Thinking Activity: Arvind Adiga's White Tiger

This post is in reference to the questions asked here

1) Literature is an expression of nationality. That's what Salman Rushdie dealt with in his essay Commonwealth Literature Does Not Exist. However, national expressions also demand authenticity. When it comes to Adiga's White Tiger; the novel is a good example of blending social realism with fiction. It also is a critique of the existing socio-cultural set-up of the country. The novel's portrayal of India as a country full of poverty, hypocrisy, injustice and corruption, is justified by the fact that it is narrated by the protagonist who faces these struggles in his rags to riches journey. Even in the large context, Adiga tries to uncover the veil of development under which the dark picture of social evil often remains hidden. Also Adiga, in one of his interviews, mentioned that his novel is about the process of self examination. Given this statement, the India represented in the novel is justified; since self examination, apart from the understanding of one's strength, also involves a study and critique of one's flaws and mistakes.

2) Balram Halwai's story is typically one of rags to riches. And it definitely does seem to follow the archetypal narrative involved in those stories.

3) The deconstructive reading of the novel reveals the greatest loophole of the narrative. And that is the subjective narration of Balram. Throughout the novel we find the harsh criticism of the nation's social, cultural, religious and political institutions, through the struggles faced by Balram. Balram's criticism of these institutions is expressed with such generality that one might consider them to be the sole reality. However, one forgets that these are all subjective experiences. And also, Balram himself admits that he's half-baked, i.e. isn't much knowledgeable. Thus we can't rely on Balram's descriptions and arguments for our understanding of reality.


Comparative study of the novel with the movie Slumdog Millionaire:

The very title of the movie hints at a rags to riches to story; also at the existing socio-cultural inequalities. The film shares a wide range of similarities with the novel; beginning from the protagonists revisiting their past to narrate their story, to the struggles they face on their way up the social ladder. Both fall victim to the traps of the prevailing capitalist ideology and then struggle (and succeed to a certain extent) to create a space for themselves in the social set-up. However, at some point Balram appears to be a much stronger protagonist than Jamaal; because of high sense of morality as well as a rational outlook towards life. We can argue however, that the film with its visuals and sound, has captured the India of Darkness better than the novel.

The major postcolonial argument is that, the movie and the novel both portray India as a nation of poverty, corruption and injustice; the India of Darkness. This is the reason behind their being critically acclaimed. Both, the novel and the film, by their depiction of the harsh realities of the nation have boosted the West's sense of superiority; as well as the sense of pity towards the nation of the 'Third World'.

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