Student Question
What traits of rural India are highlighted in The White Tiger?
Quick answer:
The novel highlights rural India's poverty and entrenched caste system, where social status and life choices are determined by birth. It portrays a pessimistic view, suggesting that education and migration to the city might offer an escape from poverty, although this proves ineffective for the narrator. Additionally, the importance of family and the prevalence of corruption are crucial themes in depicting village life.
The White Tiger highlights a fairly pessimistic view of the heart
of rural India. The two most dramatically portrayed characteristics are poverty
and the caste system. The caste system is one in which people’s parentage
determines not only their social status, but the jobs for which they are
eligible, whom they can marry, what they can eat, and with whom they can
associate. One particularly important aspect to the vision of rural poverty
portrayed in The White Tiger is the notion that perhaps education,
combined with migration to the city, will be an escape from cycle of
poverty and the trap of caste – but of course this doesn’t really work for the
narrator.
The importance of family and ubiquity of corruption are also thematically
important in the novel’s vision of village life.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.