The novel White Tiger accompanies the main character Balram Halwai, who experiences the trials and tribulations of becoming a successful businessman and entrepreneur. The story highlights the significance of wealth in the country of India; which essentially concocts a sense of security. The idea of being free versus restrained appears often, therefore, Balram questions society’s grip on individuals existence. Balram’s background did not stem from an ownership mentality, but a worker’s mentality. Balram and his family were poor and lived in a small rural village called Laxmangarh. Although the circumstance for Balram were somewhat pre-determined by his upbringing he chose to reach his destiny by all means. The conceptual idea of having freedom…show more content… That’s my whole philosophy in a sentence” (Adiga p.246) is a powerful quote that involves the issues of freedom versus being a slave. The quote states that let animals live like animals, and let humans live like humans, but what does that mean? How can you let animals live like animals, when they are already animals or humans? This quote arises a lot of questions, but I believe with the wording of the quotation, it is stating that there is a certain way to be an animal or a human. There are many approaches that can be evaluated with this quote, but I believe this represents the issues of dealing with freedom versus slavery. Slavery that is mental, and repetitive amongst the impoverished in India. Balram’s ideology and outlook on life created a desire to become a successful business owner, which led him to make many cringe worthy decisions. The fact that Balram visits a zoo exemplifies the idea of being constrained; which can serve as a parallel for being a slave. Adiga’s attention to detail draws the audience to pay attention to Balram’s evaluation of life and being free. Balram’s upbringing allows him to realize that he was born a mental slave, and wealth could not only bring financial freedom, but a chance to become a successful…show more content… Balram used the zoo to show examples to Dharam, his nephew on issue of not being a slave, and maintain your mental freedom. Balram tells Dharam, “The moment you recognize what is beautiful in this world, you stop being a slave” (Adiga p.245). This resonates with Dharam because he enjoys his visit at the zoo, and he truly wanted to experience the beauty of the zoo. Balram uses the example of the zoo to construct a parallel of which is very interesting. For example, a zoo represents a contained beauty. The animals are being restricted to a certain area, but Balram brought Dharam to the zoo to view the beauty of life in a sense. The quote, “Let animals live like animals; let humans live like humans. That’s my philosophy in a sentence” explains that things honestly happen for a reason. This all demonstrates the slave mentality that is prevalent within the culture of India. Balram had to work extremely hard to reach the status of becoming a successful business owner; which came with several consequences. Balram’s family was murdered at the expense of his
