An Itinerary of a Subaltern in The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Keywords:
Subalterns, Marginalization, Post-colonialism, Epistolary formAbstract
The White Tiger, a fable of aggression is the winner of the 40th Man Booker Prize in 2008. The paper emphasizes the purpose behind the negative depiction of India in the novel. It enlists the major theme and sub themes. The main theme is the contrast between the stark reality of interior India and the brilliant image of exterior India. The paper attacks corruption in government, educational sectors and medical fields. John McLeod’s theory of post colonialism is applied to distinguish place and space while dealing with subalterns. Homi Bhabha’s theory of displacement is applied to the isolation of subalterns. The injustice meted out to Balram, the male protagonist turns him into a criminal. He becomes an entrepreneur through unjust means. The novelist chooses two developing countries, India and China to depict the fast changing world. There is some discussion on Hinduism as well. The paper ends with the narrative techniques and vision of the future.
References
Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. New Delhi: Harper Collins Publishers, 2008.
Bhabha, Homi. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 1997.
Moseley, Merritt. “Ordinary Novels.” Sewanee Review. 118.1 (2010): 154-60. Print.
McLeod, John. Post-Colonial London: Rewriting the Metropolis. London: Routledge, 2003.
Dubey, Sarika and KishwarJahan Begum. “Major Themes in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.” Notions. Vol.1-3. 143-154. Print.
