Shabana Khalani
Semester 4
Paper No. 13
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Topic: Themes in The White Tiger
1. Marriage in India
Marriage plays a key role in Indian society as well as the novel. When Balram's cousin becomes engaged, his family “gets screwed” with a large dowry they cannot afford. To save their reputation and the marriage, the family has to take out a loan from the Stork. Balram is forced to drop out of school and work in a teashop to help raise money to pay back the debt – triggering the events of the rest of the story.
His cousin’s wedding is not the only marriage that disrupts Balram’s life. When Pinky Madam leaves for New York, Mr. Ashok sinks into depression. In addition to drinking and womanizing, he finally accepts his family’s dirty business, ferrying bribes for The Stork. Balram joins in his boss’ decline – eventually murdering Mr. Ashok to pocket the bribe himself.
2. The Indian Family
In an interview with The Guardian, Adiga emphasizes the importance of family in Indian society. “If you're rude to your mother in India, it's a crime as bad as stealing would be here,” he explains. For Balram to abandon his family, then, is perhaps his greatest crime. "This is a shameful and dislocating thing for an Indian to do,” Adiga remarks of his protagonist.
Balram also understands the severity of his actions. Fear for his family is the largest obstacle he must overcome to carry out Mr. Ashok’s murder. In the days before, he has visions – imagining a buffalo in the street blaming him for the deaths of his family. Even after he becomes a businessman in Bangalore, he goes to the temple to pray for their spirits.
3. China’s Relationship to India
At the beginning of the novel, Balram mentions to the Premier that China is the only nation he admires besides Afghanistan and Abyssinia. Why? Because he read in a book called Exciting Tales of the Exotic East that these are the only 3 countries never to be ruled by outsiders. He dubs China the “freedom-loving nation,” a place that has never been subject to a master-slave relationship with the West. But although he hears on All India Radio that “you Chinese are far ahead of us in every respect,” Balram observes that China does not have entrepreneurs – hence the Premier’s visit to Bangalore.
China, then, becomes a foil to India, which he describes as a nation with “no drinking water, electricity, sewage, public transportation …” but chock full of entrepreneurs. For this reason, Balram tells the Premier his story, believing that China and India are destined to become the next great superpowers. “In 20 years’ time, it will just be us brown and yellow men at the top of the pyramid, and we'll rule the whole world.”
4. Lightness and Darkness
Perhaps Balram’s favorite motif is the duality of “Light” and “Dark.” From the very beginning, he attempts to navigate from his hometown in “The Darkness” to become a member of urban society. Light, then, becomes a multifaceted symbol of time (the future), wealth (lots of it), location (Bangalore), and obligation (none) – while Darkness represents the past, poverty, rural India – and most importantly – loyalty to family and master.
5. Good VS Evil
Since the very beginning of human life,there has been a conflict,a struggle between good and evil.Human beings have this choice ,they can live their life in a good and noble way or in an evil and ignoble way.In the journy of life Man has to choose one path to get get success,too overcome from poverty,to get his/her freedom.
Balram Halwai also hangs between good and evil and his family overcome by the devil.Balram Halwai’s “Macbethian”ambition to live like a king and master leads him to be a cold blooded murderer.His Father has seen the dream that at least his son should live like Man because he was a rickshaw puller who died of tuberculosis.It was his father’d desire that Balram shoul study well in the school and live a better life,the life of human being and not of insects as he himselh has lived.
It is Believed that the rich hates the poor and poor always jealous of the rich till he is poor but when that poor becomes rich,he also star hating the poor and behaves like other rich people.May be it’s a magic of money,that it changes the a person.Balram Halwai,once started earning money,he starts ignoring his family and it’s nedd.In Delhi when he joined Mr.Ashok he was faithful and devoted to his master but in greed of more money and to fulfil his lustful desires,he starts cheating him.The worst I dea came in his mind,when he saw a red Beg full of money.Balram,though was faithful to his maste and respected him like anything,appriciated him for his goodness,nonetheless kills him brutal and blood thirsty.Though he is not just a brutal man,he has certain merits and demerits.He is Grey character who has some flows and often acts immorally.H ehangs between good and evil.After Killing his master,for long time he thinks of money that he has seen in that red Beg.He tried to ignor lookinng at red beg which was blinding form him
“I tried hard not to look at the red beg-it was torture for me…”(244)
His mind kept on thinking about the right and wrong,Fair and unfair.His mind said “Go on,just look at the red beg,Balram that’s not stealing,I s it?And even if you were to steal it,Balram,it wouldn't stealing,(244)
Even while driving the one day,he saw that his driver spit the juice of Pann on the road twice as result two different red puddles formed their on the road,before his eyes,
The left-hand puddle of spit seemed to say:
Mr Ashok does not hit you or spit on you,like people did ti your father.
Mr.Ashok pays you well,4,000 rupees a month.He has been raising your salary without your even asking.
Remember what the Buffalo did to his servant's family.Mr.Ashok will ask his father to do the same to your family once you run away.
But the right hand puddle of spit seemed to say:
your father wanted you to be a man
Mr.Ashok made you take the blame when his wife killed that child on the road.
That is a pittance you live in city what do you save?Nothing
The very fact that Mr.Ashok threatens your family makes your blood boil!
So throughout the novel he suffers with this state of mind whether to go with right path where there is no surety of success and which takes long period and the path is full of problems or to choose wrong way which is shortcut to success and richness.
6) Identity:-
The opening chapter also establishes the theme of identity. In particular, the novel explores how identity is malleable enough that one can construct one’s own selfhood. Balram prides himself on being a “ self-taught “ entrepreneur, his transformation from a tea shop worker in the Darkness to a successful businessman in the Light is accomplished wholly through his own incentive. He is drawn towards capitalism because it provides this very potential.
Balram’s determination to take charge of his own identity can be traced through the many names he takes on throughout his life. At first, he is nameless, known simply as “Munna”. Later, he passively accepts the name Balram, which labels him as a “sidekick”, still a subsidiary of another. It is therefore a crucial moment when the inspector dubs him the “White Tiger”, not only because it evoked uniqueness, but also because it distinguished him. He accept this name because it allows him to define himself. As he notes in the chapter, “there will be a forth and fifth name too, but that’s late in the story”. The idea here is that the process of forging his own identity continues over the course of the novel and his life.
7) Globalization:-
The White Tiger takes place in a time in which increased technology has led to world globalization, and India is no exception. In the past decade, India has had one of the fastest booming economies.
Specifically in India has played its role in the plot, since it provides an outlet for Balram to alter his caste. To satisfy Pinky’s want for American culture, Ashok, Pinky, and Balram simply move to Gurgaon instead of back to America. Globalization has assisted in the creation of an American atmosphere in India. Ashok justifies this move by explaining “Today it’s the modernist suburb of Delhi. American Express, Microsoft, all the big American companies have offices there. The main road is full of shopping malls- each mall has a cinema inside! So if Pinky Madam missed America, this was the best place to bring her”.By blackmailing Ram Persad, the other driver, Balram is promoted and drives Ashok and Pinky to their new home.
Ashok is even convinced India is surpassing the USA, “ There are so many more things I could do here than in New York now…….. The eay thimgs are changing in India now, this place is going to be like America in ten years”. Balram is noticing the rapid growth as well. From the beginning of his story he knows that in order to rise above his caste he should become an entrepreneur. Although his taxi service is not an international business, Balram plans to keep up with the pace of globalization and change his trade when need be. “ I’m always a man who sees ‘ tomorrow’ when others see ‘today’”. Balram’s recognition of the increasing competiton resulting from globalization contributes to his corruption.
8) The Cast System:-
The White Tiger is the discussion of the India caste system. The caste system in India is a social system that divides the Indian population into higher and lower social classes. Although said to be disappearing in urban India, the caste system still remains in rural India. A person is born into a caste, and the caste one belongs in determines his or her occupation. Balram gives his own breakdown of the caste system in India, describing that it was “……clean, well-kept orderly zoo”. But no longer because that caste system broke down, and powerful with the big bellies took over anything they could and how there are only two castes in India the haves and the have nots. Balram was born into the Halwai caste, meaning “sweet-maker”, and was the son of a rickshaw puller- not a sweet maker, because someone with power stole his destiny of being a sweet-maker from him.
Adiga brings awareness to the corrupt India caste system by having Balram work the country’s system to get what he wants and to become an entrepreneur by any means necessary, including murdering his boss. Balram educates the Chinese Premier throughout his letters about the corruption and immoral ways of India’s caste system and its economic gap. Although it may seem that Balram’s position in society will forever remain the same, he manages to go from a sweet shop worker, to a personal driver for a rich man, and finally to an owner of a small business.
Balram’s quest to becoming an entrepreneur shows the oppression of the lower caste system and the superiority of the upper caste. He tells the story of how India still has a caste system and political and economic corruption is still present. Balram shows the country of India in which a person high on the caste system can bribe people such as police officers with money to cover up murders, sabotage political opponents by rigging votes and money, and have privileges such as shopping in a mall specifically for those of high social and economic importance. He also shoes the side of India in which those who are born into poverty and low castes may forever remain there and so will their children. Balram is a rare exception, as he experiences both sides of the caste system and manages to move up the social ladder.
9) Freedom:-
Arvind Adiga, he talked about how “The White Tiger” was a book about a man’s quest for freedom. Balram, the protagonist in the novel, worked his way out of his low social caste and overcame the social obstacles that limited his family in the past. Climbing up the social ladder, Balram sheds the weights and limits of his past and overcomes the social obstacles that keep him from living life to the fullest that he can. In the book, Balram talks about how he was in a rooster coop and how he broke free from his coop. The novel is somewhat of a memoir of his journey to finding his freedom in India’s modern day capitalist society. Towards the beginning of the novel, Balram cites a poem from the Muslim poet Iqbal where he talks about slaves and says “They remain slaves because they can’t see what is beautiful in this world.” Balram sees himself embodying the poem and being the one who sees the world and takes it as he rises through the ranks of society, and in doing so finding his freedom.
10) Individualism:-
Throughout the book, there are references to how Balram is very different from those back in his home environment. He is referred to as the “white tiger”. A white tiger symbolizes power in East Asian culture. Such as in Vietnam. It is also a symbol for freedom and individuality. Balram is seen as different from those he grew up with. He is the one who got out of the “Darkness” and found his way into the “Light”.
11) Immoral Corruption:-
Balram was born to the low caste in India, meaning that he grew up in very poor living condition. As a child, Balram was seen as being smart. However, growing up, he was exposed into a lot of corruption and immoral behavior, for example the shopkeeper selling his employees’ votes to the Great Socialist during election time. His childhood molded the person he was going to become in the future. Balram ends up doing anything to get himself into a higher caste and into the “Light”. Balram becomes very selfish, evident by his many of his actions being equivocal in nature. This can be seen as both an immoral and moral way to improve oneself, especially if the country as a whole cheats, lies, and is full of deceit. His actions might be justified from the standpoint that anything since he was part of the losing crowd he might as well join the crowd that is winning, also known as “if you can’t beat them join them. “ Finding ways to ensure the competition does not succeed, finding ways to get ahead of everyone else, and coming out on top are all a big part of the world and if you are constantly losing then you might as well play dirty to win. It can be seen as being moral because of the competitive nature of our globalized capitalist economic system. Ina capitalist economy, any way one can ahead is fair game. However, if one is looking at this from a non-personal standpoint, the actions Balram does are very immoral. He cheats people to put himself in a position to gain for himself. Balram does everything in his power for personal gain for himself. Balram does everything in his power for personal gain, even killing his boss.
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