Balram Halwai, narrator and protagonist of The White Tiger, is not going to let a lack of

education keep him in the dark. He is heading for glory in India's bright future, whatever the
cost, even if it’s murder. He will be one of those who bribes policemen and politicians, and
not just another victim.

A first look at the title will probably make u think it’s about a rare, wild and strong animal
but in reality its about a strong willed and determined man nicknamed the white tiger by a
school inspector due to his wit. Balram Halwai, one of India’s most successful self-made
entrepreneurs, writes 7 letters to the Premier of China who will be visiting India soon in
order to find out how entrepreneurs are made. Balram explains how he became successful
by narrating his life story. Coming from an empoverished background and beeing taken out
of school early, the boy educates himself through eavesdropping while working in a tea
shop and through determination and hard work he becomes the driver and servant of the
hated village landlord, the Stork, who exploits villagers and bribes ministers in order to
maintain his wealth and job. Throughout the novel Balram is threated like an animal by his
masters except by the Storks younger son, Mr. Ashok, his principal master. He feels pitty for
the servant but is too week to stand up against his family and later on in the novel he is left
by his wife, gets involved in debauchery and becomes cruel like his family too. After
experiencing the corruptness of the government his whole life, the driver realizes that he
has to become corrupt as well and kill his master in order to climb up the social latter and
become successful, which he does

Aravind Adiga who won the Man-Booker’s price uncovers the the dark side of modern day
India that is often willingly left unseen by displaying problems India has to deal with such as
globalization. While the country is transforming into an economic and globalized nation, the
ones that prefer a traditional lifestyle are beeing threatend. Balram hopes to ride the wave
of the future with his business but has to make a lot of personal and ethical sacrifices like
killing his master, stealing from him and letting his family be murdered by the landlord as a
punishment.

An other topic the book deals with is the chainging social hierarchy in India. The caste
system has changed and now there are only two castes: „the men with the big and the men
with the small bellies” so social ascension is possible but out of the people’s grasp cause they
are trapped in the „rooster coop”, a metaphor for the mentality that is beeing forced on the
poor by the rich that prevents them for climbing up socially. The impoverished are viewed as
servants with a life purpose of serving their master’s while beeing exploited by them. The
servants prevent each other from escaping the coop. Balram relizes that and escapes by
comiting murder .

The corruption of the indian government is beeing brought to light too. The elections in the
darkness are beeing rigged and people are beeng murdered of they wanna vote on their
own( „ I’ve seen 12 elections..) Police and judges can even cover a child murder committed
by Ashok’s wife for money.
Adiga uses animals IN ORDER TO PORTRAY THE CHARACTERS which makes the novel almost
a fable althought it can’t be fully classyfied in a genre. It is a thriller and a fiction
Bildungsroman as well.

Although Adiga is right about the mischiefs he exagurates them

language, bilder im kopf metaphors, map, interview, info about india on the back,

recommendation: not a read-aloud but informative, keep in mind exaggerated