Changing Notes in the Voices beyond the Rooster Coop: A Neo-Capitalist Coup in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger

• Authors: Praveen Shetty , Vishnumoorthy Prabhu , Pratapchandra T
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Aravind Adiga’s novel The White Tiger encapsulates the complexities of identity formation in a milieu effected by neo-capitalism. The novel, for many, is about a new identity made available to the hitherto marginalized in the form of opportunities unveiled by market forces. It is also perceived as a registration of the frustration and anger of the deprived that has become conscious of the new possibilities. Understandably, interpreting the novel on these lines leads to the identification of the protagonist Balram as a champion of the marginalized, settling scores with the oppressive system. However, there are far subtler notes in the protagonist’s attitude to these sweeping changes than the simple and one dimensional approach of an achiever who is able to break the “rooster coop” and revel at the reversal of fortune. Neither is it a representative voice of the suppressed class turning the table on its oppressor by using the opportunities offered by the global market. The “notes” of the voices that emerge as Balram, the boy from darkness, moves up the ladder to become Ashok Sharma, the entrepreneur hiding in light, not only lack symphony but also create a distinct dissonance. Clearly, the discord in the changing notes is brought about by the forces that changed the world he lives in-a neo-capitalist world. The whole process of Balram turning into Ashok Sharma is a neocapitalist coup.

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Łódzki. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
• Journal: Text Matters: A Journal of Literature, Theory and Culture
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 2
• Pages: 276-287

Dates

published

2012-12-01

online

2012-12-04

Contributors

author

Praveen Shetty

• M.I.T. Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka

author

Vishnumoorthy Prabhu

• Government Women’s College, Udupi, Karnataka

author

Pratapchandra T

• Government P U College, Hiriyadka, Udupi, Karnataka

References

• Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. New Delhi: Harper, 2008. Print.
• Ceaser, Ed. “News Review Interview: Aravind Adiga.” The SundayTimes 19 Oct. 2008. Web. 25 Oct. 2011.
• Mattin, David. “The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga.” Rev. of The WhiteTiger, by Aravind Adiga. The Independent 11 May 2008. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.
• Molly, Joseph M. “‘The Great Indian Rooster Coop’: A Postcolonial Entry into Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.” Littcrit 35.1-2 (2009): 76-80. Print.
• Singh, Krishna. “Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger: The Voice of Underclass- A Postcolonial Dialectics.” Journal of Literature, Culture andMedia Studies 1.2 (2009): 98-112. Print.
• Taras, Ray. “Review: Aravind Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger.’” Campaignfor the American Reader 29 May 2008. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10231-012-0070-7