Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavangar University

Department of English

Group Activity
I

On The White Tiger

1
 Presenters :

Rita Komal Asha Ravina Nirali Nishtha

Dabhi Jadav Dhedhi Parmar Makvana Makwana
 ● About the author
● Major Works by Aravind Adiga
● About the Text
● Major Characters
● Minor Characters
Setting of the Novel
Content ●
● Historical Context of the Novel
● Synopsis of the Novel
● Thematic Study of Novel
● Symbols used in Novel
● Movie Adaptation of The White Tiger
● Learning Outcome - How Literature Shaped Me?
● Search for Qualitative Resources
❏ Aravind Adiga
● Born : 23 October 1974 in Madras.
● He is an Indian writer and journalist.
● Won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in
2008.
● He studied English Literature at Columbia
University, New York, and gained an
M.Phil. at Magdalen College, Oxford.
❏ Continue…..
● His articles have appeared in publications
such as the New Yorker, the Sunday Times,
the Financial Times, and the Times of India.
❏ Works :
❏ Short stories :
● "The Sultan's Battery", 2008
● "Smack", 2008
● "Last Christmas in Bandra", 2008
● "The Elephant” 2009
❖ Citation
● “Aravind Adiga.” Aravind Adiga - Official Site,
www.aravindadiga.com/.

● Mudde, Raggi. “Aravind Adiga: Author: Booker Prize: The

White Tiger: Personalities.” Karnataka.com, 22 Feb. 2016,
www.karnataka.com/personalities/aravind-adiga/.
About The Text “ The White Tiger
● Author : Arvind Adiga
● Written : 2005- 2008
● Published : 2008
● Setting : Modern India
● Point of view : First Person
● Literary period : Contemporary
● Genre : Picaresque Novel
 Continue…
● Won the 40th Man Booker Prize in 2008
● The novel examines issues of the Religion, Caste,
Loyalty, Corruption and Poverty in India
● Adiga says that his novel…

“ Attempts to catch the voice of the men you meet as

you travel through India - the voice of the colossal
underclass ”
Balram Halwai
❖ Servant, Philosopher, Entrepreneur and Murderer
❖ Narrator and Protagonist of the novel
❖ Describe his journey from the rural village of Laxmangahr to
living the life of a successful businessman in Banglore
❖ He takes it upon himself to tell Jiabao, the truth about
entrepreneurialism in his country by using himself as an
example
❖ In order to survive in modern India, he has chosen to live on
his own terms
 Continue…
❖ He wants to complicate his education
“That’s the one good thing I’ll say for myself. I’ve
always been a big believer in education—especially my
own.” ( pg 31)
❖ As he himself says…
I'm always a man who sees “tomorrow” when others see
“today” (pg 192)
Mr. Ashok
❖ The Stork’s son
❖ Balram’s master
❖ Who recently returned from America
❖ Milder personality compared to his wealthy and
entitled family members
❖ He becomes increasingly decadent and goes into
something of a downward spiral after his wife, Pinky
Madam leaves him & goes back to America
❖ Murdered at rainy night
Pinky Madam
❖ Ashok’s wife
❖ Unhappy in India
❖ After killing a young child in a hit - and - run
accident, she return back to America
❖ Modern woman of dark India
❖ Find a way to be free from all stereotypical social
values
Kusum
❖ Balram’s grandmother

❖ As Balram sees it, Kusum is completely dominated by

the logic of the rooster coop : she has struggled her
whole life to survive under the burden of such great
oppression

❖ One who is ready to compromise Balram’s future

Wen Jiabao
❖ The Chinese Premier to whom Balram addresses his
letter and narrates his life story
❖ Interested into knowing about entrepreneurship
❖ Invisible Character

Kishan
❖ Balram’s older brother
❖ Fatherly figure in Balram’s life
❖ One who cares for Balram
Vikram Halwai
❖ Balram’s Father
❖ Poor and illiterate rickshaw puller
❖ Fight to provide his best for his son
❖ Try to fulfill his wife's wish
❖ He wants one of his son who will be able to live like a man

➢ Balram’s mother dies when he is a young boy

➢ Though she is a minor figure in the background of his
life
➢ Her wish is to educate his son Balram
The Stork
❖ One of the four landlord's of Laxmangahr
❖ Father of Mr. Ashok and Mukesh Sir
❖ He owns the river outside of Laxmangahr and taxes
any villager who fishes there or boats across it
❖ The bulk of his family's fortune, however comes from
the illegal sale of coal from government mines.
❖ He distributes generous bribes to political officials
who turn a blind eye to his fraudulent dealing and
allow him to evade income tax
 Ram Persad
❖ The Stork’s “ Number One ” family servant
❖ Who drives luxurious Honda City ( name of car)
❖ One, who hide his identity, family background, caste to get
job
❖ Actually he is a Muslim
Dharam
➢ Balram’s young cousin
➢ Whom Kusum sends Delhi for Balram to mentor
➢ Balram continuing to care for the young boy
The Mongoose Vijay
❖ Ashok's Brother ❖ Balram's personal hero
❖ Willingly participate in ❖ Bus driver, then political
corrupt dealings activist and finally a
❖ Regularly visit Delhi to help prominent official in the
Ashok distribute bribes on great Socialist’s party
schedule ❖ (As Balram suggests is
❖ Gives comfort to Ashok in more likely, corrupt
his loneliness dealings with politicians
 Vitiligo - Lips
❖ The driver of another wealthy businessman

❖ Attempts to help to Balram(adjust to Delhi)

❖ Helps Balram procure a prostitute & begin to

cheat Mr. Ashok out of his money
Ram Bahadur / the Nepali
❖ A Cruel Nepali Servant
❖ One who helped Ram Persad to hide his Muslim
identity

❖ He is blackmailed into making Balram head driver

after Balram discovers that Ram Bahadur must
have kept Ram Persad’s secret 🤐
 Minor Characters

➢ The Wild Boar ➢ Anastasia

➢ The Buffalo ➢ The Inspector
➢ The Raven ➢ Muslim Bookseller
➢ Mr. Krishna ➢ Mohammad Asif
➢ Ms. Uma ➢ Balram's Family (
➢ Dilip countless aunts, uncles,
➢ The Minister's Assistant cousins, nieces, nephews
living in Laxmangahr)
 ❏ Synopsis of the novel
➢ According to Robbie Goh The White Tiger is story of
how a “rural yokal… becomes savvy businessman ”
(333)
➢ The entire novel is narrated through letters written
by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will
soon be visiting India
➢ He was born in the village of Laxmangharh
➢ The village is
dominated and “All four of the Animals
lived in high-walled
oppressed by the four mansions just outside
landlords Laxmangarh—the
landlords' quarters. They
had their own temples
1. The Wild Boar inside the mansions, and
their own wells and ponds,
2. The Stork and did not need to come
3. The Buffalo out into the village except
to feed. “ (Pg 16)
4. The Raven
➢ Name (Balram Halwai - White tiger)
➢ Balram leaves the village and learns driving
➢ Finally get a job as Mr. Ashok driver
➢ Master - Slave narrative
Example of Hanuman and Rama
Balram - Mr. Ashok - Ram Persad - The Stork -
Politicians - government - Poor people etc
➢ Pinky madam kills a child and everyone forced
to Balram to take all the blames
➢ Balram watch his employers bribe officials
➢ Balram realized that he has been brainwashed
into servitude
➢ Ashok is murdered in middle of novel
➢ Balram and Dharam flies to Banglore
➢ He becomes a successful businessman in
Banglore
Summary of the novel
➢ Balram Halwai write a letter to the visiting Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao
➢ Tell a story of a car driver to become a successful
businessman
➢ Use himself as an example to introduce real
situation of an entrepreneur in India
 But whenever I see our
prime minister and his distinguished sidekicks drive to
the airport in black cars and get out and
do namastes before you in front of a TV camera and
tell you about how moral and saintly India
is, I have to say that thing in English.
➢ Exciting Tales of the Exotic East, Balram read
about the history of Wen Jiabao in this book
➢ Balram admire only three Nations , which are not
ruled by foreigners : China, Afghanistan and
Abyssinia
➢ Balram criticized Indian tradition of praying God by
saying that…
See, the Muslims have one god.
The Christians have three gods.
And we Hindus have 36,000,000 gods.
Making a grand total of 36,000,004 divine arses for me to
choose from.
➢ Portrait of media
➢ Two sides of India : Light & Darkness
 Your Excellency, that India is two
countries
in one: an India of Light, and an
India of Darkness. The ocean brings
light to my country. Every
place on the map of India near the
ocean is well off. But the river brings
darkness to India—the
black river.
➢ According to Robbie Goh it
is how a
“ rural yokal… becomes
savvy businessman ” (333).
One of interview this question is asked to Arvind Adiga…
In the novel, you write about the binary nature of Indian
culture: the Light and the Darkness and how the caste system
has been reduced to "Men with Big Bellies and Men with
Small Bellies." Would you say more about why you think the
country has come to be divided into these categories?
It's important that you see these classifications as Balram's rather
than as mine. I don't intend for the reader to identify all the time
with Balram: some may not wish to identify with him very much at
all. The past fifty years have seen tumultuous changes in India's
society, and these changes -- many of which are for the better --
have overturned the traditional hierarchies, and the old securities
of life. A lot of poorer Indians are left confused and perplexed by
the new India that is being formed around them.
 ➢ Broken the very idea of purity of Ganga ( river)
I urge you not to dip in the Ganga, unless you want
your mouth full of feces,
straw, soggy parts of human bodies, buffalo carrion, and seven
different kinds of industrial acids
➢ Death ceremony
➢ Master - servant relationship
Example of Hanuman and Rama
Balram - Mr. Ashok - Ram Persad - The Stork -
Politicians - government - Poor people etc
➢ Name
No one have a time to give their child a proper
name
Balram got a name from his school teacher
➢ Leaving a school from early age
Balram's grandmother force him to leave his
school and she wants to send him at tea shop
Balram started to work at tea shop and starts to
listening every customer
➢ Choice and conditions of family
Balram wants to learn driving but his grandmother
put a condition that all the earnings of his work he
have to send it for his family

➢ Situation of Driver
The Stork doesn't care about their servants,
Servants have to work not only the work of that
for their hires but they have to do all kind of
works as their masters want
One thing at the heart of this novel, and in the
heart of Balram as well, is the tension between
loyalty to oneself and to one's family. Does this
tension mirror a conflict specific to India, or do you
think it's universal?
The conflict may be more intense in India, because the
family structure is stronger here than in, say, America,
and loyalty to family is virtually a test of moral
character. (So, "You were rude to your mother this
morning" would be, morally, the equivalent of "You
embezzled funds from the bank this morning.") The
conflict is there, to some extent, everywhere.
➢ Image of Delhi

The capital of our glorious nation. The seat of Parliament,

of the president, of all ministers and
prime ministers. The pride of our civic planning. The
showcase of the republic.
That's what they call it.
Let a driver tell you the truth. And the truth is that Delhi
is a crazy city.
➢ Caste, Joblessness and identity
Ram Persad hide his identity
The Stork don't like Muslim
Ram Persad is a Muslim
➢ Corruption, Power , Money, Government
☘ The Stork family doing all the illegal works
☘Without paying Tex
☘Give money to politicians and to government
for hide their illegal work of coals
☘Many facilities are there in Laxmangahr as per
government’s document but reality is different
➢ Murder mystery and Success
Balram killed Mr. Ashok and run away with
Dharam
Settled in Banglore
There he started his work white tiger driver
Balram become successful businessman with fear
Shameless for his doing
“I’ll never say I made a mistake that night in
Delhi when I slit my master's throat”
 ❏ Setting of the Novel
❖ “The White Tiger” takes place in modern - day -
India

❖ Laxmangharh
❖ Dhanbad
❖ Banglore
❖ Delhi
Historical context of the novel
The White Tiger takes place in modern day India, but
Balram traces the socioeconomic inequality with
which he struggles back to 1947 : the year India
gained its independence from Britain through the
Indian Independence Act
The white tiger tells the story of those left behind in
the midst of India's rapid economic rise
 Work Cited
● Al-Dagamseh, Abdullah M. "Adiga's The White Tiger as World Bank Literature." CLCWeb:
Comparative Literature and Culture, vol. 15, no. 6, 2013.
● BookBrowse. "The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: Summary and Reviews." BookBrowse.com,
www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/2119/the-white-tiger.
● GradeSaver. "The White Tiger Summary." Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver, 24 July 2020,
www.gradesaver.com/the-white-tiger/study-guide/summary.
● Sreelatha, M. Existential Struggle And Globalization: The White Tiger by Adiga. 14 Apr. 2017,
ashvamegh.net/existential-struggle-in-the-white-tiger/.
● SAHOO, D. S. (2017). ARVIND ADIGA’S THE WHITE TIGER: REPRESENTING INDIA. SMART
MOVES JOURNAL IJELLH , 5(4), 7. Retrieved from
https://www.ijellh.com/OJS/index.php/OJS/article/view/1929
● The Secret of His Success (Published 2008)." The New York Times - Breaking News, US News,
World News and Videos, 7 Nov. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/books/review/Kapur-t.html.
● "The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Plot Summary." LitCharts,
www.litcharts.com/lit/the-white-tiger/summary.
● "The White Tiger Character Analysis." LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/the-white-tiger/characters.
● [08/02, 10:42 am] Komal: Young, Victoria. Novel about India Wins the Man Booker Prize. 15 Oct.
2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/world/europe/15booker.html.
 What is Theme ?🤔
A literary theme is the main idea or underlying meaning a writer
explores in a novel, short story, or other literary work. The theme
of a story can be conveyed using characters, setting, dialogue,
plot, or a combination of all of these elements.

“The Artist’s perception and Interpretation of Life”

(From ‘Imitation and Theme’ by
Bruce Harkness)
What is theme ? 🤔
 Globalization
● ‘The White Tiger’ explores the modern world were increase use of
technology led to the world globalization.
● India as the fastest booming economies.
● Americanization in India.
● Possitive and negative effect of globalization.
● Increased market for Indian Resources (Coal, IT Services and Call
Center

“Today it’s the modernist suburb of Delhi.

American Express, Microsoft, all the big
American companies have offices there. The
main road is full of shopping malls—each mall
has a cinema inside! So if Pinky Madam
missed America, this was the best place to
bring her”. (Balram Halwai - Pg 70)
 “There is no water in our taps and what you people in Delhi give us?
You give us Cell Phones. The Cell Phone is fascinating because it has
always held up in India as a sign of progress”(Balram Pg 162)

● Exemplify the transition of Globalization

● Commodification in Globalized world
● ‘Women are treated like items of exchange, a form of currency and
also a type of commodity’ (Joseph Lison in Conceputalizing a
Globalized Space: Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger)

“I don’t know. My master’s daughter works in one of those buildings too.

I drop her off at eight o’ clock and she comes back at two in the morning.
I know she makes pots and pots of money in that building, because she
spends it all day in the malls. (One Driver in 'The White Tiger Pg 74)
 Theme of Existential Struggle
● Balram's Struggle against the world of big bellies
● Pro-capitalist and Free market policies: As a Threat to Poor Class's
existence
● City Life: Transformational matrix for Balaram
● On this journey of Balram, we encounter, different concepts of
existentialism like freedom of choice and responsibility, search for
identity, facticity and transcendence, authenticity, alienation,
individualism and Dasein
“He suffers from an endless
existential crisis from which
there is no escape.” (Sangeeta
“A Study Of Aravind Adiga’s
The White Tiger”,
 Freelancing and Entrepreneurship
An entrepreneur is a person who is willing and able to
convert a new idea or invention into a successful innovation.”
● Balaram Halwai as Self declared 'Self-made Entrepreneur’
● Journey from Rags to Riches
● “The Devil, according to the Muslims, was once God's
sidekick, until he fought with Him and went freelance.”
(Pg 53)
● Manager as well as manipulator
● “...our nation, though it has no drinking water, electricity,
sewage system, public transportation, sense of hygiene,
discipline, courtesy, or punctuality does have entrepreneurs.
Thousands and thousands of them.” (Pg 5)
● Entrepreneur are made from half-baked clay
● “I am not a sentimental man, Mr. Jiabao
Entrepreneurs can’t afford to be” (Pg 9)
● “My country is the kind where it pays to
play it both ways: the Indian entrepreneur
has to be straight and crooked, mocking
and believing, sly and sincere, at the same
time.” (Pg 7)
● “To break the law of his land- to turn bad
news into good news- is the entrepreneur’s
prerogative.” (Pg 25)
● There’s no reward for entrepreneurship in
most of India Your Excellency. It’s a sad
fact.” (Pg 36)
 Theme of Corruption
● Commentary on the drawbacks of the Indian democracy,
administrative system, political system, parliamentary democracy
● Blackmailing and corruption by Political Parties
“We have this fucked-up system called parliamentary democracy.
Otherwise we’d be just like China”(The White Tiger Pg 92)
● Politicians and bourgeoisie follow the colonialist tendencies of
exploitative methods.
● Topsy turvy mammon worshipping
● Country paralyzed by corruption
● Every Government institutions like
● Schools, Hospitals, Police,
● Election and Industries are corrupt
 Evil Election System in India
“I have seen twelve elections – five general, five state, two local –
and someone else has voted for me twelve time. I’ve heard that
people in; the other India get to vote for themselves – isn’t that
something?” (Pg 59)

“These are the three main diseases of this country sir: Typhoid,
Cholera and Election Fever. This last one is the worst.” (Pg 58)

“I am India's most faithful voter and I still have not seen the
inside of a voting booth.” (Pg 60)
 Postmodernism in
The White Tiger
Postmodern techniques
Novel depicts the new emerging of metafiction, dark
issues of Post Modern world like… humour, parody,
● Globalization
pastiche, binary and
● Urbanization
multiple narrative voices
● Poor-Rich divide
with the prevailing
● Social Disparity
issues of consumerism,
● Technoculture
● Corruption materialism,
● Erosion of Human Relations deterioration of moral
and Moral Values values
 Marxism in The White Tiger
Marx argues that all mental (ideological) systems are the products of real social
and economic existence”

“The jails of Delhi are full of drivers who are there behind bars because they are
taking the blame for their good, solid middle-class masters. We have left the
villages, but the masters still own us, body, soul, and arse”

“India, has never been free. First the Muslims, then the British bossed us
around. In 1947 the British left, but only a moron would think that we are free”

● role of religion in constructing the walls of class division

● Adiga pointing out the new emerging slavery popping out because of have
and haves not
 “Get down on your knees. Look for it on the floor of the car: I got down on
my knees. I sniffed in between the mats like a dog, all in search of that one
rupee. “What do you mean, it‟s not there? Don‟t think you steal from us just Master-
because you‟re in the city.” (Pg 80)
Slave
“Just for a day, Just for an hour and Just for a Relation
minute what it means not to be a servant” (Balram Pg 193) and
Inbuilt
“But leave a million dollars a million dollars in front of a servant and he Servitude
won‟t touch a penny. Try it: leave a black bag with a million dollars in a
Mumbai taxi. The taxi driver will call the
police and return the money by the day‟s end.” (Pg 103)

Hanuman, everyone's favorite god in the Darkness. He was the faithful

servant of the god Rama, and we worship him in our temples because he is a
shining example of how to serve your masters with absolute fidelity, love, and
devotion.” (Pg 13)
The value of family in India
● Balram describes family as a destructive and
burdensome part of Indian life.
● The rich are similarly burdened by familial
obligation and interference. ( Ashok and Pinky
madam)
● Balram believes that the traditional Indian
family unit keeps the Rooster Coop of social
inequality alive.
● Families loyalty and love become weaknesses
that can stop an individual from being able to
advance.
● Adiga emphasizes the importance of family in
Indian society. “If you’re rude to your mother
in India, it’s a crime as bad as stealing would
be here,” he explains. For Balram to abandon
his family, then, is perhaps his greatest crime.
 Double Vision of India in The White Tiger
India is two countries in one: an India of Light, and an
India of Darkness.” (P - 11)

● Depiction of Binary Nature of Indian

Culture
● Two extreme dimension of Modern India :
■ High tech/Rich India and Casteism
and Corruption
■ Urban vs Rural India
“Only two destinies: eat--or get eaten up”
● “ I can’t live the way the Wild Boar and the Buffalo and the River
lived, and probably still live, back in Laxmangarh. I am in the
Light Now.” (p-188)
 Continue :-
● “ The trustworthiness of servants is the basis of the entire Indian economy.”
(p - 103)
● The circumstances and the Indian society is similar to the Tiger which is
bound and chained in the cage.
● Injustice and inequality in India :
● The discrimination Poor and Rich.
● “ The story of a poor man's life is written on his body, in a sharp pen.” (p-17)
● The education system of India.
 Social Class and Casteism in India
● Caste system unjustly segregated India’s population
and restricted social mobility.
● Social status are being determined by economic
status.
● A.J. Sebastian illustrates the still-growing divide
between the high and low classes in India today. In
fact, India has the most hungry people out of every
country in the world, and one-third of the world’s
poor live in India.
● The connection between jobs and casteism in India.
● Halwai is low caste, dictating that he live a life of
servitude.
● Corruption is one of the main reasons for the further void between the classes.
 Social Class and Casteism in India

‘ To sum up—in the old days there were

one thousand castes and destinies in India.
These days, there are just two castes: Men
with Big Bellies, and Men with Small
Bellies. And only two destinies: eat—or get
eaten up.” ( p- 38 )
Individualism and Freedom :
● The White Tiger was a book about a man’s quest for freedom.
● The novel records, “The jails of Delhi are full of drivers who are there behind bars because
they are taking the blame for their good, solid middle-class masters. We have left the
villages, but the masters still own us, body, soul, and arse” . (P- 101)
● Here it seems like freedom is not for poor people.
" I was looking for the key for
● There is no space for individual choices. years but the door was always
open". (P - 160)

Balram
● cites a poem
― Aravind from the Muslim
Adiga ● Balram sees himself embodying the poem
poet
● Iqbal where he talks about slaves and being the one who sees the world and
and says “They remain slaves because takes it as he rises through the ranks of
they can’t see what is beautiful in this society, and in doing so finding his
world.” (p-25) freedom.
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger

Cages Balram's Animalistic Portrayal

“There is a sign in the National Zoo in ● The Dog

New Delhi, near the cage with the
white tiger, which says: Imagine
● “He is as greedy as pig”
yourself in the cage.” (Grandma)
● Country Mouse
● Cage in a Metaphorical sense and
Physical form
● “I was grinning like a
● Symbolise Psychological donkey”
imprisonment of poor ● The White Tiger
"I can't live the rest of my life in a
cage (Balram)
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger
The Red Bag Honda City
● The symbol of corruption is ● Used 31 time in a novel
repeatedly demonstrated through ● Symbol of Luxurious Life,
the red bag. Wealth and Richness
● Mirroring towards Status
“Even if I was to steal it, it ● Honda City as Dark Egg (4
wouldn't be considered Time)
stealing” “I turned the ignition key
and took the dark egg of the
● Inner Corruption of Balram
● Symbol of Revolt and Violence
Honda City down the streets
● Symbol of Danger and Courage of New Delhi.”
 Other Symbols
Water Buffalo : An endless cycle of dependency and interdependency

The water buffalo will get fatter. It will give more milk.

Cat : Associated with darkness which symbolise mystery and magic (Before
the death of Balram's Father, Before the Murder of Mr. Ashok cat crossed the
road)
The eyes of a cat watching its prey. (Pg 146)

Crow symbolise Transformation and Change, Have sharp foresight. Have a

potential to convert bad into something useful.

Crow sat down on the balcony and cawed.

Both of us turned and stared at it. (Pg 108)
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger

Lizard White Tiger

● Lizard as a symbol of Darkness, ● “The journey from Darkness to
Fear and Phobia the Light is not smooth…only a
● Lizard represents Inner fear of White Tiger can do this”
Balram ● A White Tiger keeps no friends
● Lizard’s Tail - Detachment (Family)
In any jungle, what is the
“Only flicking its red tongue in and out rarest of animals—the
of its mouth- the lizard came closer and creature that comes along
closer to my face” (p- 18) only once in a generation?”
“The white tiger.” “That’s
what you are, in this jungle.”
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger

The Stork The Raven

“The Stork was a fat man “(The Raven) took a cut

with a fat moustache, thick from the goatherds who
and curved and pointy as went up there to graze with
the tips…he took a cut of their folks. If they didn’t
every catch of fish caught have their money, he liked
by every fisherman in the to dip his beak into their
river…” backsides, so they called
him the Raven”
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger

Buffalo Wild Boar

“The Buffalo was greediest

of the lot. He had eaten up “If you wanted to work
the rickshaws and the on his (Wild Bear)
roads. So, if you ran a lands, you had to bow
rikshaw, or used the road, down to his feet, and
you had to pay him feed_ touch the dust under his
one-third of whatever you feet…”
earned, no loss” (Adiga24).
 Symbolic Study of The White Tiger
Black Fort Chandeliers
● The Black Fort was frightened Balram ● Throughout the narrative, these
throughout his youth.
● constructed by foreign occupiers years ago. objects represent and embody
● The Black fort symbolize the darkness of the both light (as in illumination)
rural India. and Light (as in success and
● When he returns to the village years later,
he finally gets the courage to visit the fort. wealth).
● This fort representing the power of former ● Symbolise Status and Freedom
occupiers, he rejects his former life,what his ● Balram says that “let me buy all
family members live.
● His courage to climb up to the fort with its the chandeliers I want. For one
view over Laxmangahr indicates that he has thing, they keep the lizards away
escaped the psychology and fear that keeps from this room. It's the truth, sir”
the residents of the Darkness oppressed.
(p-68)
● Balram equates the miserable condition of The Rooster Coop
the poor from chickens in a rooster coop.
● Coop represent Life in darkness
● Rooster represent People who can't stand
for their own rights

“The greatest thing to come out of this

country... is the Rooster Coop. The roosters in
the coop smell the blood from above. They
see the organs of their brothers...They know
they’re next. Yet they do not rebel. They do
not try to get out of the coop. The very same
thing is done with human beings in this
country.” (Pg 102)
 References
● Ahmed, Zia, and Rabia Rafique. “Use of the Animal Imagery in Adiga’s The White Tiger.”
International Journal of English and Education, vol. 3, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 522–533. ISSN:
2278-4012, doi:www.ijee.org.
● Abullais, Md. “Corruption as Responsible Factor for Poverty in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.”
Smart Movies Journal IJELLM, vol. 8, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2020,
doi:https://doi.org/10.24113/ijellh.v8i1.10341.
● Griffith, Kelley (2010), Writing Essays about Literature (8 ed.), Cengage Learning, p. 40, ISBN
978-1428290419, retrieved February 10, 2013
● Jockim, Dr. D. “1. Conflict of Classes: A Marxist Reading of Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger - Dr. D.
Jockim - Journal of English Language Teaching and Literary Studies (JELTALS).” Google Sites, 1
July 2018.
● MasterClass. “Complete Guide to Literary Themes: Definition, Examples, and How to Create Literary
Themes in Your Writing - 2021.” MasterClass, MasterClass, 8 Nov. 2020.
● McLaughlin, Charles A. “A Note on ‘Imitation and Theme’ in Literary Criticism.” The Journal of
Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 13, no. 2, 1954, pp. 267–270. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/425921.
Accessed 4 Feb. 2021.
● Moss, Stephen. Aravind ADIGA: 'I Was Afraid the White Tiger Would Eat Me UP Too'. 22 Feb. 2018.
● Narasiman, Renuka. “Balram’s Quest for Freedom in Adiga’s The White
Tiger.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 4, no. 5, Oct.
2013. ISSN 0976-8165.
● Scopa, Sally. "The White Tiger Symbols: The Black Fort." LitCharts.
LitCharts LLC, 17 Jun 2015. Web. 6 Feb 2021.
● Selden,Raman. A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. The
Harvester Press Limited; Sussex, 1985.
● Suganiya, C., and N. Gejeswari. “Indian Democracy in Aravind Adiga’s
White Tiger.” Language in India , vol. 19, 3 Mar. 2019, pp. 36–42.,
doi:www.languageinindia.com.
● Victoria, D, and SUMATHY K. SWAMY. “Impacts of Globalization on
Indian Culture: A Study of Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.” IRE
Journals, vol. 2, no. 5, Nov. 2018, pp. 101–104. ISSN: 2456-8880.
● Thakkar, Shival. “Entrepreneurship in The White Tiger.”
● Yousuf, Muzifar. “Master-Servant Relationship in Adiga’s The White
Tiger.” Literary Herald, vol. 2, no. 3, 2016, pp. 251–261.
 The White Tiger

Movie Adaption
♧ The movie “ The White Tiger”
is an adaptation of Aravind
Adiga’s 2008 novel of the same
name
Adiga dedicated the book to his friend Ramin
Bahrani.
● The movie was released on 22nd January 2021,
directed by Ramin Bahrani and edited by Tim Streeto
and Ramin Bahrani.

● “ The White Tiger” premiered at Las Vegas on 6th

January 2021 and was screened at limited movie
theatres in the United States on 13th January 2021. It
was released globally through the streaming platform
Netflix on 22nd January 2021
♧ The movie centred on Balram Halwai (Adarsh
Gourav), it follows a poor boy in a village in Bihar, who
travels to Dhanbad and ends up in Delhi and
Bangalore, becoming a shining model of new capitalist
India: an entrepreneur.

♧ If we talk about the movie “ The White Tiger” it is half

faithful and honest to the book except few things which
are majorly lacking in the movie.
 Beginning of the movie and the book

♧ The movie begins with the scene of the

statue of Gandhi and his followers at
the night in Delhi when Balram is in
Maharaja’s costumes. He sets back in
the car and drunken Pinky madam
drives the car, which leads to her
striking and killing a small child.
♧While the book begins with
the letter of Balram Halwai
to Wen Jiabao, who is going
to visit the India next week to
know the truth of Bangalore
and wants to hear the
success story of Indian
entrepreneurs from their own
lips
 Major Changes
“ You were looking for the key for years,
But the door was always open.”
● These poetic lines bring major changes in both the
movie and in the book. In movie, Pinky madam who
speaks these lines when she goes to America and in
books Bookseller who speaks these lines when Balram
Halwai visits the book store and it changes entire life of
Balram Halwai from Yokel to rich and successful
entrepreneur.
● Email and date as a narration in both but with some
changes
● The name of Balram Halwai by teacher and name of
Munna by his parents
● Seeking a job for driving in both the movie and in the book
( quite different)
● Even, the car accident scene, different in both the movie
and in the book.
 What the movie is lacking?

Deep satirical tone & Dialogues

The “ I haven't been back to see

the Ganga since then. I’m
Ganga leaving that river for the
river American tourist! ( P - 18)
Lord Buddha

“ I wonder if the Buddha walked

through Laxmangarh - Some people say
he did. My own feeling is that he ran
through it - as fast as he could and got
to the other side and never looked
back. ( Page - 18 )
♧ Some major incidents and description
like Black fort, Lizard, Balram’s
childhood hero Vijay and slum area of
Delhi, description of Golden hair of
foreign women etc.
Creating a film that maintains the heart and soul of
such a literary work and even many of its most
graceful lines is nearly impossible to accomplish.”
- Jessica Rawden, cinema blogger

"Witty, provocative, and moving, the film he has

made not only brings my book to life, but
transcends it."
Arvind Adiga
 It is the second
most-watched film
on Netflix this
weekend in the U.K.,
and third in the
U.S., according to
the streaming
platform’s own daily
chart.
 Where does movie fails?
"It is a film with voiceover, from top to bottom
there's voiceover" - Bahrani Ramin

"The central character is

● Narrative technique too steeped in clichés to
● Voiceover of the narrator offer original
● Dictation rather than the insights….And then
there’s the supremely
movie
annoying voice over" - -
Aditya mani Jha
Continue...
● Portrayal of women as just
a sexual object
 Use of language in the movie
● Hindi plus English
● In village people speak
hindi, whereas in Delhi,
everyone speaks
English(their servants
also) “ ‘The Autobiography of a
● Hindi - language of poor Half-baked Indian’. That’s what I
and English - language ought to call my life’s story. Me, and
of rich people thousands of others in this country
● Perhaps director wanted like me, are half-baked because we
to be faithful with the were never allowed to complete our
dialogues from the novel schooling.…” (Adiga, 2008, pp.10
– 11)
 Portrayal of Pinky
‘She's been developed I got out Balram
tremendously in the movie What is that you want to
compared to the book’ do ?
Priyanka Chopra - Pinky(in the movie)

● Pinky has a more prominent

role in the movie.
● To make her more realistic and
empathetic person
● She encourages Balram to think
about his own life
Cinemetography
 What American Alligator Symbolise Here?🤔
● Spirit Animal
● Reminds us to look for
New opportunities
knowledge and
Wisdom
● American Alligator
can see well at night
and can hold their
breath to catch prey
● Trust your inner sight
and perception
● How Far Gandhi's Ideas are
Relevant in Independence
India?
● Gandhi as a Dream of Past
India
● Accident done by Pinky
Madam
● Bribe given to Politician
 “Imagine
Yourself in a
Cage”

"I can't live

the rest of my
life in a cage”
(Balram)
End of the movie
‘I made it, I have broken and
out of the coop’ - Balram

● Differ from the novel

● Mysterious
● Dull than the novel
● Fails to convey the write
message .
● Even provoke people to
do murder.
ssible to work it into one film Conclusion
● Is it possible to work into one film, or will it
be a series?
● Background music and cinemetography is
good
● Tries to takes each and every major parts
● In dialogues and script, it is faithful to the
novel, but as a movie it fails to justify the
novel.
● Don't watch the movie before reading the
novel.
 Work Citation
♧ Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. HarperCollins, 2008.

♧Bahrani, Ramin. "Ramin Bahrani Put His Friend's Vibrant, Subversive Book
On-screen in 'The White Tiger'." Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2021,
www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-01-27/white-tiger-ramin-b
ahrani-aravind-adiga. Accessed 7 Feb. 2021.

♧BBC Asian Network. "The White Tiger interview | Priyanka Chopra Jonas." 20 Jan.
2021, You Tube, youtu.be/9OEewmu1MHE. Accessed 8 Feb. 2021.
Online video

♧Cremona, Patrick. "How Faithful is Netflix's The White Tiger to Aravind Adiga's
Novel?" Radio Times, 22 Jan. 2021,
www.radiotimes.com/movies/white-tiger-book-film-movie-differences/. Accessed 7
♧Jha, Aditya M. "How The White Tiger's Hammy Voice-over Narrative Adds to Its
White Gaze Conundrum - Entertainment News , Firstpost." Firstpost, 2 Feb. 2021,
www.firstpost.com/entertainment/how-the-white-tigers-hammy-voice-over-narra
tive-adds-to-its-white-gaze-conundrum-9261491.html. Accessed 8 Feb. 2021.

♧ Hornik, Susan. 'The White Tiger' Book and Netflix Movie Are Quite Different in a Few Major
Ways. 31 Jan. 2021,
www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a35350851/the-white-tiger-netflix-movie
-book-comparison/.

♧Masand, Rajeev. "Ramin Bahrani on directing 'The White Tiger' | Interview with
Rajeev Masand | Netflix." You Tube, 22 Jan. 2021, youtu.be/bC-tYoFBvmQ. Accessed
9 Feb. 2021.

♧ Pahwa, Nitish. How Faithful Is The White Tiger to the Man Booker
Prize–Winning Novel? 22 Jan. 2021,
slate.com/culture/2021/01/white-tiger-book-movie-netflix-differences
.html.
♧ Scott, Sheena. "‘The White Tiger’ On Netflix Is A Compelling Adaptation Of
Aravind Adiga’s Bestseller." Forbes, 24 Jan. 2021,
www.forbes.com/sites/sheenascott/2021/01/24/the-white-tiger-on-netflix-is-a-c
ompelling-adaptation-of-aravind-adigas-bestseller/?sh=6cc30680d1d1. Accessed
8 Feb. 2021.

♧ Thakur, Tanul. 'The White Tiger': A Clunky and All Too Literal Cinematic Version
of a Satirical Novel.
thewire.in/film/the-white-tiger-a-clunky-and-all-too-literal-cinematic-version-of
-a-satirical-novel.

♧“The White Tiger (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Feb. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Tiger_(film)
 How Literature or Text shaped
me ? (Nirali)

“ My whole life, I have been treated like a

donkey. All I want is that one son of mine - at
least one should live like a man.” ( page 30 )
- Vikram Halwai
 Now, what I learnt from the text is
that...

Honesty and over kindness are like the

hedge of thorns in India. If you are honest
and over kind then what Vikram Halwai
said that You will treat like a donkey.
● If we want to get success in life then we must
have to come out of the hedge of thorns.
Which Balram Halwai called “ Rooster
Coop.” Indian people are like Rooster Coop.

Eat or get Eaten up (P - 38)

● Do the work for your own self and get the success. If you
work honestly then you will never get out of the Rooster
Coop
 Learning outcome : Rita
❏ Struggle makes you Hero
Here I found that the novel tells how the one poor Indian
man's struggle to come out from darkness with its poverty
and his experience of life to reach into the life.

❏ Observe the world

“ I am not an original thinker - but I
am an original listener” ( pg 29)
❏ Make your listening skills powerful

❏ Try to come out from your comfort zone

❏ Be with you
Komal
 In any jungle, what is the rarest of animals—
the creature that comes along only once in a
generation?”
“The White tiger”
“ That's why you are in this jungle” ( 23)
❏ Be the one who's different from the crowd

❏ Pay your full attention to what you want

 How I Digest this ‘medicine’ which has its own
side effects and benefits (Nishtha)

● From Childhood to adulthood - surrounded by

moral stories and values.
● Grownup with ‘Panchtantra’, ‘Ramayana’,
‘Vikram Vetal Stories’ which are very common
● Always taught to be honest and do good works.
● Far away from the harsh reality and the real
world.
Eat—or get eaten up (P - 38)
‘You have to be a white tiger to survive in this
world(jungle)’

● Don't be sentimental
● Don't be so sweet, don't be wise
● Break the chain of your limitations
● Be ambitious
● Be a good observer

‘I was looking for the key for years But

the door was always open’
 Negative Impact
A White Tiger keeps no friends. It's
too dangerous. (P - 181)
● Honesty will kill you
● Be selfish
● अपना काम बनता, भाड़ में जाए जनता
● Power and money are everything
● જેવા સાથે તેવા
To be honest or not that is the question
 Learning Outcome - Asha
Doubting is Better than Believing Blindly
That's why I want to ask you directly if you
really are coming to Bangalore (Balram 1st Page)

● Doubt everything you watch, Listen or come across.

● Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a
ridiculous one. (Voltaire)
Create Your Own Opportunities
But if the driver sees his free time as an opportunity, if
he uses it to think, then the worst part of his job
becomes the best. (Pg 86)

● Get out of your Comfortzone

● Develop Flexibility or Adaptibility
● Follow your Passion
● Life and Time is limited
 Let Situation Determine to be
remain honest or not?
I did my job with near total dishonesty, lack of dedication,
and insincerity—and so the tea shop was a profoundly
enriching experience. (Pg 30)

Let animals live like animals; let humans

live like humans. That's my whole
philosophy in a sentence. (Pg 167)
 Learning outcomes

● Minutely observe the things

● Do original listening
● A White Tiger keeps no friends. It's too dangerous.
● No one helps us except from yourself.
● Don't sacrifice your dreams because of your family members and
others.
● What is stuck with me ?
- Do we blame a criminal for his decisions, or do we try to
understand those decisions as reactions to an overly oppressive
and restrictive society?
- 🤔🤔
- Ravina Parmar
Glimpses of Group Task
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