Subversion of Traditional Indian Caste Hierarchy and Ideals in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger

Abstract

This study attempts to spotlight traditional Indian hierarchy and ideals and their disruption as shown in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. It explores the extremely poor condition of the subaltern people in India, mostly in rural area as represented by the protagonist, his family and the people in his village Laxmangarh. It shows the hierarchy in the society formed because of political and financial power on the one hand, and the suffering of people due to the lack of it on the other hand. The traditional hierarchy of the caste system has been replaced by the big bellies and the small bellies. Likewise, corruption, violence and immoral behavior have disrupted the traditional Indian ideals. The study finds that Balram’s high ambition and strong instinct to change his life grabs him into corruption and crime, leading to kill his own master Ashok for money and thereby achieve his goal of an entrepreneur. It reveals that there is subversion of traditional Indian norms and ideals to break the hierarchy, along with the breach of the caste system. It has given rise to immorality, crime and corruption with the rise of people’s ambition. It points to the message of the novel that there is want of equity and morality in India.