ways. The little boy has a rather unflattering view of Indians, referring to them as "bad men." His world is somewhat narrow, and the people of the indigenous population are remote and strange to him. And, as he's still only a child, Winkie has no real understanding of imperialism and what it entails. His worldview is black and white; he sees Miss Allardyce as a damsel in distress threatened by a horde of dark and dangerous savages.
When confronted by Indians armed to the teeth Winkie acts defiantly. Although trying hard not to cry he plucks up the gumption to start making demands:
"I am the Colonel Sahib's son, and my order is that you go at once. You black men are frightening the Miss Sahib. One of you must run into cantonments and take the news that Miss Sahib has hurt herself, and that the Colonel's son is here with her."
After being subjected to a peal of mocking laughter, Wee Willie Winkie makes a more serious threat:
"And if you do carry us away, I tell you that all my regiment will come up in a day and kill you all without leaving one. Who will take my message to the Colonel Sahib?"
Although the confrontation is clearly meant to be humorous Winkie's threat carries a dark message. Even though he's just a small boy Winkie's still old enough to realize what will happen to the Indians if they carry out their threat and kidnap him and Miss Allardyce and hold them for ransom. Through the mouth of a child we're being introduced to the true face of imperialism, one of violent, brutal repression.
The lesson we're meant to draw from this is not as clear as that propounded in "Morrowbie Jukes." One could say that Kipling is using humor and the immature worldview of a small boy to comment upon the harsh side of the colonial life which he otherwise values highly. Or it might be said that Kipling is providing us with an example of the kind of British pluck and fighting spirit needed to face down the threat of native insurrection. Kipling was almost obsessed with the idea that the Empire needed a special breed of men to maintain and administer it properly. This was no job for amateurs. Perhaps he sees in the feisty little figure of Wee Willie Winkie someone who will one day take on such an onerous task.
No comments:
Post a Comment