Published Paper Details:

Published in 2008, Aravind Adiga's Man-Booker Prize winning debut novel The White Tiger, has garnered critical acclaim for its unflinching portrayal of contemporary India. This paper will showcase how factors like Social Identity, Hegemonic discourses of the west, India's rapid modernization and how these factors intertwine to create identity crisis. As we delve deeper into Balram's story, we can examine how he grapples with these societal limitations, how they influence his choices, and whether he finds a way to navigate the weight of the world on his shoulders, or if he succumbs to the despair it breeds. Employing a post-colonial framework, exploring the Hegemonic discourses, impacts of western hegemony, global north and south dynamics and the protagonist's quest for social identity, this research examines how Adiga's narrative critiques the impact of hegemonic discourses on the social identity of the underclass in India's social. The analysis reveals that Adiga's protagonist, Balram Halwai, embodies the construct of India's rapid modernization and the presence of hybrid identity. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how The White Tiger challenges prevailing narratives about the impact of western hegemony in India and the underclass' struggle for identity.