White Tiger Society

Indian Society and Balram in The White Tiger

A society that a person lives in can affect the way he behaves. In The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, the Indian corrupted society has demonstrated how a society can change a person’s character and style of living. For instance, Ram Persad has to hide his true religion that he is a Muslim in order for him to work as a driver in Indian racist society. Balram has transformed from an obedient servant to an indifferent murderer who kills his own master because he is irritated by the inequality between the rich and poor. Balram’s conversation within himself in the novel reveals the corrupted side of Indian society and how that society has transformed Balram from a faithful servant into a callous

Ashok’s house. When Balram sees his master hiring a prostitute, he expresses his disappointment inside his head, “A whore? That’s for people like me, sir. Are you sure you want this? I wish I could have told him this openly - but who was I? Just the driver (Adiga 185). Since the first day Balram works at Mr. Ashok’s house, Balram has always given his master a special admiration because of Mr. Ashok treats Balram really nice, unlike the Stork or Pinky Madam. Because Mr. Ashok just has a divorce, Balram is disappointed when he sees his virtuous master listens to a corrupted wealthy man to hire a prostitute. If Balram were not a penniless driver but a wealthy entrepreneur, he could have given his master the advice not to hire a prostitute “openly.” However, Balram knows he could not do that “openly” because of the great distance in social class between Mr. Ashok and him. The example above indicates how Balram starts to want to be more than just a servant. After hearing Mr. Ashok says how he wants to be a poor man, Balram expresses his rage by indicating, “I smiled and thought, I like eating your kind of food too” (Adiga 203). Being in a lower caste is not an easy experience for Balram; that’s why when Balram hears Mr. Ashok, an upper caste man, says that he wants to have a life like Balram, Balram feels irritated because he

The corrupted Indian society makes Balram’s character changes from a loyal servant to a servant who feels bitter with what his master has, which finally leads to Balram’s decision of killing his own master. If Balram has been raised in a different society, his life might go in a different direction without having to kill people around him. However, Balram’s decision to kill Mr. Ashok is justified because there is no other way for him to have a better life without sacrificing his humanity and moral behaviors in the Indian