2009-10 AM Fictions of India - Expert Group on Plot Structures

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Expert Group on Plot Structures

Kim The Structure of the Plot

We divided the book into three parts: Part 1: Chapter 1-4

       Kim becomes the Chela of the lama

Part 2: Chapter 5-10

       Kim goes to school

Part 3: Chapter 11-15

       Everything comes together

There are two main strands of the plot. On the one hand the lama's search for the river and on the other hand the Great Game.

Is there a spiritual and a materialistic plot?

Is the quest of the Red Bull the trigger for his other quests?

The quest of the Red Bull can be seen as a trigger for his further quests. If the Red Bull was Kim’s only quest the book would have had only five chapters. At the end of chapter five he finds the Red Bull and follows the Great Game. Also he joined the lama on his Spiritual Journey maybe for his own proposes but this is not explicitly said.


SALMAN RUSHDIE - MIDNIGHTS CHILDREN (1981)


A general structure:

Book I: Family chronic before his birth (1915-1947)

Book II: His childhood/youth until the age of 18 (1974-1965)

Book III: Saleem as an adult (1965-1981)


The structure above focusses on the historical background and its connection to Saleem's (family) history. It is the most obvious one because it takes into account the tripartive division of the book. It rather goes along some major political breaks and shifts: Book I: India as a colony, from Gandhi's arrival to Independence; Book II: Independent India under Jawaharlal Nehru (died 1964); Book III: India under Indira Gandhi (1966-1977)


Are there any other ways of structurong the novel? Some ideas might include:


Geographical aspects:


Kashmir, Amritsar, Bombay, Pakistan, (and again) Bombay


Generations:

Aadam & Naseem

Amina & Ahmed

Saleem, Pravati, Shiva and the Children of Independence

Aadam and the children / generation of the state of emergency