Character sketch Of BALARAM HALWAI

Name: Joshi Toral

Paper: 1 New Literature 

Topic: Character sketch Of BALARAM HALWAI: White Tiger by Arvind Adiga

SEM: 4,

M.A. part 2.

Year: 2012

Submitted to,

Dr.Dilip Barad,

M.K Bhavnagar University,

Bhavnagar

Introduction

          The White Tiger is the debut novel by Indian author Arvind Adiga. It was first published in 2008 and won the Man Booker prize in the same year. They provide a dark comical view of modern day life in India through the narration of is protagonist Balram Halwai. The novel is the contrast between India rise as a modern global economy and its working class people who live in crushing poverty. All so the novel touched on include the corruption end to India society and politics, familial loyalty versus independence, religious decisions between Hindu and Muslims.

                   There is evidence of white tiger is protagonist Balram’s nick name, which he earns by being deemed the smartest boy in his village by an education inspector. Balram is told that he his like a white tiger, a rare animal that is said to come only per generation.

About The Author:-

                   Arvind Aliga, 33, is the second youngest novelist to win the literary world’s most important fiction award-man booker prize. He is also the award’s fourth born winner, along with sir Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai.      

Balram Halwai:-

                   Balram Halwai is a poor Indian villager whose great ambition dead him to the zenith of Indian business culture, the world of the Bangalore entrepreneur.

                   The narrator Balram Halwai grew up in the fictive village Laxmangah in India. Like most families in this region in his family is very poor. He lost his parents very early. His family neither gave him a name nor a date of birth. They just called him “Munna” meaning “boy” (p.13) His father always wanted him to go to school to learn how to write and to read in reason to give him better possibilities.(P.28) At the school he got the name ”Balram” by his teacher. One of the most important facts the school inspector named him “The White Tiger”, “The rarest animal in the jungle (P.30) because he is the cleverest child in Laxmangarh.”

                   Balram suffer a lot because of his family and also we can say poverty. The land owner “stork” Balram’s family takes him out of the school of earn money in the tea house. His further education he gets by eaves drooping conversation of the tea house guests.

          After the death of his parents his grandmother Kusum decided about his future. Against all expectations he gets a job as driver and servant at the “storks” house. Hear we can say that how Balram’s life turn out to one side to other side. He was in village a tea sweeper and how he comes in city as a driver.

          Mr. Ashok point of view Balram is a young master and perfect servant. Balram identifies with his master and he’s really fortunate to have a boss like that. When he is forced to take his responsibility for an accident a used by Rinky madam he begins to mistrust and to about the loyalty of his master.

          There are early sings for the master of Mr. Ashok. First he can’t overcome his thoughts to murder his good-natured master but at the end it’s a cold blooded and well planed deed.

“They remain slaves because they can’t see what is beautiful in the world”.

           There fore he risks his families well being but he doesn’t feel responsible for them anyone. After Balram’s flight he founds a driver company with the stolen money of Mr. Ashok. This underlines his spirit, shrewdness and intelligence. When one of his drivers caused an accident he behaves loyal and supports his driver. His action shows the difference between him and Mr. Ashok during an accident. While Mr. Ashok wallows in self pity dear to as feels for sorry his driver and the victim.

           “It was very important tripe for me. White Mr. Ashok and Rinky madam were relaxing. I swam through the pond, walked up the hill. And entered the Black Fort for the time.  Putting my foot on the wall, I looked down on the village from there, my little Laxmangarh. I saw the temple- tower, the market, the glistening line of sewage, the landlord’s mansion and my own house, with that dark little cloud outside the water buffalo. It looked like most beautiful sight on earth. I learned out from the edge of the fort in the direction of my village and then I did something too disgusting to describe to you. Well actually I spat. Again and again and then whistling and humming I went back down the hill, I Eight months later, I said Mr. Ashok’s.”

          He is so pictorial in his description of the protagonist. Who plans his crime well in advance? His disgusting act of spitting repeatedly in the direction of his village could be a sign of final rejection of everything he holds dear, to escape from the Rooster Coop of misery.

          The positive features of Balram aren’t curious because he is the narrator of the story. Balram presents himself as an above average and smart boy who grows with his experiences and changed from anave, poor child to a hardened rich metropolitan. He looks with a cynical attitude a moral indignation at the conditions in India and at his own life. But at the end Balram is a lonely people. He is lonely because of his diving condition. But he is also lonely because he is dislocated from his comrades. He even keeps his nephews away from himself. Between them stands the deed which changes everything.

                   “One day, I know Dharma this boy who is drinking my milk and eating my ice cream in big bowls will ask me… And then I’ll have to come up with an answer or kill, I suppose.”

          His master’s murder will follow Balram every time, Even if he hopes to find the way back in community.

          Balram takes advantage of the limited knowledge of rural beliefs of the upper classes by making up signs of respect for various object or building like a sacred temple, statue, or tree. Balram however doesn’t take his religion too seriously.

          Religion plays a major role in an Indian’s life as it symbolized tradition and honor. This is revealed thought the marriage of Ashok and Rinky madam as Ashok’s father did not approve of their union because she wasn’t from the same religion or cast as him.

           Balram himself bears no grudges against Muslims. He even respects them and says that they are good people. He also sys for all Muslims;

           “Four greatest poets who have lived”

                    Balram’s behavior is also sympathy for all people more for poor. But he naver thinks more because to move on in the life not sees behind Himself. He all way thinking about present not sees his past.

           Balram know how to escape from being caught through corrupt means. He has got the roles reversed and justifies having masters like Ashok to enable white Tigers him to break out of the coop.

           “I think the Rooster Coop needs people like me to break out of it. It needs masters like Me 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… I have switched sides; I am now one of those who cannot be caught in India.                                                                                                                   I’ve made it! I’ve broken out of the Coop! I’ll never say I made a mistake that night in Delhi when I said my master’s throat.

          Alarm proves to be a psychopath with his hysterical lounger with which he concludes his story of success in blood, a very dangerous philosophy of life, which is nothing but that of terrorists, Adiga has created two psychopaths who will destroy our social logic. There seems to be play of sadomasochism with the co-occurrence of sadism and masochism in both Balram and Ashok.

“Neither you nor I speak English, but there are some things that can be said only in English”.

          Balram say about Indian people and how language play vital role in the society. In English he speaks about India and society. It is good because more people not understand it.

           “You were looking for the key for years but the door was always open”.

           We always wit for a time that we think that success came to me and we search for the key but we never know door was open that why we search for the key over life time. Life always gives to a signal but we don’t know about and search for the key.

           Many people are not doing anything in his life so better do a bad thing in your life so your life not wastes to the society.

          “Not doing anything, better to do bad thing”.

          Balram also represent of two India one is light and other part is dark sight of India. He also says half baked India. All people live like that way. Balram also give a “Big Bellies and the small Bellies” It means “India of Light and an India of Darkness”

          Balram born in Dark India but depends on self we live over all life in dark side and came out this Rooster Coop and become a gentleman.

          In the novel we see that Balram as a munna. And how it group and at the end he become an Entrepreneur. In his struggle and also hoe he thinks beyond his limitation and does the work.

           His strong think and do work at time it to he was become a big man and also become Entrepreneur.

           b