AP English: Independent Reading Notes

The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga

Balram Halwai (narrator):

• Balram narrates the story, in the form of a letter to Wen Jiabao (the premier of
China).
• Tells the story of his rise from a working-class boy in “the Darkness” to a self-
educated murderer/businessman. (Refers to himself as a ‘self-taught
entrepreneur’.)
• “Half-baked” man, because he dropped out of school early.
• Since he is a servant for most of the book, Balram reflects the sharp contrast
between a modernized India and the poor working class.
• "You, young man, are an intelligent, honest, vivacious fellow in this crowd of
thugs and idiots. In this jungle, you are the rarest of animals - the creature that
comes along only once in a generation." (School inspector speaking of Balram.
Referring to the ‘white tiger’, which is also the name of the book.)
• "Things are different in the Darkness. There, every morning, tens of thousands of
young men sit in the tea shops, reading the newspaper ... They have no job to do
today. They know they won't get any job today. They've given up the fight." What
sets Balram apart from the rest of his family and the poor working-class (and
eventually even his employers) is that he never “gives up the fight”.

Themes/Symbolism:

• the extreme contrast between the poverty of the working-class, and the country’s
rise as a modern power
• corruption in India’s society and political system. (Ashok and his bro bribing a
politician to be exempt from taxes)

Author’s Craft: