Characters

The short story “Beyond the Pale” by Rudyard Kipling features two important characters: an Indian woman named Bisesa and an Englishman named Trejago, who begin a forbidden affair. Other characters mentioned in the story are Durga Charan (the woman’s uncle) and an English woman with whom Trejago flirts.

Trejago is an Englishman living in colonial India. His main personality traits are his fascination for Indian culture and his defiance of social rules. The narrator is highly critical of Trejago, and uses the character as a warning against those wishing to go beyond what were at the time considered acceptable social norms.

Bisesa is a young Indian widow with whom Trejago begins an affair. She is only seen from Trejago's point of view, which could suggest the narrator's bias, as he might consider Bisesa relevant only because of her ties to Trejago. Bisesa also defies her own cultural taboos, and her fate - much more terrible than Trejago's - could also serve as a warning.

You can read a more detailed analysis of the characters in the following pages.