June meeting: notes

March meeting discussion and notes

Title: The white tiger
Author: Aravind Adiga
Note: Book Prize for Fiction 2008

Synopsis: Balram Halwai is the White Tiger - the smartest boy in his village. His family is too poor for him to afford for him to finish school and he has to work in a teashop, breaking coals and wiping tables. But Balram gets his break when a rich man hires him as a chauffeur, and takes him to live in Delhi.



Discussion questions:
• The White Tiger is full of contradictions and metaphors, and it is the descriptions of these that tend to stick in your mind, which tale or metaphor was the most memorable for you?
The book is full of contradictions and metaphors. It was so deep that sometimes I wasn’t sure what I was reading. The contradictions really struck me. He was really sad about his dad dying early on and he seemed to me to be the one who would make a big difference in his life. She wanted money, money, money – she wanted it not Balram. The way they treated the water buffalo – well fed etc. – and yet they were always struggling.
• How does Balram grow as a character, and what was his motivation in writing the letter to the Premier Jinbao?
To show contrasts and humour. In the letter we discover about the murder at the beginning and I was shocked by it and then by the end of the letter when it was explained I thought, ‘Good on you.’
• Why was Ashok’s Driver One forced out by Balram discovering that he was a Muslim?
He used the fact that the driver was Muslim – working for a Hindi family – to get his own way in.
• The way both Ashok and Balram have to kiss arse to get what they wanted, suggests that corruption is rife in India – do you think the author is depicting a true picture of India?
I had to keep going back to certain parts – the whole thing was an education in how pervasive corruption can be, but I didn’t feel for him. He learned how to be corrupt by the example of his masters. I agree – I didn’t identify with it and I didn’t care about it. The only person I liked was the cousin at the end. If I’d been in that situation I might have tried blackmail, too. I really liked the way it was written. This novel was trying to get us to really think and to realise what a dire sort of life some people have. It makes you really appreciate what you have. A friend told me ‘Don’t read that book if you want to go to India.’ I spent a day in Bombay (Mumbai) years ago on the way to England and it was such a culture shock – the number of people, the noise, the smells – even just for a day.
• What about the light and the dark? What did it represent? Good and bad people? At the end of the novel Balram says he is living in the light – do you agree?
Yes but he’s still looking over his shoulder, I don’t know that he felt he was in the light – like with his cousin and how he starts to treat him. In some ways he was better – like when the driver knocked that child over and killed him – he went to the parents and offered money but the police got him out of it. Do you think the whole thing was a demonstration was about how corrupt things can be? Once you’re in it, you’re in it. He was totally sucked in to the corruption but still finding moments where he could help people.

The thing that got me was the description about the river. Is that the case? Is that true? I experienced bribing while over there – you would get stopped by the police and have to pay and then get stopped and have to pay again and, one day, I had enough and ranted at one, which was probably a silly thing to do at the time. Indian policemen work 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year with no holidays. It’s a hard life. It’s also a very colourful place but it was huge culture shock. The matriarch is the matriarch of the family. Women are the boss in the home.

Intermarriage is always interesting – sometimes you don’t realise you’re marrying the whole family rather than just one person.

Do you think corruption is right at the top in India? Yes. Sometimes it’s odd – potholes in the road and yet some people manage to live incredibly well.

In the 1970s Bombay was 25 miles square with 5 million people. The average life expectancy of men was 32 and women was 31.

It may pay to keep in mind that 200 years ago England seemed backward – disease, people using the street as the toilet etc.

• What was the point of the novel?
That you can’t always see the underbelly of a country – but it is there. We always think that all countries have our western ideals but you go there and you see it and it isn’t. We don’t see it here – we hope it’s not here but do we really know that? Maybe we need to keep it in our minds to make sure it doesn’t ever end up that way. Do we take advantage of our immigrants? Do we give them jobs but give them pittance pay?
• I was shocked by the killing. Were you? I wasn’t. He was framing his own servant to take the rap. Indian prisons are dreadful and you’re beaten up constantly. It’s never right to kill but it’s a matter of survival. I didn’t think he was inclined to kill but I did think, ‘Well, good on you.’ I wasn’t upset that he did that. I was glad he got the money and he got out. His action would have made it harder on his family, though. That was why he moved away – because they would always have been able to get at him through his family.
• The fact that the book won that big award – obviously we’re just skimming their actual conditions – but for a book to win that sort of award it has much more depth. That almost put me off reading the book because they’re usually so dry and heavy. But I read it and I hear our stories today and the blackmail is so evil and you realise you can’t escape it. You do know what you know – until you know different. It’s not all romantic – life is sometimes hard.

• Rating: Do you think he is living the light and what is your rating:
* I do – I don’t think he was looking over his shoulder, I think he was being cautious - I give it a 4.

* Definitely living in the light and I give it a 4.

* For his situation yes and I give it a 5.

* I give it a 2 and I had to force myself to read it and he I think he did achieve what he felt he had to – heavy book and subject.

* I give it a 4 and I enjoyed reading it. I think he found his light in his situation – obviously didn’t have a conscience, and I thought it was a fairly true depiction of what life must’ve been like him.

* I felt he was happy with his life, quite smug with it, actually, and I give it a 4.

* I give it a 4 and yes he is living in his version of the light not mine. This is the second time I’ve read it and I like the style.

* Yes he was living in the light but will always be looking over his shoulder and I give it a 3.

* I have to pass on this question. It’s a hard book to get in to and I went away on holiday and took something lighter and never got back into it. Has the discussion now made you want to read it? Yes. I wasn’t too concerned with the way it was written or the metaphors because that was the platform for this particular story.

* I give it a 4 and yes he was living in the light for where and what he was at the time.

* Yes he was living his version of the light, 2 out of 5, I thought it was a sort of Alan Duff book from the humour.

* I thought at first that it was a chore and terrible, gradually as I began to realise what was going on, I thought it wasn’t just a story, I think it was the most brilliant book and I cannot say I enjoyed it at all but at the same time I can say it has done something to me and if I wasn’t compelled to I’m not sure I would have read it. I give it a 4.

* I agree I’m giving it a 4. It's fantastic that we read these books about these countries and places and learn new things. He made his way to the light in a way that a lot of other people make their way to the light.

* Financially he’s in the light, but morally how many are truly in the light? He feels like he thinks he himself would be. Wouldn’t have picked it up on my own but these book chats are making me read things I wouldn’t ordinarily and really look into the books. I give it a 4.

* I give it a 3. I didn’t like it, probably because I felt no empathy for the characters whatsoever. Technically I can appreciate the skill and talent but I have no feeling for the book. Was he in the light? I don't think so - I don't think he'll ever be truly in the light. I think he'll have moments of light to break up the dark but no, I don't think he was in the light by the end of the novel.

Merrin: that's an average rating of 3 and a half to 4 ;)

Tosca's note: there was a lot of talk I did not record if only because 1) there was no accurate way to capture the intent and the feeling of what we discussed and 2) it was real honest/personal feelings. We were extremely lucky enough to have in our group people who had actually been to India and were able to relate to us firsthand their experiences - one a day trip as a young woman, and the other having married into the culture. It generated some great discussion that I felt was perhaps better remembered amongst ourselves than with the blogosphere :)

Next meeting: Saturdy 31st July 2010
Book to be discussed: People of the Book: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Place: Manurewa Library Communithy Room
Refreshments provided