Unveiling the Other A Post-colonial Analysis of Rudyard Kipling’s “Lispeth”

Abstract

Kipling’s Indian characters have been analyzed thoroughly, and his representations of colonized and colonizers have been studied. However, the originality of this paper lies not only in its focus on “Lispeth” but also in its examination of the significance of the eponymous character as an analogy of colonized India seen as the inferior Other by the colonizers. It also emphasizes Kipling’s representation of “Lispeth” as capturing the complexities of socio-political marginalization. This article includes an examination of how Kipling’s character, Lispeth, is a representation of colonized India, caught between her Indigenous roots and the colonial influences that surround her, through analyzing the cultural constructs (socio-historical dynamics, physical appearance, and secondary characters) as factors that enforce the marginalization of the Other, whether it refers to the colonized woman or the nation as a whole. Another factor examined in this study is Lispeth’s nursing the Englishman, symbolizing India’s rejuvenating an ailing Britain. Thus, this analysis adds a layer of complexity to Kipling’s colonial narrative, highlighting how the author’s portrayal of Lispeth perpetuates the stereotypical representation of the colonized East, reinforcing the binary distinction between the ‘civilized’ West and the exotic yet ‘savage’ Other.