The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga

The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the 40th Man Booker Prize in the same year. The novel provides a darkly humorous perspective of India's class struggle in a globalized world as told through a retrospective narration from Balram Halwai, a village boy. In detailing Balram's journey first to Delhi, where he works as a chauffeur to a rich landlord, and then to Bangalore, the place to which he flees after killing his master and stealing his money, the novel examines issues of religion, caste, loyalty, corruption and poverty in India. Ultimately, Balram transcends his sweet-maker caste and becomes a successful entrepreneur, establishing his own taxi service. In a nation proudly shedding a history of poverty and underdevelopment, he represents, as he himself says, "tomorrow.

1) How far do you agree with the India represented in the novel The White Tiger?

The India which is represented by Adiga is poor, corrupt, uneducated, and cheater also. Well I do agree that not only India but all countries in the world do have these bad kinds of problem but, it doesn’t make them all bad. Adiga has represented the darker side of India. This novel was written in 2008, after India has progressed in many ways but, then even we can not fully deny that poverty, corruption, and illiteracy are vanished from India. Still in some remote places there are landlords who rule over town people. Still there are many people who are not educated properly. So, we can not deny the India which is represented in “The White Tiger” by Adiga, but we can say that, India is not only what is represented by Adiga. There is bright side of India. By bright side I mean There are people who are educated, rich enough and honest.


2) Do you believe that Balram's story is the archetype of all stories of 'rags to riches'?

We can see that the stories which portrays poor as central character at the end of the story the poor becomes rich. We can see many people who are same as Balram. Same like who belongs to poor and also has large family, who didn’t complete their studies, who goes to work from early childhood, and who has bear insults from those who are rich. These types of stories shows the struggle of poor to achieve their dream and for that becoming rich. The ways of reaching to the destination of wealth might differs of each stories but the suffering always remain same. So this way we can say that Balram’s story is archetype of all stories of “Rags to Riches”.


3) "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, deconstructive criticism aims to show that any text inevitably undermines its own claims to have a determinate meaning, and licences the reader to produce his own meanings out of it by an activity of semantic 'free play' (Derrida, 1978, in Lodge, 1988, p. 108). Is it possible to do deconstructive reading of The White Tiger? How?

Yes, it is possible to deconstruct “The White Tiger”. We can deconstruct it with the help of Derrida’s concept of free play of meanings.  To break the language we need to find the loose stone of it. The loose stone of “The White Tiger” is that Balram himself says that he is “Half-backed”. This word breaks all the philosophy and all the ideals which Balram is presenting by giving his own example. Because he is not fully educated. He understand things with his limited power of analysis. He appropriate the deep philosophies with his shallow ideas and thinking. For example, he compares his idea of killing his master and get freedom with the enlightenment of Buddha. This proves his shallow knowledge about Buddha and his idea of enlightenment. So, this way we can deconstruct “The White Tiger”.

Comparison between The White Tiger and Slumdog Millionaire  : 

   

1) Narrative structure :

    The Novel and the  film has almost similar and parallel structure. Both the works starts with flashback techniques. In the film used one reality show KBC in which  question and answer session going on. All the questions leads Jamal into his past. While in the novel wanted poster used. By using this poster writer talking about his past.

2) Indianans : 

● Train :

Train is also found in both the works. It shows the Indianans in the work. In the film highly used train. It also a symbol of poverty and crowd. In the novel also discrimination of train can be seen.

● Corruption :

Corruption can be found in both works. In the novel talking about Corrupt nature of entrepreneur's drivers. How they can earn little extra cash by sell the patrol ,  repair the car from Corrupt mechanics ,sell the whisky bottles , turn master's car into a freelance taxi. In the film shows Corrupt nature of Jamal 's brother. He was Getting more money from tourist. Also thieves  selling the car parts of foreigners. Anchor of KBC show do cheating by telling answer to Jamal.

● Religion :

Religion is also important element of Novel and film. In the novel described  the darker side of religion by talking about Ganga as Black mud river ,  Hanuman as example of faithful servant ,  Buddhism. Similar in the film shows the Hindu Muslim riot which creates problem in the Area , depiction of Lord Rama, criticism of  Darshan do Ghanshyam song . It shows that on the name of religion people do wrong things. They even not care about humanity. Religion consider more important than Humanity.

●Education System :

Both the protagonist Jamal (Film) and Balaram (Novel) are uneducated. In the novel shows darker and Corrupt side of education system : school teachers are stolen lunch  money, Teachers do nothing in the class, Sales uniform of students , No basic facilities in schools : no chair , no duster , no uniform. It shows the darker side of India which is full of thugs and idiots. Similar way because of poverty Jamal could not able to study. Both the protagonist taking knowledge  by observing the people. 

● Darker side of India  ( Poverty ) :

In the film shows Dharavi the  largest slum area of Asia which located in India. Both the works based on the life of poor people's suffering and struggle.  Both the protagonist came  from poverty. Both works criticised poverty as  the darker side of India. Poverty forced them to do wrong things to get rich. 

3) List of the questions asked in the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'

1. Who was the star in the 1973 hit film "Zanzeer"

   a) Shah Rukh Khan

   b) Salman Khan

   c) Amitabh Bachhan

   d) Ranbir Kapoor

2. A picture of three lions is seen in the national emblem of India. What is written underneath it?

    a) The Truth alone triumphs

    b) Lies alone triumphs

    c) Fashion alone triumphs

    d) Money alone triumphs

3. In depiction of God Rama, he is famously holding what in his right hand?

    a) A bow and arrow

    b) A sword

    c) A child

    d) A flower

4. The song " Darshan Do Ghanshyam" was written by which famous Indian poet?

    a) Surdas

    b) Tulsidas

    c) Mira bai

    d) Kabir

5. On the American One Hundred Dollar Bill, there is portrait of which American Statesman?

    a) George Washington

    b) Franklin Roosevelt

    c) Benjamin Franklin

    d) Abraham Lincoln

6. Who invented the revolver?

    a) Samuel Colt

    b) Bruce Browning

    c) Dan Wesson

    d) James Revolver

7. Cambridge Circus is in which UK City?

    a) Oxford

    b) Leeds

    c) Cambridge

    d) London

8. Which cricketer has scored the most first class centuries in history?

    a) Sachin Tendulkar

    b) Ricky Ponting

    c) Michael Slater

    d) Jack Hobbs

9. In Alexander Dumas' book, "The Three Musketeers", two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer?

    a) Aramis

    b) Cardinal Richetieu

    c) D' Artagnan

    d) Planchet

All these questions and their answers are connected with the life of Jamal. It shows that how minutely he observed the things and remember it. This all the questions leads him into his past incidents. All the questions are aptly connected with Jamal ' s life. I don't want to add any other question in this.

4) Deconstruction of film from post colonial perspective.

The Slumdog millionaire can be seen  from post colonial perspective. This film was directed by English director Danny Boyle. In the film  white people are portrayed as good and gentle fellow. In India many foreigners came to visit the famous places of India and to see the beauty and real India. In movie the scene comes where the foreign people had came to visit  the Taj Mahal at that time Salim charged  more money from the visitors but, some how thief stole the car parts of foreigners and sold them. At that time Jamal was suspected and was falsely been doubted for the crime. He was  beaten by the Indian driver and  foreigners shows mercy upon him and gave him some money. So by this director portrayed white people as good , civilized  sophisticated and humble people. While on the other hand Indian portrayed as Poor , dirty, uncivilized, corrupt, uneducated people. The term it self based on the power dynamics. It shows the superiority of white on the Indian people.

5) Compare with Texture and Treatment of subject content in film and novel.

The novel and the Film are based on the darker side of India. The texture of the film and novel differs a bit from each other. In the novel the protagonist himself is the corrupted  person. He himself can be considered as the example of darker side of India while in the film Jamal was good person he never did anything wrong in his life. In the novel if we minutely observed then description of each and every dark part of India is been portrayed. In the novel poetic justice doesn't happens by punishing the Balram. He  killed his master and did many wrong things yet  not caught by police. While in the film poetic justice happened when Salim committed suicide at the end and Jamal became popular and rich. Both the works differs from each other on the bases of  treatment  given to wrong people.