The White Tiger Essay

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Society often tells us what to eat, drink, wear and even what social class we belong to. In the book The White Tiger written by Aravind Adiga, the situation is much similar. The book follows the life of Balram Halwai, a child born into poverty, yet he has the drive of one born into wealth and renown. During his time as a servant/driver for a wealthy Indian family the reader is exposed to the disadvantages of those born into darkness. Throughout the text the reader bears witness to numerous occasions of great tension between the protagonist and society. Balram is born into what is called the darkness. In India there are two castes, one is the darkness the other is the light, one represents poverty while the other represents wealth. In the early years of his life, Balram Halwai grows up in the village of Laxmangarh. His father is a rickshaw-puller and Balram is forced to work in a tea shop along with other members of his family. The school he attends does not …show more content…

Balram from time to time would take the Honda City without Mr. Ashok’s knowledge and drive others around. As his time in Delhi progressed, the reader is able to see this once innocent country boy turn into a greedy city driver. Balram would begin to stop sending his family money and cut contact with them all together. Despite all the unconventional actions Balram had done in Delhi, there was no act more heinous than the killing of his employer Mr. Ashok. Balram knew it was the perfect time to do it because of the amount of money Mr. Ashok had with him. “I rammed the bottle down. The glass ate his bone. I rammed it three time into the crown of his skull, smashing through to his brains.” (Adiga 244-245). In that moment Balram knew the life he lived would never be the same. Balram showed the reader part of his old self when he returned to the city to pick up his nephew before

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