The City as an Anthropomorphic Character in Aravind Adiga’s Fiction

Abstract

This research explores the city as an anthropomorphic and
alive character in the fiction of the Indian- Australian writer Aravind
Adiga namely The White Tiger (2008) and The Last Man in Tower (2011).
In both these texts, the major bulk of the narrative revolves around city
life ─ how it influences individual lives and behaviour. The corruption,
crime and squalor mentioned in the two texts all revolve around the social
dilemmas faced by every individual who becomes a part of the city life.
Utilizing the theory of social facts by the French sociologist Emile
Durkheim this research contends to elucidate the social factors
predominantly discussed in the two texts, and further delineates on the
social natures of the two cities: New Delhi and Mumbai respectively
mentioned in the two novels. Both the novels highlight the rising
neoliberalism in India due to industrialization and entrepreneurship. The
prevalent anthropomorphism in both the texts reflects this rising
neoliberalism which is bringing a drastic change in the lives of
opportunists such as Balram. In addition, by using the theoretical concepts
of “organic analogy” and the “homo duplex” , this paper intends to
highlight the dual representation of city life: social and anthropomorphic,
and reflects how this dualism highlights issues such as neoliberalism,
industrialization, and economic disparity in the metropolitan cities of
India.