white tiger short essay in english

The White Tiger

By aravind adiga, the white tiger study guide.

The White Tiger , published in 2008, is Aravind Adiga 's debut novel. In its first year of publication, it was named a New York Times Bestseller, and was awarded the Man Booker Prize, making Adiga the fourth Indian-born author and, at age 33, the second-youngest author overall to win the prize.

The novel explores class struggle in India at a time of modernization and globalization. Major transformations in Indian society have taken place in the last half-century, from the termination of British rule in 1947, to the end of the caste system, to the economic changes accompanying the rise of new industries such as technology and outsourcing. Adiga's The White Tiger rejects the typical "exoticized" view of India that is commonly represented in literature, with perhaps the most emblematic example being in the stories of Rudyard Kipling. Instead, the novel provides a darkly comic examination of the complications that have emerged during this period of transformation and upheaval.

The White Tiger Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The White Tiger is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Explain with reference to the context

The protagonist's letters are addressed to Chinese premier Wen Jiabao from Balram Halwai. Balram is referring to how a man's life is "written" on his body.

“A rich man’s body is like a premium cotton pillow, white and soft and blank. Ours are...

Throughout Balram's narrative, Adiga constantly exposes the prevalence of corruption and deception throughout all of India's institutions. Schools, hospitals, police, elections, industries and every aspect of government are thoroughly corrupt,...

From the text:

There was also a small fluffy ogre with a red tongue sticking out of its mouth hung by a chain from the rearview mirror. It was supposed to be a lucky charm, and the Stork liked to see it bob up and down as we drove.

Study Guide for The White Tiger

The White Tiger study guide contains a biography of Aravind Adiga, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The White Tiger
• The White Tiger Summary
• The White Tiger Video
• Character List

Essays for The White Tiger

The White Tiger essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

• The Cost of Globalization: Two Accounts of India
• Light and Darkness in The White Tiger
• The complex use of symbolism within Adiga's social critique, 'The White Tiger'
• Settings and Their Importance: The White Tiger and Native Son
• Equal Parts Admiration and Disgust: Balram Halwai as an Atypical Protagonist

Lesson Plan for The White Tiger

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The White Tiger
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The White Tiger Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The White Tiger

• Introduction

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• Literature Guides
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The White Tiger

Aravind adiga.

The Self-Made Man

The White Tiger is the story of Balram Halwai ’s life as a self-declared “self-made entrepreneur”: a rickshaw driver’s son who climbs India’s social ladder to become a chauffer and later a successful businessman. Balram recounts his life story in a letter to visiting Chinese official Premier Jiabao , with the goal of educating the premier about entrepreneurship in India. Though Jiabao is primarily interested in learning about entrepreneurship within the context of business and…

Social Breakdown, Self-Interest, and Corruption

Balram’s rise within Indian Society takes place in the aftermath of India’s liberation from British Rule (which lasted from 1858 to 1947) and the overthrow of India’s traditional caste system. Though the caste system unjustly segregated India’s population and restricted social mobility, locking each member firmly into a single way of life, Balram maintains that its abolition did nothing to improve inequality. Instead, he describes how India went from being an orderly “zoo” where each…

The White Tiger is a story about how education, formal and otherwise, shapes individuals. Balram first receives his nickname –The White Tiger—in a classroom setting. Though over the course of the novel he attempts to embody his name by cultivating a ruthless, cunning streak and competing in Indian society, he originally earned the description for academic promise and integrity.

After being pulled out of school at an early age, Balram is left with only bits…

Throughout the novel, Balram describes family as a destructive and burdensome part of Indian life, one that prevents its members from pursuing individual advancement and liberty. Balram’s grandmother Kusum embodies this negative image of family in the story. She shortsightedly pulls both Balram and his brother Kishan out of school at a young age, and attempts to arrange both brothers’ marriages early in life, before they are able to support families of their own. The…

Morality and Indian Society

The White Tiger portrays an India that has not only lost its traditional social structure, but also outgrown a conventional moral framework. Balram’s description of the Light India versus the Dark India in the novel, which subverts usual associations of “Light” with virtue, and “Darkness” with immorality, reflects this upset of moral values. Light India is not virtuous at all. Rather, its members do whatever necessary to preserve their own wealth and power, acting morally…

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The White Tiger — The Impact of Surroundings on One’s Identity in The White Tiger

The Impact of Surroundings on One's Identity in The White Tiger

• Categories: The White Tiger

About this sample

Words: 989 |

Published: Jun 29, 2018

Words: 989 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

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