The White Tiger

1.    How far do you agree with the India represented in the novel The White Tiger?

Yes, I am agree with the India represented in the novel The White Tiger. We can find that Adiga tried to represent the reality of India in the novel The White Tiger. Reality of India like: poverty, corruptions, illiteracy ,etc. we can find the darker side of India rather than bright side in this novel, though on that time the time of developing was started. But Adiga tried to show the darker side of India. And we can also say that the reality of India which is shown by Adiga in his novel still now we can see.

2.    Do you believe that Balram’s story is the archetype of all stories of “Rags to riches”?

In this story we can see that first Balram wasa very poor but at the end of the novel he became very rich person. Same things we can find in the real life, a poor person became very rich man who faced poverty, insulting, starving in their childhood period. So I can say that Balram’s story is the archetype of all stories of “Rags to riches.”

3.    “Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, reconstructive criticism aims to show that any text inevitably undermines its own claims to have a determinate meaning, and licences the reader to produce his own meaning out of it by an activity of semantic ‘free play’ (Derrida, 1978,p.108). Is it possible to do deconstruction reading of ‘The White Tiger?’ How?

Here, we can apply the theory of Derrida’s deconstruction. We can apply the concept of free play of meanings. We have to find the loose stone of this novel after we can apply this theory. And the loose stone of this novel is illiteracy of Balaram. He could not get more education. Balram used the word Half Backed for himself. The word Half Backed broke all the philosophy and ideals of this novel. Balram gave his own example. The another thing is he killing his master and getting freedom with the enlightenment of Buddha. So, after looking al these things we can say that we can deconstruct the idea of this novel ‘The White Tiger’.

4.    Similarities between ‘The White Tiger’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’:

Narrative structure :

The White Tiger is divided into seven chapters and every chapters are described about nights. The story is not narrated chronologically. The protagonist takes all the freedom to move from one event to another without placing that event within a chain of action. The protagonist writes his letter to the Chinese premier when he is already established as an entrepreneur in Bangalore.  Adiga took up the epistolary form for the White Tiger and gave it necessary twist so as to incorporate elements from the stream of consciousness novels of the modern era and also from the postmodernist prose fiction having recognizable socio – cultural scenario without any symbolic intentions. The single paragraph highlights the essence of Adiga’s style: wit, panache and dark humor. In an apparently simple style the narrator explores his past his anger, suffering, humiliation and detachment and along with it the contemporary history of the land and the people.

In the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ protagonist Jamal Malik, whose  story represented by flashback technique. In the film, KBC show is the setting of narration. Balram Halwai and Jmal Mlik both achieve their goals by their own style. By being honest, corrupt, moral or immoral or by desire. Both were also presented as Chai Wala. Jmal Mlik became famous by KBC show where as Balram by wanted posters. Both have money idea in mind and they make it also. We can find family struggles, poverty, corruption in both.

Two brothers :-

Two brothers lost and found is archetype also reflects Indianness in both narration.

Education –

Balram and Jamal both were uneducated but still intelligent and tellented to understand the world. They have enough  knowledge of survive the world.

List of the questions asked in the Slumdog Millionaire :-

1.    who was the star in the 1973 hit film “Zanzeer”  = Amitabh Bachhan

2.     A picture of three lions is seen in the national emblem of India. What is written underneath it? =  The truth alone triumphs

3.     In depiction of God Rama, he is famously holding what in his right hand? = A bow and arrow

4.    The song “Darshana Do Ghanshyam” was written by which famous Indian Poet? = Surdas

5.    On the American One Hundred Dollar bill, there is portrait of which American Statesman? = Benjamin Franklin

6.     Who invented the revolver? = Samuel Colt

7.    Cambridge Circus is in which UK city? = London

8.    Which cricketer has scored the most first class centuries in history? = Jack Hobbs

9.    In Alexander Dumas’ book “The Three Musketeers”, two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer? = Aramis

Compare with Texture and reatment of subject content in film and novel.

Texture in both narration is about India as corrupt and poor country. Villages, landlords, educarion all represents the darkness of India.