Balram compares himself to a Buddha because he “has woken up while the rest of you are sleeping” (270-271). When the British left India in 1947, and everyone was freed from their “cage” (54), however, the “chicken coop” soon developed as society placed constraints on one’s actions. However, Balram, as the white tiger, becomes enlightened like the Buddha when he realized the existence and the possibility of escape from his current chicken coop, albeit with some sacrifices which did not outweigh the outcomes.
After the British left, the caste system was replaced by two castes which determined one’s fate: “Men with Big Bellies, and Men with Small Bellies” (54). Although the system was intended to create a free society, the “big bellies” had slowly …show more content…
As the White Tiger, Balram was able to recognize the existence of the chicken coop. Many in India, especially in the Darkness, do not even realize the existence of such an intuition. When Balram was in the hospital with his dad, he listens to another villager, and many of them found the “stor[y] of rottenness and corruption are always the best stories,” even though it was detrimental to their lives. When a government inspector comes to Laxmangarh, he notices Balram right away as an “intelligent, honest vivacious fellow in this crowd of thugs and idiots.” This was unusual, as Laxmangarh belonged to the “India of Darkness.” Balram’s intelligence made him stand out like a “white tiger,” which was “the rarest of animals-the creature that comes along only once in a generation” (12,30). In the end, Balram’s intelligence allows him to see the rooster coop for what it really is and his ambition helps him justify the sacrifices he has to make in order to escape …show more content…
Throughout the novel, the idea of a family carried negative influences with it and ultimately, this made Balram’s choice easier when choosing to escape the chicken coop. Balram’s family resided in the darkness, and was like a leech that sucked everything good out of its family members. Kusum, Balram’s grandmother, the matriarch of the family, was determined to benefit from the success of her family, often at the cost of the family’s future. Kusum viewed the family as a source of wealth and so when Balram returns to Laxmangarh as a driver, he “got more attention than the water buffalo” for the first time, because to the her, he has evolved into a source of financial stability (72). When Balram started to succeed in life, the family’s selfishness reemerges. They try to blackmail Balram to get married and throw away his hope for a better life in exchange for the immediate financial benefit that his wife’s dowry would provide for the family. Finally, Balram had enough of his family because they had already taken his father and education away from him. This dysfunctional relationship ultimately plays a role in Balram’s escape of his current chicken coop because he is able to more easily sacrifice his
After the British left, the caste system was replaced by two castes which determined one’s fate: “Men with Big Bellies, and Men with Small Bellies” (54). Although the system was intended to create a free society, the “big bellies” had slowly …show more content…
As the White Tiger, Balram was able to recognize the existence of the chicken coop. Many in India, especially in the Darkness, do not even realize the existence of such an intuition. When Balram was in the hospital with his dad, he listens to another villager, and many of them found the “stor[y] of rottenness and corruption are always the best stories,” even though it was detrimental to their lives. When a government inspector comes to Laxmangarh, he notices Balram right away as an “intelligent, honest vivacious fellow in this crowd of thugs and idiots.” This was unusual, as Laxmangarh belonged to the “India of Darkness.” Balram’s intelligence made him stand out like a “white tiger,” which was “the rarest of animals-the creature that comes along only once in a generation” (12,30). In the end, Balram’s intelligence allows him to see the rooster coop for what it really is and his ambition helps him justify the sacrifices he has to make in order to escape …show more content…
Throughout the novel, the idea of a family carried negative influences with it and ultimately, this made Balram’s choice easier when choosing to escape the chicken coop. Balram’s family resided in the darkness, and was like a leech that sucked everything good out of its family members. Kusum, Balram’s grandmother, the matriarch of the family, was determined to benefit from the success of her family, often at the cost of the family’s future. Kusum viewed the family as a source of wealth and so when Balram returns to Laxmangarh as a driver, he “got more attention than the water buffalo” for the first time, because to the her, he has evolved into a source of financial stability (72). When Balram started to succeed in life, the family’s selfishness reemerges. They try to blackmail Balram to get married and throw away his hope for a better life in exchange for the immediate financial benefit that his wife’s dowry would provide for the family. Finally, Balram had enough of his family because they had already taken his father and education away from him. This dysfunctional relationship ultimately plays a role in Balram’s escape of his current chicken coop because he is able to more easily sacrifice his