Fractured Identity: Postcolonial Tensions, Cultural Conflicts and Identity Crisis in Adiga’s India

Abstract

This paper examines the cultural complexities of postcolonial India, focusing on the themes of hybridity, mimicry and fractured identities of individuals in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger. Through his protagonist Balram Halwai, the novelist explores cultural conflicts and socio-economic breach between the rich and the underprivileged. He condemns the lingering impact of colonialism and the enduring uncertainties of India’s capitalism. The concepts of hybridity and mimicry help as a critical framework to evaluate Balram’s quest for identity. Adiga exposes the fractured identities of people who are trapped between colonial downfalls and globalization. The main objective of this paper is to address postcolonial identity crisis and the resultant cultural complexities of contemporary India.  Highlighting the concepts of Homi K. Bhabha’s hybridity and mimicry, this research paper centers on how far Adiga is authentic in his portrayal of postcolonial India.