KAMALANIKETAN MONTESSORI SCHOOL

THE WHITE TIGER

BY : Aravind Adiga
-by Sricharan A
12 B

CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Characters
 Summary
 About the Author
 Critical comments
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
INTRODUCTION:-
The White Tiger is a novel by Indian
author Aravind Adiga. It was published in
2008 and won the 40th Man Booker
Prize the same year.[1] 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.

Introducing a major literary talent, The White

Tiger offers a story of coruscating wit,
blistering suspense, and questionable morality,
told by the most volatile, captivating, and
utterly inimitable narrator that this millennium
has yet seen.
 CHARACTERS AND SUMMARY
Balram Halwai is a complicated man.
Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur.
Murderer. Over the course of seven nights,
by the scattered light of a preposterous
chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and
transfixing story of how he came to be a
success in life—having nothing but his own
wits to help him along.

Born in the dark heart of India, Balram

gets a break when he is hired as a driver
for his village's wealthiest man, two house
Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the
rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind
the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's
new world is a revelation. While his peers
flip through the pages of Murder Weekly
("Love -- Rape -- Revenge!"), barter for
girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and
perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of
Indian society, Balram watches his
employers bribe foreign ministers for tax
breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor
(single-malt whiskey), and play their own
role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how
to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics,
and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black
Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a
way out of the Coop that no one else inside
it can perceive.

Balram's eyes penetrate India as few

outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call
centers; the prostitutes and the
worshippers; the ancient and Internet
cultures; the water buffalo and, trapped in
so many kinds of cages that escape is
(almost) impossible, the white tiger. And
with a charisma as undeniable as it is
unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion
doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't
solve every problem -- but decency can still
be found in a corrupt world, and you can get
what you want out of life if you eavesdrop
on the right conversations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aravind Adiga was born in 1974 in Madras
(now called Chennai), and grew up in
Mangalore in the south of India. He was
educated at Columbia University in New
York and Magdalen College, Oxford. His
articles have appeared in publications such
as The New Yorker, the Sunday Times,
the Financial Times, and the Times of India.
His debut novel, The White Tiger, won the
Man Booker Prize for fiction in 2008. Its
release was followed by a collection of
short stories in the book titled Between
the Assassinations. His second novel, Last
Man in the Tower, was published in 2011.
His newest novel, Selection Day, was
published in 2016.

CRITICAL COMMENTS
On a critical note, The White Tiger
signifies a shift from the usual narrative
mentioning the good and the bad and the
eternal struggle to the supposed good
and the supposed bad and the struggle of
various kinds that travels through the
twists and turns of perception. The novel
provides a dark and gore, tragically
humorous perspective of India’s class
struggle in urging to go global
economy.

CONCLUSION
Technically, Adiga has empowered his
anti-hero narrative with passion,
ambition and a cause. However, to
compensate for his drive, he could not
elevate his language and diction to that
height. However, this novel has been
appreciated by critics of a certain
section because it has tried to highlight
the loopholes of society in an explicit
manner. It will please a section of the
readers while disappointing many of
them… At the end of the day, the book
is open to interpretations and that is why
many have appreciated it and a distinct
jury has decided to award it a
prestigious award in the world of
literature.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wh
ite_Tiger_(Adiga_novel)
 https://www.goodreads.com/
 indianbookcritics.in