The White Tiger

Essay by ethanxuCollege, UndergraduateA, November 2014

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The white tiger is an epistolary novel through which Balram's name emerges. In his series of letters to the Chinese premier, Balram recalls his past and life experiences in order to teach the premier about entrepreneurship. Although the novel is technically epistolary, the author writes in a talkative manner. Written in this format, the white tiger makes me feel close to Balram, as if Balram is talking directly to me. Even though the book is fictional, it depicts a lot of reality. For example, the book teaches me about many things including a variety of social issues about India, especially the social injustice.

Social injustice for the poor in India is a major theme in the white tiger. There is the rooster coop, which separates the poor from the rich. It refers to the cage which the butchers use to keep chickens inside. As described by the quote "The rooster in the coop smells the blood from above.

They see the organs of their brothers lying around them. They know they're next. Yet they do not rebel. They do not try to get out of the coop." (P147), the people inside the coop do not even wish for emancipation! Quote "You can put the key of emancipation in a man's hands and he will throw it back at you with a curse" shows the power of the coop to restrain a man's mind. Poor People are also treated differently from the rich, as servants like Balram are banned from going into luxurious hotels or shopping malls. Separated by the rooster coop, India is divided into two parts. As Balram describes, "India is two countries in one; an India of Light, and an India of Darkness."(P12), showing great social inequity in India. Darkness represents bad living conditions and hopelessness,