Othering the Subalterns in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger

Abstract

his research examines the issue of ‘Othering the Subalterns’ in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008). The primary objective of this project is to study the stereotypical representation of the subalterns on the basis of negative ‘otherness’ attributed by the people in authority. It aims to highlight the issue of ‘othering’ is creating an obstacle to the overall development of India to proceed for the global market. Adiga displays how the people are suffering from socio-economic conflict affected by the discrimination of people on the basis of superiority of the mainstream people and inferiority of the marginalized. The very socio-economic disparity has affected the political system of India where the subaltern people are suppressed at the extreme level whereas the mainstream people are corrupted. The study basically highlights Adiga’s ideology of ‘othering’ India by portraying it as different from the developed countries like America and China. It holds the negative characteristics of exploitation and corruption at its highest level which has pushed back to India into the category of underdeveloped country whereas the neighboring country China is rising as a global power. In this circumstance, Adiga puts his notion of equality among the people in India by rupturing the ideology of ‘otherness’ to move ahead on the way of prosperity and development.