THE WHITE TIGER
---RAMIN BAHRANI
A Brief Introduction to the novel
The 2008 novel called 'the white tiger' which was adapted by Ramin Bahrani in a film. Arvind Adiga born in India but educated from Australia, UK and USA. Though a doctor by profession and involved in formal education, had portrayed the everyday struggles of Indians, observing around him. In this manner, it is believed that the novel depicts brutal injustices being inflicted upon the poor people living in India.
Where he had depicted many scenes as such. Some of which are 'a variety of buffaloes, difference between the concept of river as well as ocean(in general manner, nothing can be generalized) it seems from the portrayal of this scence that he cast aside the things, which seems to him, trivial and indicates as something, which should only be destined to poor people. While embraces the prospect of ocean as a rich source of wealth. Moreover a scence from education system is taken, where a teacher is spitting a jet of paan, spotting on the floor and then how in typicality the lips are licked by teacher, that doesn't give a good image from teacher's side but conveys an embarrassing and ridiculous tone towards education system.
Impulse behind writing this novel
It is said by Arvind Adiga that though he was belonging to the middle class family and by profession was a doctor as well as was knowing formal language the most. But the observance of surroundings made him write the realistic picture of life in India, based on brutal injustice, the treatment exchanged with people. it seems his outlook towards seeing life is based on subjectivity while V. S. Naipaul's is based on objectivity(an example of 'An area of darkness' is given). Particularly sympathizing with the down-trodden but not in real sense so. The persona who belongs to the poor family but all able to break all the shackles binded by the society, considering society as a fake frost, melted by coming out of chilling. But one has to dare for for without dare nothing is possible in present generation. The white tiger dared and made his name though with such a speedy pace by committing many indirect mischiefs but succeeded in end, getting his own car agency. Though not appealing to a few but attracting too many this is how his survival is sustained.
A Glimpse from Rano Ringo's Article
Referring to Rano Ringo's article on 'An insight into the facets of globalized India'. In his novel the facets like love marriage, capitalism, relativism vs Intransgient, corruption, poverty, struggle to come out of rooster coop etc are described. Where he sees Balram as representing relativist identity regarding his religion and therefore is cynic about God existence, gives himself due importance, which seems to be an act of selfishness, but in novel it is mere an attempt to break free from rooster coop, where one has to act obligely and comform to the invented laws of the house. His brother Kishan seems to be implying premature kind of tenacity, regarding his helplessness towards coming out of rooster coop. That has made him subjective towards his own life. Though he tried enough to come out but can't as it seems the love of his family has made him blind not able to see his truest self and where the thrivance of life. And in doing so gradually dragging himself in an area of darkness, darkness of emotions never letting him to face his "you" while complying to false acclaimations of love, sufficing only materialistic values ascribed to the love beings. In such situation though the self is deeply involved by stacking his own life, who can't peep from this window and made a vacuum of his own universe without calculating what things this going to be served but also corrected the falsity implied though.
How far the India represented by Arvind Adiga in the white tiger, is true to itself?
The question of whether one agree with the India represented in Arvind Adiga's novel: The answer must be formulated as "yes" at some extent, it is the truth of India. People are compelled to do corruption; not because they used to do but those are their circumstances that make them to do so. While it is the different matter, when the innocent people are killed, who had no role to play in such hazards of life. The thing will be only identified by those who know such games, but those who haven't gone through and even not confronted in life, would be dumbfounded.
For Example: Balram knows us and downs of life and so he has chosen the path, of becoming an entrepreneur of India. He has tread upon this journey as such that at some point it seems as naturally destined to but matter isn't so, the background is almost different. On the contrary Ashok Sharma, "the master" is dumbfounded. As it seems that he sees the entire world through only his glasses, he is blind to the other happenings in an around. It can be assumed that 'these fissures are captured by Arvind Adiga to show actually the case'. So that people can see, it isn't poor Balram but poor Ashok. Who trusts Balram, while he doesn't deserve to be trusted.
In this manner many ongoing things; background, foreground in between the gaps can be seen. Where the things that denotes to be unfair and bad for people to commit are highlighted.
Thus in this manner we can see the problems of India are given voice in Arvind Adiga's novel.
Can it be believed Balram's Story as an archetype of all stories from Rags to Riches
If we observe Balram's Story as resembling to anyone, who uplifts themselves from rags to riches, we're to see it isn't so. It differs rather from person to person's point of views.
Having taken example of Ramin Bahrani's movie the white tiger, based on an original novel and Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire. The former represents the realistic picture of India that is portraying the brutal injustice confronted by people. Who're still in rooster coop. Those only can uplift social ladder like Balram, who dares to do. We also have otherwise the rest of the family members, belonging to Balram Halwai, living in Laxmangarh. One of which is Kishan, who has to conform to his grandmother's obligations, that one is suppose to provide his/her hardwork's reward to the family, unconcerned of whether where the money goes. It seems to be the traditional point of view, to run family and altogether a manipulative one. Where one who can't speak, seems to be exploited and suppressed under the pressure of family demands. Therefore in this way one is still in rooster coop and another is able to break free from all shackles of society, imagining to live life freely. But at some extent, though not under pressure of family, but something else is surfaced in life and one has to rather cope up with and through this find solutions or just escape from the situation is the ultimate way of freeing oneself. While in literal manner, noone can free oneself from any curbing chains. This seems to be the reality of life and who strives against reality, will definitely be going opposite to naturality, consequently transforming the entire coming life into shallowness and emptiness.
On the contrary Danny Boyle's movie, "Slumdog Millionaire-Danny Boyle." Where we see, 'the screen of Kaun banega crorepati' drew to the illusion of becoming crorepati, the screen recurs often as representing symbolic image; this is the medium through which the protagonist would win and become crorepati gradually. This gives a fanciful outlook towards life, but when the attention is drawn towards the background of the protagonist, there we don’t get anything of his education and qualification in particular. We can solely assume that perhaps from reading newspapers/other magazines/internet he had developed such temperament solidly and he is able to crack this and becoming a millionaire in the movie. But still without evidence and enigmatic reality, it seems to be mere an illusion towards life. At the end, his very beloved is the reason/push through which he becomes millionaire. It gives a pinch in the spectators mind, of an ideal life that a protagonist can have everything with him at the end; money as well as his love. Which happens rarely. Therefore it gives imaginative texture of the movie, where the rich and well qualified are becoming puppet of his hands.
Thus presenting these two texture of the movies forward; one is representing indirect manner and another direct manner of becoming millionaire. While in literal manner, noone can become millionaire as such. In some scenes in the movie, Danny Boyle has tried to present an enigmatic point, where the hero is illusively abduct by someone, what has literally happened in background isn't depicted clearly and only as he was suppose to come at other day, he is appearing and winning the final prize of the game.
In a way both represents reality of life, where one is digestible on the other another is still in unchewed form, thus can't be digestible. Therefore both can be justified with some modifications, but noone can endorse anything in general as if this is the definite story from rags to riches for anyone, who endeavors to do so.
The deconstructive reading of the novel
As it is said by Derrida: "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, deconsructive criticism aims to show that any texts inevitably undermines its own claims to have determinate meaning, and licenses the reader to produce his own meanings out of it by an activity of semantic freeplay (Derrida 1978, 1988 in Lodge, P. 108).
Yes it seems to be. When we read a text, it has a specific language to speak(sympathy is being sophisticated) that represents one entity, identity/ideology. While the other things, which aren't discussed, are marginalized and in this manner it is bearing the necessity of its own critique.
The people who had been faced with injustice since long in india have masquerade their faces with goodness to favor their masters who are badly engrossed in their work not seeing what other portion of their being is doing thus the unknown has overpowered and therefore the fall is stumbled upon.
For example: The white Tiger
The picture that is appearing in mind is of a real white tiger as seen in movie, caged in a cage. If symbolically seeing, it has many meanings as such, which can be seen in context of the movie as well as novel. As Balram Halwai says, there are only two castes in particular, the people with small bellies and the people with big bellies. And as such small bellies become stepping stone, to mount to something significant and the is what big bellies, is denoting.
In this manner, it is deconstructive power, to disparage the very context of the novel as well as film.
Review of netflix film adaptation in brief: "the white tiger"- Ramin Bahrani
In Ramin Bahrani's film adaptation, it is portraying at some extent the realistic picture of India, is agreeable but is it in whole that is giving the entire outlook of Indian life? Then we may don't agree and try to justify the statement with the evidences, watched in the movie.
The movie generally portrays from the first, the slave-master personality. Where the slave is sitting in tea-shop and conversing about elections and the master(Ashok Sharma) enters that gives a heroic look, from his dressing manner. That gives an altering personality look, that is going to transform later on. We literally see, how such incidents take place in the movie. Starting from crashing car with a child, committed by Pinky madam but entangles Balram as played a ploy by storks, so they can be extracted out easily from the scene. Pinky Madam already is a controversy for the storks as she belongs to Christianity and they belong to Hindu religion and so the storks have some grudges from Pinky's side. If incase this matter is becoming public, what would be its repercussions? Thinking in this way, they make Balram a puppet of their hands and traps in this case. Which gradually leads him to understand what actually the strength of white tiger is, and in general, this can't be overcome, but only through his murder and he kills him, and gets his entrepreneurship, coming in Banglore.
When watching the movie, it feels as how a man who himself is struggling to overcome the social ladder and tread forward in life, can destroy another man, who also seems to be doing big corruptions. One is indulged in meager level of corruption, while another in higher level of corruption.
For example: In one scene when the demand from socialist leader isn't fulfilled, she reaches to the landlords house and there is symbolic representation of the scene. Where she summons Balram to come near her, and try to instigate him against the landlords. Which indirectly denotes that the landlords have come far through this, by stepping on society and in reality, they also belong to Laxmangarh(Bihar). Where the lady threatens them to be thrown into.
Thus in this manner, if reading through gaps, it uncovers many hidden meanings and gives watcher an extra and additional insight into.
The difference between movie and novel
As it said, "the book in nature is an ocean and movie is like a river."It can't be specified so in particular, the insight of the watcher/reader matters the most. But yes one thing need to be agreed upon that how the description is given in book, it isn't so reflected in movie, where it feels as the given description is portraying a clear image of a scene(a depiction of a teacher, spitting a jet of pan on floor, the symbolic representation of ocean and river, the different shades of buffaloes etc). In movie one can't see clearly and has to stretch the mind, in specificity to get the essence of the scene or the entire movie/book.
Referring to the review, given by David Ehrich about both the movies; the slumdog millionaire as well as the white tiger movie, claimed to be the damned corrective of slickly subaltern fairy tale named as the Slumdog millionaire. Both have same strategies for application, but the cost is such, where one can disagree. The technicality concerning its music, the rating score of A. R. Rahman and also the ending, where the dance has taken over the stage and leaves audience with smile on the face.
This doesn't happen in the white tiger movie and left reader/viewer with many conclusions as it isn't providing poetic justice which can be justified on the grounds of punishment given to the culprit.
Conclusion
Thus in this manner, we saw many points relating to this movie as well as novel; the representation of realistic picture in India, the applicable to all, an archetype of rags to riches, the deconstructive tendency of this novel, the film review of adaption of this novel, the difference between tone and texture and the film review presented by David Ehrlich.
Works Cited
Adiga, Arvind., "Indian novel: The White Tiger." Published in 2008.
Bahrani, Ramin., "The Film Adaptation: The White Tiger." Released in 2008.
Boyle, Danny., "The Film: The Slumdog Millionaire." Released in 2009.
Ehrich, David., "Review: The White Tiger-a corrective of the Slumdog Millionaire."
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