The Hanuman Myth in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger

Abstract

Like Joyce’s Ulysses, Adiga exploits ancient myth in his Booker winning novel The White Tiger. He uses the Hanuman myth  of Valmiki’s The Ramayana to show the contrast of master-servant relationship in the heroic age and that of post modern age. The myth helps him to explain the Rooster Coop mentality of the Indians. He frankly exposes how people are kept passive in the name of religion. Servants behave hypocritically only to please their masters. They have a mixed feeling towards their masters. They use their masters, if they can, to rise upper echelons of society. The protagonist of the novel Balram Halwai does not hesitate to slit his master, Mr. Ashok to rise the ladder. Not only the servants, but the masters also deviate from the righteous path. They ask their servants to bear the burden of their own crime. Adiga has successfully exploited mythological materials to present social materials. He portrays parallel characters to parody the archetypal figures of Valmiki.