Part 1 described how Rudyard Kipling and his younger sister were consigned
to the care of Mrs Holloway, a committed Evangelical and a bigoted and ignorant woman who took a
dislike to Kipling and treated him very badly. He endured many years
of her cruelty and neglect, not to mention hell-fire Christianity.
There
are some more questions to be asked.
Why
didn’t Rudyard Kipling say anything?
Kipling
said that his beloved aunt asked him this question many times.
He later gave two reasons for his not telling anyone how he was being treated.
He said that children accept everything that happens to them as
inevitable and eternal; he also said that they sense what they will
get if they betray the secrets of the prison-house before they are
well clear of it.
These
are good answers – as far as they go.
Children
in general do think that whatever adults do is normal behaviour;
children are often threatened with dire consequences for speaking
out, perhaps verbally or perhaps with unspoken but well conveyed and
understood intention. They may be afraid of losing what little they
have.
However,
there may be more to it.
Children
in general may not be able to put things into words; they may lack
the necessary concepts and vocabulary. It is up to adults to set an
example and educate children in how to express themselves.
Children
may also be overwhelmed, unable to speak. The necessary assertiveness
and inner strength may have been destroyed by the vicious attacks. It
is up to adults to draw children out and encourage them to speak up.
Children
may be subconsciously afraid of mentioning bad treatment in case they
find that no one cares and nothing is done; they may also fear being
accused of lying. Sometimes the default, the instinctive reaction, is
to hide all injuries and carry on as if nothing has happened. Some
people dissociate very easily.
