Compare Ashok and his family's actions after Pinky Madam hits a child to Balram's response when his driver does. Where do you think his self-interest begins?ħ.
Balram says "where my genuine concern for him ended and where my self-interest began, I could not tell" (160). Discuss Balram's opinion of his master and how it and their relationship evolve. What do you make of the couplet Balram repeats to himself: "I was looking for the key for years / but the door was always open"?Ħ. Discuss his rooster coop analogy and the role of religion, the political system, and family life in perpetuating this culture. Balram blames the culture of servitude in India for the stark contrasts between the Light and the Darkness and the antiquated mind set that slows change. Balram variously describes himself as "a man of action and change," "a thinking man," "an entrepreneur," "a man who sees tomorrow," and a "murderer." Is any one of these labels the most fitting, or is he too complex for only one? How would you describe him?ĥ. Because of his lack of education, Ashok calls Balram "half-baked." What does he mean by this? How does Balram go about educating himself? What does he learn?Ĥ. Why does Balram choose to address the Premier? What motivates him to tell his story? What similarities does he see between himself and the Premier?ģ. Do Balram's ambition and charisma make his vision clearer? More vivid? Did he win you over?Ģ.
The author chose to tell the story from the provocative point of view of an exceedingly charming, egotistical admitted murderer. Amoral, irreverent, deeply endearing, and utterly contemporary, this novel is an international publishing sensation-and a startling, provocative debut. Recalling The Death of Vishnu and Bangkok 8 in ambition, scope, The White Tiger is narrative genius with a mischief and personality all its own. On the occasion of the president of China’s impending trip to Bangalore, Balram writes a letter to him describing his transformation and his experience as driver and servant to a wealthy Indian family, which he thinks exemplifies the contradictions and complications of Indian society. The white tiger of this novel is Balram Halwai, a poor Indian villager whose great ambition leads him to the zenith of Indian business culture, the world of the Bangalore entrepreneur. “This is the authentic voice of the Third World, like you've never heard it before” (John Burdett, Bangkok 8). The stunning Booker Prize–winning novel from the author of Amnesty and Selection Day that critics have likened to Richard Wright’s Native Son, The White Tiger follows a darkly comic Bangalore driver through the poverty and corruption of modern India’s caste society.
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