The English Patient: Chapter III Summary & Analysis

Again, Hana seems to be attracted to Kip for the reasons he is not like her—his dark skin. The water pouring over his skin makes its color more noticeable, and she can’t help but stare. Kip’s constant humming of Western songs is proof that he has largely assimilated and accepted Western culture and ways. However, Caravaggio’s irritation reflects his latent prejudice against Kip as someone from the East. Caravaggio seems to not want to share his Western culture with Kip.

Caravaggio’s physical abuse of Kip can also be interpreted as racism brought on by colonialism. As a Westerner, Caravaggio assumes a position of superiority over Kip, which, in Caravaggio’s eyes, makes it appropriate for him to physically strike Kip when he disapprove of his behavior.

Here, it is Kip who is in a position of superiority over Caravaggio. Not only is he physically towering over Caravaggio, but at this moment Kip has complete control over whether Caravaggio lives or dies. 

Again, Hana sense of safety at the villa is just an illusion. There are bombs everywhere, and she could blow up at any moment. Kip’s uniform is a reflection of his acceptance of Western ways. As India was a colony of Britain during this time, Kip fights for Britain, and his uniform identifies him as a member of the English military, not a Punjabi Indian. Kip takes pride in his new Western identity, which is reflected in his polished shoes and his “unconscious” love for his body. He still retains his traditional turban, however, which indicates that he has not fully let go of his Indian roots.

Kip is sweeping the Sistine Chapel for bombs, which further reflect the wanton disregard for religion and God throughout the war. Even though Kip is obviously not Christian, he is still interested in the ceiling’s fresco, and the image of Isaiah in particular, a prophet believed to have lived several hundreds of years before Christ. Isaiah is often seen as a suffering servant, which has significance when considered in context with Kip, who is given few freedoms by the British.

Of course, Kip’s Eastern religion, Sikhism, is not observed in the West, which is a predominately Christian part of the world. This means that Christian religions are given precedence over Eastern religions, which are denied or disregarded. This again reflects the superiority and domination of the West in relation to the East. Still, Kip clearly has respect and reverence for this different religion and does not want to get too close to it with his gun, suggesting that those from Eastern cultures may have more respect for the West than vice versa.

When Hana says she “had to lose” her baby, this implies that she was forced to abort it because of the violence and hardship of the war. Hana could not possibly birth and care for a baby alone in the middle of a war, and she therefore was forced to make a difficult decision. This, too, is a source of trauma for Hana, evidenced by the fact that she continues talking to the baby long after she aborts it.

The death of Patrick not long after Hana’s abortion is further evidence of the trauma she is forced to endure because of the war. Hana feels immense guilt over not being with her father when he died, especially since she is a nurse and might have been able to help him. This is why Hana puts so much energy into caring for the English patient, who is burned just like Patrick was.

Hana believes that generals should have experience as nurses so they can see firsthand the pain and destruction that is caused by war. As a nurse, Hana was forced to spend every day confronting death. If the war generals were privy to the intimate aspects of suffering, pain, and death, they wouldn’t be so keen on war, Hana implies. 

Kip’s love of English tea may seem like a way for him to adopt Western culture and practices, but it also highlights the exploitation of Indians by the English. The English were made rich by forcing Indians to work as indentured servants on “tea estates,” which is further evidence of the systemic abuse of the Indians by the English.

Caravaggio’s inner thought that Kip’s identity as an Indian and his cultural practices somehow make him an “animal” reflect the racism produced by British colonialism. Caravaggio considers himself superior and considers Kip an “animal” simply because of his race.

By giving Kip a nickname that is reminiscent of a “a salty English fish,” his native Indian identity, that of Kirpal Singh, is effectively erased and replaced by an identity that is distinctly English.

Hana figures Kip will dislike the English patient because he believes the man to be English, the country that colonized India and robbed the country’s people of their independence and cultural identity. However, Kip is somewhat brainwashed by colonialism, and he, too, seems to believe in Western superiority, and his obvious affinity for Englishmen is evidence of this.

Hana’s thoughts are further evidence of her guilt and trauma related to her father’s death. Her comparison of her father with “a mirror walking down the road” suggests that Patrick, unlike Hana (who denies who she is by not looking in the mirror), could not deny who he was, even in war. This made him more vulnerable to the war’s destructive forces. Hana will later find comfort in the fact that Patrick died in a dove-cot (a sacred, almost religious, place), but she has not yet healed enough to come to this realization. 

Kipling’s Kim proves to be an important part of the book later on, as it helps Hana to better understand Kip and the presence of British colonialism in his life as an Indian.

The English patient’s own story is mixed in with The Histories, as he has added to Herodotus’s book and written in the margins. In this way, the English patient’s history is part of the book as well, which Hana now reads, and she is thus able to gain insight into the English patient and his identity.

The English patient notices Katharine for the first time in a romantic way as she reads the Crane poem, which again reflects the power that literature and books have over the English patient, and the importance of stories in making sense of his own identity and in relating to others.

Kip’s affinity for American music is more evidence of his assimilation and the white-washing of his Eastern culture by the West. Kip not only enjoys the Western music, it helps to him to better concentrate and diffuse the bomb. Kip seems to actually believe in the superiority of the West, yet this opinion could potentially change as World War II progresses and Western countries take increasingly drastic measures to exert their dominance.   

The English patient’s desire to look in the mirror suggests that he is yearning for a true sense of identity—it’s unclear at this point whether he really doesn’t remember who he is, or if he is feigning amnesia to hide this information from the others at the villa.

This again reflects just how unsafe the villa really is. Hana has spent much time in the field, and it is a miracle that she never tripped the bomb. This also reflects the stress and obvious trauma that goes along with Kip’s job as a sapper and bomb specialist. Kip could quite literally die at any moment, of any day, and this stress is taking a toll on him mentally and emotionally.

Notably, the music that Kip turns back on is obviously American, and it “fills him with clarity,” enabling him to concentrate. The trick bomb again underscores the danger of Kip’s job. The bomb is meant to explode and kill them all, and it is solely up to Kip to save them. Kip touches Hana after finally diffusing the bomb because he is further traumatized by the stress, and needs “human” contact to begin to heal.

Hana is clearly attracted to Kip, which is why she wants to lay down with him, and this attraction is obviously related to his dark skin—the “color of rivers and rocks”—which she finds exotic. Furthermore, his collarbone like a "wing under his skin” a description that paints him as angelic and again hearkens to religion. Hana, too, seems traumatized by the stress of the bomb, and her first reaction, like Kip’s, is human contact. This again suggests that meaningful connections are crucial for healing and are, in a way, a religious experience. 

Kip is beginning to realize that he will never be fully accepted in the West. Hana may find his skin appealing and attractive, but the same skin causes others to sideline and exploit him—like by sending him to diffuse bombs as white men take the credit for his work. Kip’s skin is always an issue in the West, and attention is constantly drawn to it. Kip is again merely noticed for how he is different, not recognized for who he truly is.

Kip is unable to sleep due to the toll that the stress and death of war have taken on him. He can’t trust anything because everything is rigged to explode, and the Westerners rarely have his best interest at heart. Hana’s deep sleep suggests she is beginning to heal, which Ondaatje implies is partly because of the love she develops for Kip, and he for her. 

The wine, and the fact that Kip doesn’t drink, is another example of Western dominance. Celebrations in the West are geared toward Western customs, not Eastern customs, and Kip is forced to adapt. The small celebration they throw  further suggests that the residents of the villa are beginning to heal after the war, but Kip’s refusal to talk about the bomb suggests they still have a long way to go. 

Caravaggio takes Hana in his arms as a way to exert power and dominance over her and Kip, by denying Kip the chance to dance with Hana. Caravaggio’s behavior again suggests that he believes he has the power, and the superiority, to tell Kip (and Hana, for that matter) with whom they can dance. The explosion is further evidence that despite their impromptu celebration, the war is still not over, and none of them are wholly safe. 

Kip now seems convinced that a bomb has been inadvertently tripped, even if he doesn’t want to alarm the others and put a damper on their good time, which they all badly need. This again draws attention to the stress and danger of Kip’s job, as he is in constant danger of becoming a victim of a terrible “accident” or a “wrong choice,” which both bring instant death. Ondaatje again draws attention to the 36 chapel stairs and the need to atone or repent for the violence of war. 

Kip doesn’t believe in books the same way Hana does because, as he later reveals, the white, Western world owns the printing presses and decides which stories are told. Kipling’s Kim, which paints colonialism as a good and mutually beneficial thing, is evidence of the marginalization of the East, even within books.

Kip later reveals that Hardy is the only one who keeps him “human,” and Hardy’s death is more evidence of the hardships Kip is forced to live through during the war. Kip has fallen in love with Hana, and he believes he will go insane if he can’t be with her. In this way, Ondaatje depicts love as an immensely powerful force that changes people in profound ways.  

Like books and novels, the famous painting the English patient mentions also tells a story, relays history, and offers a way for the English patient and Caravaggio to interpret their world and each other. Furthermore, each of the residents of the villa seem to be judging their own morality as they recover after the war. They have each likely been called to do things they wouldn’t normally do in the name of the greater good, yet those decisions still have moral implications that must be dealt with emotionally. In referring to Kip as his David, the English patient implies that colonization has moral implications that must be considered as well. 

Caravaggio implies that those at the villa cannot heal until they finally admit who they are, or until they shed their false personas. Caravaggio and the English patent seem to have impermanence and avoidance in common, as they both try to deny who they are.

The English patient cannot yet talk freely about the woman with whom he was in love, which suggests he is still not healed from the demise of their relationship. He also implies through the words of Herodotus that betrayal for the “sake of nations” is the cause of World War II. This suggests that nationalism and nationality do not that bring people together, but rather that divide them and breed strife and war.

This, too, reflects the power of words, and the power of those who control the words, as the English patient seduces Hana with words and stories. The English patient’s intelligence is one of the reasons why they assume he is English, and Caravaggio implies this is why Hana is in love with him.

The love triangle of Hana, the English patient, and Caravaggio is beginning to make Hana uncomfortable. She loves the English patient (and later Kip), Caravaggio loves her, and the English patient loves a dead woman. Caravaggio worries that Hana’s obsession is bad for her sanity, which again reflects the power of love to change and influence people. Caravaggio is beginning to see the Western presence as the imposition that it is.

Hana again draws attention to Kip’s dark skin, which she obviously finds attractive and exotic. The darkness of Kip’s skin is amplified next to the whiteness of the milk, and he makes no effort to stop her. Like Caravaggio, Kip loves Hana and would like to see her leave the villa and go somewhere safe, even though he is fond of the English patient just as Caravaggio is.

Again, Hana is most attracted to Kip’s dark skin and the ways he is exotic and completely “other.” Additionally, Kip is self-sufficient and does not rely on her like the others at the villa do, which she finds attractive as well. Kip is used to relying on only himself, since he is mostly confronted with racism and discrimination in Western society and thus cannot trust those around him.

Hana completely disregards Kip and his culture. She assumes that Caravaggio, a white man, knows more about love than Kip does, and she wants to take Kip to Canada with her, bringing him farther away from his life and family in India. Hana’s love for Kip’s teeth hearkens to the incident with the milk—the whiteness of Kip’s teeth makes his skin seem darker by contrast, and therefore Hana loves them. In this sense, Hana’s attraction to Kip could be interpreted as exoticizing or fetishizing him, since she is drawn primarily to the racialized features which distinguish him from Europeans. Kip’s comment that Hana’s body is “like a saint” again likens love, especially physical love, to a religious experience.