Man, Vs Society: A Psychoanalytic Study of “THE WHITE TIGER”

Abstract

This paper explores the mental and social issues that form the behaviors of the protagonist in The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. The study aims at determining the defense mechanisms revealed in the nature of Balram Halwai and assessing how these mechanisms influence his personality and choice of actions all through the story. The paper embraces the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud in understanding the subconscious motivations, internalization and behavioral reactions of the protagonist to social oppression and inequality of the classes. The entire analysis is founded on the qualitative research methodology with the main part being based on the textual evidence of the novel with the help of the available scholarly literature that is located in the academic literature. The results indicate that Balram is highly driven by the subconscious motives, pressure of society and his disobedience to the person of authority, who are symbolic parents in the story. The paper also reveals that defense mechanisms used by the protagonist, including rationalization, denial and projection are a major factor in his change of being a lowly servant into a self-made businessman. On the whole, the study reveals the complicated interdependence between the psychological processes and the socio-economic situation in the formation of the character in the novel.