The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga:

Buy The White Tiger

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga:

Set in a raw and unromanticized India, The White Tiger—the first-person confession of a murderer—is as compelling for its subject matter as it is for the voice of its narrator: amoral, cynical, unrepentant, yet deeply endearing.

The story is framed as a letter to the Premier of China from a man who calls himself the “White Tiger.” Born as Balram Halwai, the “White Tiger” grows up in Laxmangarh, an impoverished, rural region along the Ganges River. Balram refers to his hometown as “The Darkness.” During a surprise inspection, a school official dubs Balram a “white tiger” for his exceptional intelligence. But despite his promise, Balram is forced to drop out of school and work in a teashop to support his family. He overhears customers chatting about chauffeur salaries and convinces his family to pay for driving classes. In exchange, he agrees to send money home to his family each month.

Balram goes door-to-door looking for work before he is employed as a 2nd driver for the Stork’s family. The Stork is 1 of the “Animals,” mafia bosses that reign over Balram’s village. Balram becomes the only driver when he exposes the #1 chauffeur as a Muslim.

He is soon assigned to Mr. Ashok, the Stork’s youngest son. Mr. Ashok is sent to New Delhi with his American wife, Pinky Madam, in order to represent the Stork’s interests there. Balram witnesses Pinky Madam’s dissatisfaction with life in India and Mr. Ashok’s discomfort with the dirty family business. Balram decides he wants a better life for himself. He stops sending money home, vowing to rise above life as a servant and never return to the “Darkness.” He begins to mimic Mr. Ashok’s clothes and habits, hoping to shed his country ways.  

One night after many hours of drinking and partying, Pinky Madam orders Balram to let her drive. To her horror, she runs over something in the road – possibly a child. Balram drives home and cleans the car thoroughly to get rid of any evidence. The Stork arrives and forces Balram to sign a confession, ordering him to take the fall for the incident. Although no report is ever filed, Balram realizes that his employers are not looking out for his best interests.

Pinky Madam appears in Balram’s room in the middle of the night and orders him to drive her to the airport. She leaves India and Mr. Ashok. Balram nurses his master through days of depression and binge drinking. As Mr. Ashok embraces new vices, so does Balram. When Mr. Ashok begins transporting bribes for his father, Balram decides to overcharge him for petrol and car repairs. He even thinks of murdering his boss for the bribe money. He knows very well that his family will be punished, even killed, by the Stork, but he decides to proceed. Loyalty to family and master, he believes, are the only things holding him back from the “Light.”

Eventually Balram finds the weapon (a broken bottle) and the setting (an open stretch of road on a rainy day) to kill his employer and make off with the bribe. He escapes and begins life over as an entrepreneur in Bangalore, founding a taxi fleet called “White Tiger Drivers.” At last a master in his own right, he changes his name to “Ashok Sharma.”