From Aspiration To Disillusionment: Satire As Narrative Strategy in Aravind Adiga’s Select Novels

Abstract

Aravind Adiga analyses contemporary Indian society and its prominent facets, such as economic liberalisation and urban development, in a kaleidoscopic way in his novels. Existing literature has predominantly examined the themes of his novels, such as capitalism, class inequality, corruption, subaltern resistance, realism, and moral ambiguity. A little attention has been paid to the narrative strategy of using satire to highlight the major concerns of his novels. This paper investigates satire as a significant narrative strategy in The White Tiger (2008), Last Man in Tower (2011), and Selection Day (2016). The research argues that Adiga employs satire as a narrative mode through which the aspirations of individuals and communities are simultaneously represented and interrogated. Adiga exposes the contradictions, social mobility, urban prosperity, and personal achievement in post-liberalised India through irony, dark humour, caricature and satirical narration. A comparative textual approach is made along with satire theory and narratological perspectives to examine Adiga’s three novels. The study helps to understand the intricate relationship between aspirations and disillusionment. It encompasses Balram’s entrepreneurial aspirations, the material prosperity of Vishram society residents and the sporting success in Adiga’s novels. The present study argues for the role of satire in deconstructing the idealised vision of success as well as the emotional cost associated with the process of achieving success.