FIG 2.1 The Desert of Upper Rajputana
*Oppressive heat 101°Fsuggests the desert of Upper Rajputana, north of Jodhpur, which Kipling visited as a correspondent.* Pseudopod 337: At The End Of The Passage | PseudoPod
Historical/Social Context: A princely state under indirect British rule. Known for extreme heat, aridity, and isolation. British officers stationed here were often far from major cities, medical care, and social life.The desert was seen by the British as a “hardship post,” a place where the empire demanded sacrifice.
In the story: The oppressive heat (101°F inside the bungalow) and isolation shape the men’s mental and physical deterioration. The desert becomes a metaphor for the emotional barrenness of imperial service.The Empire depends on remote outposts like this, places where British men are expected to endure harsh conditions to maintain control. The landscape itself becomes an antagonist, symbolizing the cost of imperial domination.The desert reinforces the idea that empire is built on the suffering of its administrators.
2.2 The Surrounding Indian Villages
Historical/Social Context: Indian communities lived near these outposts but were socially and racially segregated from the British.Their presence is felt but not given narrative space, a typical feature of imperial fiction. Each man is stationed in a different remote administrative or engineering post. These unnamed districts emphasize the fragmentation and loneliness of imperial service.
In the story:Most Indian servants appear only as background figures.Their silence reflects the colonial hierarchy. One of the men shares his opinion on what happens to Hummil which is immediately dismissed. Reflecting the colonial hierarchy and racial segregation of British India, it underscores how imperial fiction privileges British suffering while rendering Indian lives invisible.
2.3 Medical Outpost
Historical/Social Context: British medical officers were spread thin across vast territories. Disease (cholera, malaria, heatstroke) was a constant threat. Medicine was a tool of the empire both for controlling populations and sustaining British personnel.
In the story: The doctor Spurstow is overworked and exhausted, struggling to keep up with rampant cases of cholera. His faith in imperial medicine and observation serves inadequate in saving Hummil, despite his extensive training and field knowledge.The medical system of the empire is shown to be inadequate in remote regions which resist imperial control and assimilation.The Empire relies on the health of its administrators and their trust in its capabilities. When the medical system fails to prove infallible, the imperial project cracks and doubt begins to infest the minds of its own imperial administrators.