On Border Inhabitants Implied In Kipling's "On The City Wall"

“On the City Wall” is an interesting read such that it takes us one level above the contemporary implication of Kipling’s work through the intricacies and set-up of its characters. Besides depicting on the questions of nationalism and subservient nature of the Indians, it intrigued me on its description of the border inhabitants and their intellectual engagement with the reader and reminded me of the works of Edward Said.

Lalun, being the only complete personality with an intelligent mind and manner of handling her own affairs and her apartment, the center of information and gossip, is strategically placed on the outskirts of the city with an aerial view of all the workings of the country. Her place on the city wall is that of a person occupying a border site where the feelings of both belonging and unbelonging prevail and give rise to an intellectualism that is both unique and essential at the same time. Through her personality, the concept of nationalism is brought forward and even though she is a prostitute, a motherly association consisting of concern and love is reflected for the homeland.  According to many contemporary literature writers and critics, many of the postcolonial theories revolve around the roles of these border inhabitants especially in the fields of exile, race, ethnicity and feminism. They have equated these concepts with those of regenerative purpose and vital for societal reconstruction. They are believed to be amongst the few “privileged” parts of a culture or country transgressing between both the feeling of belonging or unbelonging to an identity, much like exilic figures and capable of offering vital perspectival shifts. Observed in this very context, Edward Said is also a product of such a process and being a border inhabitant/intellectual himself was able to view the negativities of both Eastern and Western cultures and offer a crucial perspective on the situation of the world and societal progressions. He was thus able to answer as both an insider and an outsider about his country. Therefore, the doubleness of character portrayed in a border work is often the gateway to a greater form of intellectualism that forces in some important perspectives essential for understanding a society or a culture. In Kipling’s work, Lalun is also portrayed as a figure who both belongs and doesn’t belong to the city both in the matters of knowing and being involved in the regular day affairs. Her profession grants her the freedom from all compulsions and regularities of life, giving her satisfaction that is shown to be absent from other people under British Imperialism eg Wali Dad. At the same time, she is well aware of all that goes around in the city at every point in time and is involved in rejuvenating the dying nationalism in the citizens (portrayed in her act/plan of rescuing Khem Singh).