The Role Of Globalization In Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger

GLOBALIZATION AND THE QUESTION OF SERVITUDE IN ARAVIND ADIGA'S THE WHITE TIGER

Abstract

This paper examines the way in which Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger acts as a harsh critique of the notion of the “New India,” which is still plagued with a system of servitude and rampant political, economic, and social corruption. It also sheds light on the social, economic, and cultural impact of globalization on the poor of India, particularly in terms of its role in widening the gap between the upper and lower classes. It argues that both globalization and the system of servitude have contributed to creating two countries in India: the India of Light and the India of Darkness, where the poor are marginalized and kept at the periphery, far from

For Ann Harrison, "India liberalized its international trade as part of a major set of reforms in response to a severe balance of payments crisis in 1991" (2006, 299). Rajiv Gandhi's government, for example, started to liberalize the economy by removing economic restrictions and high taxes imposed as part of the Nehruvian closed economy (Assayag & Fuller, 2005). In 1990, Manmohan Singh adopted a determined policy of liberalization that integrated India into the global economy. Singh's economic policy led to an increase in direct foreign investment, a reduction of foreign trade barriers, and to a growing number of Indians working for global enterprises. For Raj Nayar, the economic liberalization of India “refers to deregulation and decontrol in a national economy—an economic process inextricably linked with globalization" (2006,

His eyes seemed full of wonder: how could two such contrasting specimens of humanity be produced by the same soil, sunlight, and water? (68) Ashok's wonder is created by the gap between the poor and the rich, where the poor are regarded and treated as less-than human, or like animals. When Balram works with landlords, like Mr. Mukesh and Stork, for instance, he finds that they expect their pets to be treated like humans: "They expect their dogs to be pampered, walked, petted, and even washed" (67). They expect their animals to be treated like humans, while, ironically, treating their servants like animals. This is elaborately illustrated when Balram takes the dogs for a walk: “Then I took them around the compound on chain while the king of Nepal sat in a corner and shouted, “Don't pull the chain so hard! They’re worth more than you are!” (67). One may understand that the dogs of the rich landlords are seen as more worthy than the poor servants and this may construe why their dogs have to be treated with a special