The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga – Book Review

Man Booker Prize Winner Aravind Adiga's 'The White Tiger'

Nov 6, 2009

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga acquaints readers with the rich India as well as the poor India and focuses on the dichotomy between the two.

Aravind Adiga presents a series of letters – in his Man Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger – to bring into sharp focus the dichotomy between the affluent and poverty-stricken sections of India. The protagonist portrayed by the author is a man-in-the-street Indian who frees himself from the clutches of poverty by running away from his village to eventually turn into a rich businessman through indulging in acts of corruption.

The story of the rise from rags to riches is elaborately dealt with, in seven letters addressed to Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, who is on a scheduled visit India.

There is no denying that the novel has literary merits. But it should also be stated that there are some incomplete narrations leaving the readers guessing. For instance, the author talks of family bondage and how the protagonist resents the confinement but leaves unsaid why other Indians do not rebel against this...

The entire India is portrayed from an outsider’s viewpoint, presumably to impress the visiting dignitary. The strange fact that the protagonist is not able to recognize any one when he goes to his village after a stint in Delhi is left unexplained.

The reader is made to see the village like an outsider and this can also be construed as somewhat inconsistent. One would obviously expect the protagonist, who is familiar with his village, to describe the village a lot more intimately and with greater passion. The impersonal tone is indeed disappointing.

The two divergent faces of India are set one against the other though the author maintains an undercurrent of humor. Adiga does not romanticize poverty but truthfully presents all its ugliness and its potential to create monsters such as the protagonist himself.

The author’s presentation is neat and the novel does speak volumes about Adiga’s vision and concern. He vividly depicts a vision of the landscape and world of the rich as visualized by a downtrodden person.

To cite one instance, one can refer to Adiga‘s comparison of the cars of the opulent to sealed eggs. Adiga describes poverty with such amazing exactitude, shorn of all sentimentalism, and as truly experienced by a poor man. But it is unlikely that India’s poorer sections spend that type of time or energy to so keenly observe all that the protagonist attempts to do.

In describing Halwai’s adventures in what the author calls the city of `Light’. Adiga’s genius comes to the fore. He exposes with remarkable accuracy the corruption that is rampant in India and ever Indian is familiar with. He highlights the stark poverty of the ordinary Indian and contrasts it with the vulgar opulence of the wealthy. The portrayal of Halwai’s character, however, appears feeble and quite often, unconvincing.

Depth in Adiga's Novel

The story is uncomplicated and it is nothing more than the rise to riches by an underprivileged man. The entire narration is reader-friendly and deftly handled by the author. The murder that takes place in the first half of the novel and the premature disclosing of the plot does not detract the reader from completely reading the novel. The two different faces of India that coexist in a way free from conflicts may be difficult for a foreigner to fully comprehend.

Halwai observes with rare keenness the goings on in India and provides the readers a faithful picture of what happens amongst the rich in Delhi as well as the call centers in Bangalore. He calculatedly eavesdrops - and he cannot be faulted for this - as he gains a lot of insights. He eventually grows rich and employs all the knowledge of corruption he has gathered to cleverly turn a successful entrepreneur himself.

Setting aside a few flaws that may be glaring, The White Tiger is truly gripping and the style of narration is indeed commendable. Bearing in mind it is the author’s debut novel, it may not be an exaggeration to say Adiga has come out with flying colors.

The copyright of the article The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga – Book Review in British/UK Fiction is owned by Preetam Kaushik. Permission to republish The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga – Book Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.