Book: The White Tiger
Author: Aravind Adiga
Publications: Atlantic Books
Price: Rs. 209
Pages: 321
Plot: Born in Laxmangarh in Gaya district, Balram belongs to a poor family. He was good in studies, and once was called ‘The White Tiger’ by a teacher because of his intelligence. But the fate was not in his favour as he has to leave his studies after a few years and work in a tea shop. While working there he continued educating himself by listening to other’s conversations.
When he grew up, he decided to become a driver, so he learnt how to drive a car and became a chauffeur for Ashok. Ashok is the son of one of the landlords of the Laxmangarh. As time passed, he took over the job of the main driver of the house. He was elated to know that Ashok and his wife will be shifting to Delhi and he will be going with them.
Balram finds Delhi to be a deranged city. With traffic jam, houses numbered illogically, pollution and same looking roads, the city was confusing for him, but at the same time fascinating too. Apart from all this, what he saw there was a place which was different, very different from the village where he grew up. There was a line in between these two places. For him, his village belonged to the darkness, and this city is the light. He saw corruption in all government institutions. No matter where these institutions are if it is in the darkness, there will be a lack of everything, and if in the light of the city, everything will be accessible with the help of money. He understood the difference between class, the stark difference between the poor and the rich, the difference between their lifestyles.
While he was fascinated with all light, he knew that he belonged to the darkness, so he called himself the white tiger, the one who would cross this line between the poor and the rich.
One day Pinky, wife of Ashok decided to drive the car while in a drunk state. She accidentally killed a child in a hit and run case. The next day they decided that Balram will confess that he was the one who was driving the car. Somehow, the case was sidelined and Balram was saved. But this incident made him more violent and angry towards people of the upper class. He was terrified with the thought of being in jail. In his state of resentment, he did something which changed his life, and he became the white tiger, the one who crossed the line between the poor and the rich.
My Views: Questioning the morals and values, and ones’ ambition and wit to step up on the ladder of class, this book shows how India is divided and how it can impact young people. The book was written from Balram’s point of view, but we can see that it was not only him who was suffering, Ashok too had some expectations to meet, some societal rules to follow which he loathes. Based on the themes like class, freedom and corruption, the book revolves around the central issues faced by people of India.
I have heard a lot about this book before picking it up. The author has won the Booker Prize for this book, so I was expecting it to be a really good book. But I did not enjoy this book. I understand the issues which the author is trying to raise through the book, but I could not feel anything while reading it. When I read such books, there is either likeness or dislike-ness towards the characters, towards their thoughts and actions. Sometimes there is sympathy and empathy towards them, and sometimes there is utter aversion. But with this book there was nothing. I felt disconnected from the book, all the characters, and all the emotions. I think it has to do with the writing style. I could not relate to the writing style, it was something very plain and without any nuances.
Moreover, the issues raised, in the book, are- class, caste, religion, and corruption, all these are not very new. We all have read multiple times about it, be it in books, articles or newspapers. So I did not find anything new in the book.
I can understand why people liked this book a lot, one of the reasons could be the themes on which it is based. But for me, it is all about emotions, and connections which I did not experience in this book.
But I still feel it is a good book for those who like reading dark stories, books which raise contemporary issues and the stories which can leave one questioning the morals and values one follows to find the freedom from their fate.
Overall it was an average book for me.
Recommendations: This book can be good for those who like reading stories based on issues like religion, caste, class, and freedom. Moreover, it is a book written in very simple language so can be good for those who want to start reading books.
Ratings: 2.5/5
If you are looking forward to reading a book based on issues like caste, then here is the book review of ‘The God of small things‘ written by Arundhati Roy. Give this post a read if you haven’t read the book yet and get to know more about it.
7 Likes