Globalization in The white tiger

• Prepared by:  KAVITABA P. GOHIL
• Roll No: 19
• Paper – 13: The New Literature
• M.A (English)   :  Sem -4
• Enrollment No: 2069108420180018
• Batch: 2017-19
• Email: kavitabaprahaladsinhjigohil@gmail.com
• Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU. 
• Topic: Globalization in The white tiger
• Total words: 1900.
• Plagiarism in percentage:____%

INTRODUCTION:

Aravind Adiga, the contemporary Indian novelist is undoubtedly one of the outstanding figures in the realm of postmodern literature. He achieved this position through his masterpiece The White Tiger which brought him the 2008 Man Booker Prize for fiction. His novels are preoccupied with such emerging issues like globalization, urbanization, rich and poor divide, social disparity, technoculture, corruption, erosion of human relations and moral values. By fusing postmodern techniques of metafiction, dark humour, parody, pastiche, binary and multiple narrative voices with the prevailing issues of consumerism, materialism, deterioration of moral values, Adiga sensitively captivates the readers’ nerve. It is because of this sensitivity towards the changing realities that Adiga writes in tune with the global changes. The White Tiger is a story about the existential and class struggle of the protagonist. A neo-liberal country like India widens the gap between the rich and poor with its pro-capitalist, free-market policies that privilege a few.

Aravind Adiga has emerged as a writer who exposed the disastrous vices, malignant evils, political manipulations and social injustices prevalent in the contemporary India. He is a characteristic postmodern writer who portrays corruption, inequalities and the social evils that persist despite India’s slogan of progress and prosperity. He shot into international fame with the publication of his debut novel The White Tiger in 2008. The book won the coveted Man Booker’s Prize for fiction during the same year of its publication. Born in Chennai on 23 October, 1974 to Madhava Adiga and Usha, Aravind Adiga belonged to an educated family hailing from Mangalore, Karnataka. Adiga started his career as a financial journalist interning with Financial Times, Money, and Wall Street covering stock market, investment protocols and interviewing luminaries. He also wrote literary reviews, a famous one being on the Booker Prize winner Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda. He then moved to Time magazine where he served as South Asia correspondent for three years. Later he quit the job and opted to work as a freelancer. It was during his freelance period that he wrote the Man Booker Prize winning novel The White Tiger, thus becoming the fourth Indian to receive the Prize. His second book, Between the Assassinations a collection of twelve interlinked short stories was released in November 2008. Last Man in Tower (2011), being Adiga’s second novel, tells the story of a retired school teacher’s struggle to keep up the traditional values, his resistance to money and power. (Sharma)

All throughout the White Tiger some form of America seems to pop up in a key moment. It’s subtle, and the reader can easily pass over it without giving any second thought to the matter, but each time has its significance. Take for example when Balram is describing Ashok’s corruption on page 173, “you’ve got plenty of places to drink beer, dance, pick up girls, that sort of thing. A small bit of America in India.” This goes back to the motif of Identity, someone trying to be something they’re not. Balram sees Ashok being transformed by the influence of American culture, the creeping globalization that is taking over Delhi. The next situation was an ironic one, foreshadowing the last I’ll blog about, when the  fat minister’s assistant spoke about drinking and elections, “Elections, my friend, can be managed in India. It’s not like in America. . . Everyone has whiskey in their car in Delhi, Ashok, didn’t you know this?” (pg. 181). The idea of being “better than” Americans and their politics is juxtaposed with drinking American whisky, in the hypocritical nature of their characters. And finally, on page 245, Balram described his murder weapon, “It’s a good, strong bottle, Johnnie Walker Black–well worth its resale value.” The reader can see just how embedded American culture is in the Indian society, while every person is trying to become their own “Individual.” Personally, I found it wildly hilarious because of its subtleness and depth that just sinks in so well into the entire satire.

Globalization in The white tiger

Impact of Globalization on Indian Culture

Globalization has changed our current social conditions and contributed to the deteriorating of nationality and the creation of globality. It has a wide role to play the world over. It has left its footprints in every field of life. The exchange of world views and ideas has led to a major transformation of the standard of living globally. Indian culture is no exception to this transformation process. Globalization quickened this process and resulted in the fusing of cultural practices and increased advertising of culture through influx of MacDonald’s and Pizza Huts, etc., in all metropolitan cities and through the celebration of special days like Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. With the emergence of globalization, our age old traditions and customs have slackened off their hold.

India has a rich cultural milieu which is well-known to the whole world. Globalization has not only led to in the westernization of India, but on the contrary, the Indian culture has also spread its impact globally. Culture and traditions of any geographical region hold a special significance with respect to their distinctiveness and that is the differentiating feature for a population within a geographical boundary. This distinctiveness and individuality has been disturbed in varying degrees in lieu of globalization. Such an impact is very much pronounced when they hit a developing country like India.

The White Tiger

Born in India and raised in Austria, Aravind Adiga is the fifth Indian author to win the Man Booker Prize in 2008, for his debut novel, The White Tiger. This Booker Prize winner novel study the distinction between India’s ascend as a modern global economic giant and the protagonist, Balram, who comes from rustic poverty background. The major theme of the novel is to present the impact of globalization on Indian democracy. All through the novel Adiga remarks about the first world influence on the third world countries. The West is the adjudicator and the jury of every facets of third world behaviour.

The story begins with a letter from a self-made Indian entrepreneur, Balram Halwai, who narrates the story of his own success to the Chinese Premiere. Born in a poor family in a backward village, he grows up in extreme poverty and deprivation; he is not allowed to complete his education and is employed as a child labour in a local tea stall. Running away from his village, Balram seeks a job in the city and finds one at his erstwhile village landlord’s house, who has now moved to the city. A major part of the novel depicts Balram’s life as a servant cum driver at the household of his former landlord, and the kind of exploitation and class difference that exists between the rich masters and their poor servants. Consequently, in an urge to escape his situation and enjoy the luxuries of life available to the rich, Balram kills his employer, robs his money and finally finds a new successful life of entrepreneurship in the hub of India’s globalization- the city of Bangalore. (Sreelatha)

Balram justifies his actions as the only resort for resistance left in his state of oppression. It was either to submit to servitude that society had destined for him, or to break out of the coop and embrace the global network, even if that includes murder. The rhetoric he uses is thus essentially one of binaries- old India vs. new India, the feudal oppression vs. the neoliberal liberation, the failed state vs. the successful market. The novel depicts that Globalization replaces the native culture by consumerist culture. Take for example, when Balram says, “I should explain to you, Mr Jiabao, that in this country we have two kinds of men: Indian liquor men and English liquor men. Indian liquor was for village boys like me - toddy, arrack, country hooch. English liquor, naturally is for rich. Rum, whisky, beer, gin - anything the English left behind.”

All throughout the novel, some form of America seems to pop up in a key moment. It’s subtle, and the reader can easily pass over it without giving any second thought to the matter, but each time has its significance. Take for example when Balram is describing Ashok’s corruption, “you’ve got plenty of places to drink beer, dance, pick up girls, that sort of thing. A small bit of America in India”. This goes back to the motif of Identity, someone trying to be something they’re not. Balram sees Ashok being transformed by the influence of American culture, the creeping globalization that is taking over Delhi. The next situation was an ironic one, when the fat minister’s assistant spoke about drinking and elections, “Elections, my friend, can be managed in India. It’s not like in America. Everyone has whiskey in their car in Delhi, Ashok, didn’t you know this?” And finally, Balram described his murder weapon, “It’s a good, strong bottle, Johnnie Walker Black–well worth its resale value.” The reader can see just how embedded American culture is in the Indian society, while every person is trying to become their own “Individual” . Underlying Adiga's descriptions of the boom in outsourcing Bangalore’s gleaming call-centres are the idea that India is making itself the servant of European and American companies.

All the way through the novel English is represented as the language of master or superior in India. There are many examples in the novel which bring to light the superiority of English language. The opening of the novel itself suggests the dominance and supremacy of English. Balram writes to Jiabao, “Neither you nor I speak English but, there are some things that can only be said in English” .

Another instance is “Ashok,’ she said. ‘Now hear this. Balram, what is it we’re eating?’ I knew it was a trap, but what could I do? – I answered. The two of them burst into giggles. ‘Say it again, Balram. They laughed again. ‘It’s not p iJJA. It’s pizza. Say it properly.’ ‘Wait – you’re mispronouncing it too. There’s a T in the middle. Peet.Zah” (Sreelatha)

Conclusion:

Throughout the novel, Adiga represents the impact of Globalization on India. It has made radical changes in each and every sphere of Indian life. Globalization offers a social world whose precincts have become fluid. It has imposed global culture by debasing local individualistic culture. Globalization has affected the Indian political arena too. The first world countries are trying to inflict their rules and laws upon the third world countries in the guise of lending out a helping hand.

Works Cited

Sharma, Richa. "The impact of globalization on Indian culture and literature: Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger." International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development (January 2017): 4.

Sreelatha, Dr. M. "EXISTENTIAL STRUGGLE IN THE WHITE TIGER." 14 April 2017. ashvamegh.net. web. 5 april 2019.