The White Tiger: A Critique of Exploitative Class System and Capitalist Relations in India

Abstract

Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) critiques India’s exploitative class system and the entrenchment of capitalist relations that perpetuate inequality. Using Johan Galtung’s theory of imperialism (1971) as a framework, the article examines how systemic dominance drives not only at the global level but also within India’s internal socio-economic structures. Adiga’s narrative shows the lopsided relationship between the wealthy elite and the deprived masses, highlighting apparatuses of exploitation, dependency, and structural violence. The protagonist Balram’s journey from serfdom to entrepreneurial success reveals the tensions of Neoliberal capitalism where liberation is attained only through morally ambiguous acts that reproduce the very violence of the system. By positioning The White Tiger within Galtung’s model, the article argues that India’s capitalist order functions as an imperialist structure in miniature, with urban elites acting as “center nations” and rural poor as “periphery nations.” This study emphasizes how literature can clarify the suppressed violence of economic systems, showing the continuity of imperialist dynamics in postcolonial societies.

Keywords: Neoliberalism, Capitalism, Globalization, Exploitation, Structural Violence