Arvind Adiga Character Analysis

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Recommended: Effects of poverty on individuals

The debut novel by Arvind Adiga was published in 2008 and talks about the life of Balram Halwai, the son of an auto rickshaw puller who lived in a village in Dhanbad with his grandmother, parents, brother and extended family. The story has been told from Balram’s point of view who spent his childhood in ‘darkness’-in the impoverished area of rural India-in poverty and illiteracy, as he had to drop out of his school because his family had to arrange for his cousin’s dowry and so they couldn’t afford to pay for his education. His name itself is the proof that the dominant caste system in India has divided its population into higher and lower social classes. Balram’s frustration is evident from the fact that he critizes the caste system and points …show more content…

Thus, It is extreme poverty which creates Darkness in the life of the rural as well as urban people and it perpetuates the sufferings of the underclass. Illiteracy, unemployment, Zamindari practice, social taboos,rigid caste discrimination, caste and culture conflict, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats,economic disparity , superstitions, corrupt education system and health services,shrewd entrepreneurs, flood mall culture etc contribute to the sufferings of

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