Kip

E48823

Kip is a young Sikh British-Indian army sapper in Michael Ondaatje’s novel "The English Patient," whose expertise in bomb disposal and complex relationship with the other characters explore themes of war, identity, and colonialism.


Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
age young adult
appearsIn The English Patient
appearsInWorkType novel
associatedWithCharacter Caravaggio
Hana
The English Patient
surface form: the English patient
conflictType internal conflict about loyalty to the British Empire
countryOfFictionalWork Canada
creator Michael Ondaatje
culturalBackground British-Indian
ethnicity Indian
fictionalUniverse The English Patient
surface form: The English Patient universe
fullName Kirpal Singh
gender male
givenName Kirpal
hasRomanticRelationshipWith Hana
literarySignificance embodies tensions of colonial soldiers in World War II
medium prose fiction
militaryBranch British Army
narrativeFunction to contrast Western and non-Western perspectives on war
to explore colonial subject’s experience in European war
nationality British
nickname Kip
occupation army sapper
bomb disposal expert
religion Sikhism
represents colonial subject in imperial army
hybrid cultural identity
role major character
protagonist
settingCountry Italy
settingLocation Italian villa
settingPeriod 1940s
World War II
surface form: Second World War
skill bomb disposal
defusing unexploded ordnance
themeInvolvement betrayal
colonialism
cross-cultural relationships
identity
loyalty
race
war
timeInService World War II bomb disposal units

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.