Characterism In The White Tiger By Aravind Adiga

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Register to read the introduction… Balram witness’s the death of both of his parents, from illnesses in both of which could have been cured had he been in a higher-caste system of society. His father, Vikram Halwai, died of mistreated tuberculosis. Balram exclaims the ignorance of the government as they failed to appropriately care for his father’s condition and death: The ward boys made us clean up our Father before we could remove the body. A goat came in and sniffed as we were mopping the blood off the floor. The ward boys petter her and fed her a plump carrot as we mopped our father’s infected blood off the floor. (Adiga 42)
The lack of care exhibited by the hospital emphasizes the harsh reality of just how terrible life is for the impoverished in India. Balram spoke in high honor of his father and mentions that his father “never crouched,” like the servants were expected to on his job - that he “preferred to stand” (Adiga 20). A life of a man that Balram respected and loved, a life that protected him against his worst fear of lizards, and taught him how to have pride in everything he does - a life Balram held with the utmost importance and praise - was the same life that later had to be mopped off the floor by his very own son. The negligence of human life desensitized Balram at a young age and strengthened his soul by realizing the dog-eat-dog
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Ashok, and steals his bag enclosed with thousands of rupees. He uses his reoccurring analogy of the rooster coop to validate the murder of his master by stating, “I think the Rooster Coop needs people like me to break out of it. It needs masters like Mr. Ashok – who, for all his numerous virtues, was not much of a master – to be weeded out, and exceptional servants like me to replace them” (Adiga 257). The murder of Mr. Ashok was the final action that all of his previous small acts of cheating and stealing led up to. The money Balram gained from the murder provided him a chance at a new life filled with endless opportunities. He chooses to start his own taxi business and explains, “Once I was a driver to a master, but now I am a master of drivers. I don’t treat them like servants - I don’t slap, or bully, or mock anyone. I don’t insult any of them by calling them “family,” either. They’re my employees; I’m their boss, that’s all.” (Adiga 259). This shows the contrast of his life and how far he has come. His life takes a complete turn, as he changes roles from servant to master. It also foils the characters of the rich and corrupted masters Balram encounters in his life, as it emphasizes his moral character. Balram achieves his success but still remains a fair, professional boss - nothing like the other masters in India. His struggles drove Balram to fight for a life of freedom and dignity. He re-evaluates the actions he had to take in order to

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