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The White Tiger
Aravind adiga.
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The Self-Made Man
The White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai ’s life as a self-declared “self-made entrepreneur”: a rickshaw driver’s son who climbs India’s social ladder to become a chauffer and later a successful businessman. Balram recounts his life story in a letter to visiting Chinese official Premier Jiabao , with the goal of educating the premier about entrepreneurship in India. Though Jiabao is primarily interested in learning about entrepreneurship within the context of business and…
Social Breakdown, Self-Interest, and Corruption
Balram’s rise within Indian Society takes place in the aftermath of India’s liberation from British Rule (which lasted from 1858 to 1947) and the overthrow of India’s traditional caste system. Though the caste system unjustly segregated India’s population and restricted social mobility, locking each member firmly into a single way of life, Balram maintains that its abolition did nothing to improve inequality. Instead, he describes how India went from being an orderly “zoo” where each…
The White Tiger is a story about how education, formal and otherwise, shapes individuals. Balram first receives his nickname –The White Tiger—in a classroom setting. Though over the course of the novel he attempts to embody his name by cultivating a ruthless, cunning streak and competing in Indian society, he originally earned the description for academic promise and integrity.
After being pulled out of school at an early age, Balram is left with only bits…
Throughout the novel, Balram describes family as a destructive and burdensome part of Indian life, one that prevents its members from pursuing individual advancement and liberty. Balram’s grandmother Kusum embodies this negative image of family in the story. She shortsightedly pulls both Balram and his brother Kishan out of school at a young age, and attempts to arrange both brothers’ marriages early in life, before they are able to support families of their own. The…
Morality and Indian Society
The White Tiger portrays an India that has not only lost its traditional social structure, but also outgrown a conventional moral framework. Balram’s description of the Light India versus the Dark India in the novel, which subverts usual associations of “Light” with virtue, and “Darkness” with immorality, reflects this upset of moral values. Light India is not virtuous at all. Rather, its members do whatever necessary to preserve their own wealth and power, acting morally…
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The White Tiger
46 pages • 1 hour read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapters 1-2
Chapters 3-4
Chapters 5-6
Chapters 7-8
Character Analysis
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Discussion Questions
Corruption, Politics, and India
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Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Books / The White Tiger
The White Tiger Essay Examples
Depiction of indian society in the white tiger.
The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga depicts the life story of a low-caste servant in Bangalore India attempting to escape the social and mental obstacles of the caste system which limit his destiny. Adiga uses an epistolary format to detail the relationship between India and...
The Issue of Political Corruption in the White Tiger
Corruption is inevitable and is constantly spreading around third world countries at a rapid rate. Even with the many organizations trying to contain and end corruption, it is not likely that corruption in India can be stopped. Reason being is the poor can not receive...
A Review of the White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Aravind Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’, a Booker Prize winning debut, marked a growing revival of stark realism and social commentary in Indian fiction, and bought a, if somewhat cliched and overdone, honest portrayal of a country undergoing prominent socio-economic and democratic changes in a fresh...
A Negative View of Modern Indian Society in the White Tiger
In the book “The White Tiger”, by Aravind Adiga, Balram grows up learning about India’s corrupted mess first hand. Because of this, he becomes more independent and puts wealth and power before his morals to escape the corrupt society of India. By doing so, he...
The Role of Character’s Name Changing in the White Tiger
In the book, The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga, the main character, Balram Halwai, name changes throughout the novel, reflecting his complex identity. The White Tiger is a story about how Balram, a man who grew up in India, living in poverty, went from being...
Corruption in Modern India as Depicted in the White Tiger
In the book ‘The White Tiger’ by Aravind Adiga, it shows that corruption is inescapable in modern India, corruption is portrayed in the novel through many instances. In the novel ‘The White Tiger,’ it tells us about Balram’s life experiences as a self-declared “self-made entrepreneur.”...
Analysis of Balram’s Character in the White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
In The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, Balram is initially portrayed as an appealing character despite informing us of the horrific crimes he has committed. His words, thoughts and deeds reflect his good nature in the beginning. But by the end of the novel, Balram...
Depiction of the Life of the Rich and Poor in the White Tiger
The White Tiger. The name itself is characteristic to the whole book’s purpose. Aravind Adiga carefully weaves together vibrant symbols to provide the reader with a profound understanding of the book. He exposes corruption throughout all of India’s institutions. While corruption breeds corruption, a greater...
Postcolonial Elements in Aravind Adiga’s the White Tiger
Postcolonial literature deals with various aspects including class differences and the representation of the subaltern or the voiceless. Lack of opportunities, deprivation of basic necessities, loneliness in a crowded world, alienation in one’s own country, subordination at all levels and being silent and resigned to...
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