Aravind Adiga portrays the use of literary devices in his novel, The White Tiger, when he implements symbolism, and the motif of pairs and dualities. In the novel, Adiga effectively demonstrates how the use of literary devices creates a greater insight into Balram’s view of India in order to engage the readers throughout the book.
Balram’s outlook of India is presented through the author’s effective use of symbolism, which engages the readers in understanding Balram’s view. At first, when Balram introduces the audience to the chandelier in his office, they immediately become engaged with the symbolic meaning. He is quick to tell the readers about the “chandelier above me…full of small diamond-shaped glass pieces…the small blades …show more content…
This fascinates the reader, as the symbolic chandelier creates an understanding of the way Balram views India with a society whose achievements persecutes its underclass, and no matter how successful the people of the underclass are at transforming themselves from the darkness, they will never have the ability to completely change. Furthermore, when Balram describes his mother’s funeral, Adiga symbolizes the mud of the Ganga River to capture the audience’s attention. His mother’s body struggles against the mud, which is “holding her back: this big, swelling mound of black ooze. She was trying to fight the black mud…but the mud was sucking her in…Soon she would become part of the black mound” (12). Adiga applies symbolism to represent the mud of the Ganga River towards the harsh cycle of cruelty, which traps the unfortunates in the darkness. This captivates the reader in understanding India as a country that will never be able to solve the issues of social mobility, and the low-income earners will always be trapped in the darkness and unable to escape. Ultimately, when Balram explains the rooster coops in the markets of New Delhi, Adiga once again employs symbolism, which engages the audience. Balram gives a detailed description of a “butcher, showing off the flesh …show more content…
Initially, the readers are introduced to Balram’s poor housing in New Delhi with Adiga’s use of the motif of pairs and dualities. When Balram drives Ashok to his new home, his thoughts begin to ramble at the look of the apartment and notices “Buckingham Towers B Block was one of the best—it had a nice big lobby, and an elevator in the lobby … in India every apartment block… is built with a servants' quarters—sometimes at the back, and sometimes underground” (74-75). Right when Balram and Ashok reach Delhi, the duality between the fancy apartment and it’s grimy servants quarters below is presented to the reader. The novel captivates them since the motif creates a greater insight into Balram’s perspective of India as broken up into sections, the impoverished darkness and the wealthy lightness in every aspect of life. Moreover, after Balram visits the markets in Delhi for the first time, the motif of pairs and dualities is used to enhance the reader’s understanding of Balram’s view of India. Once Balram finishes roaming around in the markets, he realizes “Every big market in Delhi is two markets in one—there is always a smaller, grimier mirror image of the real market, tucked somewhere” (120). With the motif in place, Adiga displays the opposition of the two markets in India, one for the
Balram’s outlook of India is presented through the author’s effective use of symbolism, which engages the readers in understanding Balram’s view. At first, when Balram introduces the audience to the chandelier in his office, they immediately become engaged with the symbolic meaning. He is quick to tell the readers about the “chandelier above me…full of small diamond-shaped glass pieces…the small blades …show more content…
This fascinates the reader, as the symbolic chandelier creates an understanding of the way Balram views India with a society whose achievements persecutes its underclass, and no matter how successful the people of the underclass are at transforming themselves from the darkness, they will never have the ability to completely change. Furthermore, when Balram describes his mother’s funeral, Adiga symbolizes the mud of the Ganga River to capture the audience’s attention. His mother’s body struggles against the mud, which is “holding her back: this big, swelling mound of black ooze. She was trying to fight the black mud…but the mud was sucking her in…Soon she would become part of the black mound” (12). Adiga applies symbolism to represent the mud of the Ganga River towards the harsh cycle of cruelty, which traps the unfortunates in the darkness. This captivates the reader in understanding India as a country that will never be able to solve the issues of social mobility, and the low-income earners will always be trapped in the darkness and unable to escape. Ultimately, when Balram explains the rooster coops in the markets of New Delhi, Adiga once again employs symbolism, which engages the audience. Balram gives a detailed description of a “butcher, showing off the flesh …show more content…
Initially, the readers are introduced to Balram’s poor housing in New Delhi with Adiga’s use of the motif of pairs and dualities. When Balram drives Ashok to his new home, his thoughts begin to ramble at the look of the apartment and notices “Buckingham Towers B Block was one of the best—it had a nice big lobby, and an elevator in the lobby … in India every apartment block… is built with a servants' quarters—sometimes at the back, and sometimes underground” (74-75). Right when Balram and Ashok reach Delhi, the duality between the fancy apartment and it’s grimy servants quarters below is presented to the reader. The novel captivates them since the motif creates a greater insight into Balram’s perspective of India as broken up into sections, the impoverished darkness and the wealthy lightness in every aspect of life. Moreover, after Balram visits the markets in Delhi for the first time, the motif of pairs and dualities is used to enhance the reader’s understanding of Balram’s view of India. Once Balram finishes roaming around in the markets, he realizes “Every big market in Delhi is two markets in one—there is always a smaller, grimier mirror image of the real market, tucked somewhere” (120). With the motif in place, Adiga displays the opposition of the two markets in India, one for the