The experience of Josiah Harlan inspired Rudyard Kipling to write “the man who would be king”, in this story, Harlan is depicted as Daniel Dravot and in 1975 a film was based on the book. Harlan’s experience also inspired Ben Macintyre to write the book “the first American in Afghanistan” in 2004. The book only partly depicts Harlan’s experience and part of the story is fiction. This paper analyses fiction in the book and film compared to the experience of Harlan in Afghanistan as depicted by the book by Macintyre (2004).
Bibliography of Josiah Harlan
Josiah Harlan was born in the year 1799 in Chester County, at a young age he used to read medical books and also learnt French and Greek. His brother worked in India as a doctor and this influenced him to travel after learning of experiences in India, he then got a job as a sailor in a ship where he worked there for 13 months. He met his fiancée after his first trip to Calcutta but on his second voyage he learnt that his fiancée had married and he made a decision never to return to his home country.
He enlisted with the army in India, he latter became a surgeon working at the Calcutta hospital. He later joined the army and later left in 1826. He was granted permission to stay there by the governor and this when he met Shah Shuja a former ruler who was in exile. He convinced Shuja about his experience and this made Shuja employ him as a spy. He then entered Afghanistan and discovered that Shuja could only regain his power through the help of the British.
He then became the governor of Gujrat and was considered an army commander and advisor of king Punjab. In 1839 he led the first expedition against the slave trade in Uzbek. His main aim was to expand his army reinforcing it with the local people who were oppressed the slave trade and also to expand the territories. This made him to be crowned a princess of Ghor on the condition that he would help in developing the military.
After discovering that the British had entered Kabul in preparation for the Anglo-Afghan war, he decided to leave, he travelled to Russia and then back to America where he married and joined the army. He was too old to continue serving in the army and he finally died in 1871.
The Movie and the story by Rudyard Kipling:
The movie “the man who would be king” was realized in 1975 and it is said to depict the life of Josiah Harlan and it was based on the book by Rudyard Kipling. The story starts with adventurers who meet with the Author (Kipling) in India, and they narrate their plans on how to become kings in a foreign land and ways they would use to achieve this.
The story narrates how the two adventurers were able to become kings by lying to the local people that they were kings, the first battle proves that Daniel Dravot is a god when he is hit by an arrow and is not hurt, they expand the army by recruiting the defeated army into their forces. They finally meet with the high priest who would like to know whether he was really a god, he however find a Masonic jewel that matched that of Alexander on Dravot chest.
The priest declares him a god and all the treasures belonging to Alexander who had promised to come back are given to Dravot. Dravot claims to be the son of Alexander and for this reason is considered a god and king. Peachy who was Dravot’s friend decide to leave and asks Dravot that they should leave before the truth is discovered. Dravot declines and decides to marry, Peachy reminds him of their agreement but he insists and decides to marry. Peachy leaves with his share of treasure.
During the wedding day, Dravot’s bride resists being married by him because she is afraid that she will die after marrying a god. The girl bites Dravot and the spot of blood make the native discover the truth. They pursue both Dravot and Peachy, and they decide to punish them. Peachy is crucified and on the second day he is released after the locals discovered that he was not dead. Dravot walks on a deep ridge and the locals cut the rope and he falls to his death. In the end the movie shows Peachy produce Dravot’s head which had the crown on it proving the truth of the story narrated by Peachy.
Fictional incidences in the movie and short story:
Macintyre (2004) states that, Harlan was able to enlist as a surgeon due to his experience at sea and also through reading medical books. He joined the army and later left and met Shah Shuja who enabled him to enter and explore Afghanistan later becoming a prince of Ghor. His relationship with local people enabled him to travel and achieve status, fiction in the movie show that Harlan was cunning and entered Afghanistan by joining a caravan and later helping a local tribe defeat a stronger tribe, here the people made him a friend and later a king.
According to the book by Macintyre (2004), Harlan was able to convince the local people that he was capable by exaggerating his abilities, experience his ability to help in military development. Fiction in the movie depicts this ability by showing how Dravot sued his cunning abilities to mobilize local leaders who worshiped him as a god and as a king, locals believed that he could not be harmed and therefore considered him as their leader.
Macintyre describes Harlan as a spy, a doctor, governor and a commander and a king. He describes him as an individual who was an adventurer who took risks and his abilities protected him from danger. According to the book Harlan lived in Afghanistan for twelve years and during this period he came to learn the culture and language of the people.
The movie depicts Harlan as Dravot and the local people considered him as a god, they also considered him as a son of Alexander the great and believed that he could not be harmed. The locals however discover that he was a man during a wedding where the bride bites him fearing that if she married a god she would die. The locals relies that he was always human and force him to walk on a rope which is cut and he falls over a gorge.
According to Macintyre (2004) Harlan served Shah Shujah who was in exile, using his resources he was able to explore Afghanistan, after spying he discovered that Shujah could only return to power with the help of the British army. Harlan then led a campaign against a warlord, who was capturing and selling the local people as slaves, he then reinforces his army with the local people who then crowned him king.
In the movie, Harlan is depicted as having attained the status of a king and god after establishing that he could not die, this is after he was left unharmed after an arrow hit him. In the book it is evident that Harlan received a document declaring him king from Mohammed Reffee that made him the prince of Ghor. This was an agreement that Harlan would aid in the development of the region. This shows that fiction is used in the movie to show how Harlan becomes king and why he was considered a king.
Macintyre (2004) states that Harlan always admired Alexander the great and for this reason he set similar objectives and considered himself as a successor of Alexander, he aimed at brining progress to the oppressed and encouraging them to take up arms to resist the existing system. In the movie, Dravot who depicts Harlan also brought development and progress to the locals, this is evident where he helps the locals to defeat slave traders who oppressed them. Fiction is evident in the movie and the story by Rudyard Kipling which depicts Darvot as a supernatural being who practiced Masonic rituals and this helped him remain as a king and a god to the local people.
The story by Rudyard Kipling and the movie depict two soldiers who agree that they would keep off women and alcohol in order to become kings in Afghanistan, this agreement was broken when Darvot decides to marry a local girl and fearing that the truth would emerge Darvot friend Carnehan decides to leave. This is seen as fiction in that Macintyre (2004) bibliography does not highlight such a relationship between two former soldiers.
Macintyre (2004) account of Harlan life shows that he returned in 1841 in America where he married and his military experience earned him a position with the military. In 1862 however he became ill and left the military and later died in 1871. Fiction in the movie shows that Harlan was killed by the locals after they discovered that he was human, this experience depict Harlan as risk taker and failing to live his life as planned led to his death.
Macintyre (2004) states that, Harlan travelled to Kabul and when he discovered that British had occupied the region in preparation for the first Anglo afghan war. He left for Russia where he then returned to America. The story by Rudyard Kipling and the movie are factious in that they depict him as having died in Afghanistan along with his friend.
The short-lived Harlan who was the prince of Ghor is factiously presented in the movie and book, and this was the end of glory for Harlan when the British forced him to leave. Fiction shows this end as the death of Darvot where he drops into a deep ridge. In the book by Macintyre (2004), the sudden decline in glory is depicted where he returns to America and discovers that he had nothing discovering that his sister had not utilized his wealth well and that he was too old to continue working as an army officer, Harlan died in a rented house and this shows the sudden decline in status like the death that is depicted in the book and in the movie.
The movie shows that Darvot was denounced as king and mutilated after the local people discovered that he was human, the local people believed that nothing could harm him and he was to be king. This form of fiction was aimed at depicting the case where the British force Harlan to leave indicating that Harlan was like any human like in the movie which shows that Darvot is killed by the local people after discovering he was human.
Harlan according to Macintyre (2004) was able to lead a large army, he was also injured in battle when he enlisted with the army in India, and this incidence is factiously depicted in the movie and the story where he is struck by an arrow but he was unharmed. It is also evident that in the movie he is able to mobilize the people to form a large army and lead them to victory in several battles, this is fiction in that Harlan only went to battle with a large army in the fight against slave traders, in the other battles, Harlan was commanded by other ranking officers according to Macintyre (2004).
Harlan is depicted as cunning person who constantly make changes to improve his prospects, a good example is where he exaggerates his military knowledge and experience and therefore gain employment with Shah Sujah. He also advices the US to import camels from Afghanistan in order to get a chance to return to Afghanistan and also gain employment. These cunning abilities are disclosed in the story by Rudyard Kipling and the movie where they lie to the locals that he is god and son of Alexander, he gains from these cunning abilities by receiving treasures that belonged to Alexander.
Conclusion:
From the above discussion it is evident that movie and short story are fictional in relation to the life and experiences of Harlan. Harlan used his abilities to advance and become the Prince of Ghor. In the movie Harlan is represented by Dravot who is considered by the local people as a god, and the son of Alexander. However his cunning abilities are discovered during a wedding ceremony where the girl bites him and the locals see blood discovering that he was not a god. This is work of fiction which shows how the tenure as a king ended for Harlan.
Macintyre (2004) shows how Harlan was able to exploit locals including Shah Shujah who employed him and using his resources he was able to explore and achieve greatness in life. Fiction is depicted in the movie whereby Dravot in the movie pretends to be a god and exploits the local people who make him king. He also pretends to be Alexander’s son and therefore receive treasure. Cunning abilities of Harlan are factiously represented in the movies and the story and this include the case where Macintyre (2004) states that Harlan was able to use his cunning abilities by pretending to be a doctor and therefore able to serve in the Indian army.
References:
Dening, G. Mr. Bligh’s Bad Language. 1992, Cambridge: Cambridge university press.
Google Books. Josiah Harlan's memoir of his years in Afghanistan. 2012. Web. Retrieved on 9th May, available at <http://books.google.com/books?id=r9QRAAAAYAAJ&dq=josiah%20harlan&pg=PP2#v=onepage&q&f=false>
Huston, J. The movie: The Man Who Would Be King. 1975. Web. Retrieved on 9th May, available at <http://p8991-bison.buffalo.edu.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/F/?func=direct&doc_number=003346780>
Kipling, R. The Man Who Would Be King. 2012, Web. Retrieved on 9th May, available at <http://p8991-bison.buffalo.edu.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/F/?func=direct&doc_number=003258284>
Macintyre, J. The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan. 2004. Web. Retrieved on 9th May, available at <http://p8991-bison.buffalo.edu.gate.lib.buffalo.edu/F/?func=direct&doc_number=003318278>
