This document provides an analysis of Arvind Adiga's novel "The White Tiger" through several lenses:
1) It examines the social and cultural views presented in the novel, including themes of class conflict, caste system, rural vs. urban settings, and corruption.
2) It explores how the novel depicts the phenomenon of globalization in modern India and Balram's entrepreneurial spirit.
3) It analyzes the metaphor of the "Rooster Coop" used to represent the trapped state of India's poor and the rarity of breaking free from servitude.
Various interpretations of Arvind Adiga's The White Tiger
1. Paper: 13 The New Literatures
PG Enrollment No: 14101005
MA Sem: 4
Email id: nikunjbhatti332@gmail.com
Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.
Nikunj Bhatti
Various interpretations of Arvind Adiga's
The White Tiger
2. Aravind Adiga was born in Madras in
1974 and was raised partly in Australia
Winner of The Man Booker prize in
2008 for this novel.
Adiga began his career as a financial
journalist, interning at the Financial
Tiimes
The White Tiger
Last in Tower
Between the Assassinations
Outcast Breed
Aravind Adiga
3. The White Tiger: Social Point of Views
The White Tiger: Cultural Point of Views
Globalization
The Rooster Coop
Various interpretations of Arvind Adiga's
The White Tiger
4. Class conflict
Caste system
“……… clean, well kept orderly zoo.”
Poor vs. Rich (“Big Bellies and the Small
Bellies”)
The White Tiger: Social Point of Views
“In the old days there were 1,000 castes...in
India. These days, there are just two castes:
Men with Big Bellies and men with small
Bellies.”
5. The Darkness : Balram talks
about the Darkness of India by
saying that India is two countries in
one An India of Light and An
India of Darkness
Identity
The Indian Family
Two different India
India of Light
India of Darkness
6. Village vs. City
The Landlords
Corruption
Political dogma
American Dream
The White Tiger: Cultural Point of Views
7. It studies the contrast between India's rise
as a modern global economy and the lead
character, Balram, who comes from
crushing rural poverty.
Global Phenomena
The Novel in modern
time
Globalization
8. American atmosphere in India.
Balram plans to keep up with the pace of
globalization and change his trade when need be.
Individualism in Globalization
Entreprunership
“I am always a man who sees “Tomorrow
“when other sees “Today.”
9. 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
things are changing in India now, this
place is going to be like America in ten
years”
10. All Roosters are trapped in
the Coop. When Roosters are
together they feel
uncomfortable. When one
rooster is taken away to
slaughter other roosters
become happy.
But the roosters in the coop
don’t know that their turn is
the next one.
The Rooster Coop
11. This concept of human beings bound in the
cage that brings out the central theme of the
novel revealing the situation wherein the poor
people of India are like rooster in a basket.
Nothing could be more bitter and ironical.
12. The roosters know they are next, but they do not
rebel. Balram observes that servants in India
remain trapped in servitude – but no one breaks out
of the “Rooster Coop” because of family honor.
The master- servant relationship that exists
between Balram and Ashok .