Kim (Kimball O’Hara) is the book’s main character, and the vast majority of its scenes have him at their center. The novel is written in the perspective of third-person omniscient (following characters from the outside, but with the ability to move from character to character and even to describe their inner states). Such a perspective would allow for switches to other characters beyond Kim, but the narrative only rarely does this. It is Kim’s experience, and Kim’s alone, that dominates the book. Kim is white, the orphan son of an Irish regimental soldier and his wife, but he is left with only minimal guardianship after his parents’ death. Thus, he grew up learning Indian culture as an insider, a street urchin in the markets of Lahore.

Kim’s smooth confidence in his native Lahore is matched by his bright and vivacious character. He delights in games and intrigues, anything that catches the fancy of his clever mind. He can spin a story as he tells it, with a natural ability to understand people’s reactions and play to his audience. Kim’s character contains an inner tension, however: while he can understand the outside world and other’s people’s reactions with confidence and ease, he cannot understand his own identity and the role that he plays in the world.