The White Tiger
-Aravind Adiga
Aravind Adiga was born in 1974 in Madras, and grew up in Mangalore in the South of India. He was educated at Columbia University in New York and Magdalena 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 first novel was ``The White Tiger``, won the man booker prize for fiction in 2008. The second novel was ‘Last Mant in Tower’ , was published in 2011.
The novel provides a darkly humorous perspective of India`s class struggle in a globalized world as told though a retrospective narration from Balram`s Halwai, a village boy. In detailing Balram`s journey first to Delhi, where he works as a chauffeur to a rich landlord, and then to Bangalore, the place to which he flues after killing his master and stealing his money the novel examines issues of religion, caste , loyalty, corruption and poverty in India.
The Fourth Night
The entire novel is narrated through letters by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will soon be visiting India. The fourth Night chapter opens as Balram expresses his closeness with Chandelier. He has two chandeliers in his apartment; it makes Balram happy he was not able to understand the people, who refused to buy the chandelier. He mentions that “Free people don`t know the value of freedom that’s the problem”. Balram then describes about Delhi the capital of our glorious nation. Delhi is a crazy city; where the rich people live in big housing colonies. Their houses have numbers and letters. Every road has a name and no one knows the name of the road. All the roads look the same in Delhi, so people easily get lost in Delhi. Many people from the darkness simply live on the roadsides. These homeless people are a particular problem for drivers. Balram drives Mongoose and Mr. Ashok around the city as they discuss the negotiations between the Break socialist and the stork and then about Mr. Ashok’s decision on staying India.
Like Pinky Madam, the Mongoose also insult Balram for his driving skills, but Mr. Ashok defends him. Balram explains that drivers are not allowed in the malls and so they wait outside the complex, on one such another day a driver began to talk to Balram, calling him a ”country-Mouse”. Balram refers to him as Vitiligo-Lips, since his lips are affected by vitiligo, a common disease amongst Indian poors. It causes one`s skin colour to change from brown to pink which gives Vitiligo-Lips a grotesque, clown-like appearance. Vitiligo-lips, is also from the darkness. He advices Balraam advice about surviving in Delhi, the corruption among the police, and the hard-partying lifestyles that most masters live, thereby making life difficult for servants. He explain that servants like to read magazines like ‘Murder weekly’. During the conversation with vitiligo-lips, Balram plays the part of a loyal servant, refusing to disclose any information about his Masters.
After returning from mall, Balram drives them back to the new home, which is up on the thirteenth floor Buckingham Towers B Block. In the new apartment, Balram live in the servants quarters in basement along with all the other servants which include drivers, cooks, sweepers, maids, and chefs of the apartment. The servants hear an electric bell when the master needs his servant. The other servant relentlessly tease Balram, mocking his country’s foolishness and his uniform, which he consider a point of pride and they even called him a “village idiot”. Eventually, Balram moves into an unpleasant empty room on the other side of the quarters. He valued the privacy it afforded, and hid himself inside a mosquito net to shield himself form the cockroaches at night.
Every morning, Balram cleanes the car, and waits until his services are needed. One morning, he drives Mongoose and Mr. Ashok to the congress party headquarters, another day he drives the bothers to the President`s House.
After getting home, the Mongoose discovers that he has lost a rupee. He cruelly forces Balram to check the car, until Balram finally drops one of his own rupees and pretends to discovered it. The next morning, Mr.Ashok informs Balram that the Mangoose is leaving the city by train. On their way to the station, Mongoose expresses his distrust of Balram, and warns him to follow the rules. Mr.Ashok again defends Balram’s trustworthiness.
By
Anisha S
-Aravind Adiga
Aravind Adiga was born in 1974 in Madras, and grew up in Mangalore in the South of India. He was educated at Columbia University in New York and Magdalena 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 first novel was ``The White Tiger``, won the man booker prize for fiction in 2008. The second novel was ‘Last Mant in Tower’ , was published in 2011.
The novel provides a darkly humorous perspective of India`s class struggle in a globalized world as told though a retrospective narration from Balram`s Halwai, a village boy. In detailing Balram`s journey first to Delhi, where he works as a chauffeur to a rich landlord, and then to Bangalore, the place to which he flues after killing his master and stealing his money the novel examines issues of religion, caste , loyalty, corruption and poverty in India.
The Fourth Night
The entire novel is narrated through letters by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will soon be visiting India. The fourth Night chapter opens as Balram expresses his closeness with Chandelier. He has two chandeliers in his apartment; it makes Balram happy he was not able to understand the people, who refused to buy the chandelier. He mentions that “Free people don`t know the value of freedom that’s the problem”. Balram then describes about Delhi the capital of our glorious nation. Delhi is a crazy city; where the rich people live in big housing colonies. Their houses have numbers and letters. Every road has a name and no one knows the name of the road. All the roads look the same in Delhi, so people easily get lost in Delhi. Many people from the darkness simply live on the roadsides. These homeless people are a particular problem for drivers. Balram drives Mongoose and Mr. Ashok around the city as they discuss the negotiations between the Break socialist and the stork and then about Mr. Ashok’s decision on staying India.
Like Pinky Madam, the Mongoose also insult Balram for his driving skills, but Mr. Ashok defends him. Balram explains that drivers are not allowed in the malls and so they wait outside the complex, on one such another day a driver began to talk to Balram, calling him a ”country-Mouse”. Balram refers to him as Vitiligo-Lips, since his lips are affected by vitiligo, a common disease amongst Indian poors. It causes one`s skin colour to change from brown to pink which gives Vitiligo-Lips a grotesque, clown-like appearance. Vitiligo-lips, is also from the darkness. He advices Balraam advice about surviving in Delhi, the corruption among the police, and the hard-partying lifestyles that most masters live, thereby making life difficult for servants. He explain that servants like to read magazines like ‘Murder weekly’. During the conversation with vitiligo-lips, Balram plays the part of a loyal servant, refusing to disclose any information about his Masters.
After returning from mall, Balram drives them back to the new home, which is up on the thirteenth floor Buckingham Towers B Block. In the new apartment, Balram live in the servants quarters in basement along with all the other servants which include drivers, cooks, sweepers, maids, and chefs of the apartment. The servants hear an electric bell when the master needs his servant. The other servant relentlessly tease Balram, mocking his country’s foolishness and his uniform, which he consider a point of pride and they even called him a “village idiot”. Eventually, Balram moves into an unpleasant empty room on the other side of the quarters. He valued the privacy it afforded, and hid himself inside a mosquito net to shield himself form the cockroaches at night.
Every morning, Balram cleanes the car, and waits until his services are needed. One morning, he drives Mongoose and Mr. Ashok to the congress party headquarters, another day he drives the bothers to the President`s House.
After getting home, the Mongoose discovers that he has lost a rupee. He cruelly forces Balram to check the car, until Balram finally drops one of his own rupees and pretends to discovered it. The next morning, Mr.Ashok informs Balram that the Mangoose is leaving the city by train. On their way to the station, Mongoose expresses his distrust of Balram, and warns him to follow the rules. Mr.Ashok again defends Balram’s trustworthiness.
By
Anisha S
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