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Big Bellies and Small Bellies: Class Conflict and Social Inequality in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Literary and Cultural Studies
DOI: 10.64388/IREV10I3-1722810
Abstract
Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger presents a sharp critique of class conflict, social inequality, and the unequal distribution of power in contemporary India. This paper examines how the novel exposes the deep divide between the privileged “big bellies” and the impoverished “small bellies,” represented through the contrasting worlds of the wealthy and the underprivileged. Balram Halwai’s journey from a poor village in Bihar to a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore reveals the structural barriers that restrict social mobility and perpetuate economic exploitation. The novel portrays poverty, caste hierarchy, corruption, political manipulation, and servitude as interconnected forces sustaining class inequality. Through Balram’s transformation from servant to businessman, Adiga questions the moral and social costs of escaping poverty within an unequal system. The study argues that The White Tiger portrays class conflict not merely as an economic struggle but as a wider contest over dignity, freedom, identity, and power in modern Indian society.
Keywords
Class Conflict, Social Inequality, Marxist Criticism, Social Mobility, Poverty and Economic Exploitation.
References
[1] Adiga, Aravind. The White Tiger. HarperCollins Publishers India, 2008.
[2] Adiga, Aravind. Between the Assassinations. Picador, 2008.
[3] Burton, Mark, and Carolyn Kagan. “Rethinking Empowerment: Shared Action against Powerlessness.” Community Development Journal, vol. 33, no. 3, 1998, pp. 195–205.
[4] Leonard, Peter. Personality and Ideology: Social Work and Political Theory. Macmillan, 1984.
[5] Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Penguin Books, 2002.
[6] Roy, Arundhati. “Peace Is War.” The Algebra of Infinite Justice, Flamingo, 2002, pp. 1–22.
[7] Wayper, C. L. Political Thought. University Paperbacks, Methuen, 1965.
How to cite this paper
@article{1722810,
author = {Sonveer Singh Rathor, Dr. Amresh Baboo Yadav},
title = {Big Bellies and Small Bellies: Class Conflict and Social Inequality in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {408-413},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722810.pdf},
abstract = {Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger presents a sharp critique of class conflict, social inequality, and the unequal distribution of power in contemporary India. This paper examines how the novel exposes the deep divide between the privileged “big bellies” and the impoverished “small bellies,” represented through the contrasting worlds of the wealthy and the underprivileged. Balram Halwai’s journey from a poor village in Bihar to a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore reveals the structural barriers that restrict social mobility and perpetuate economic exploitation. The novel portrays poverty, caste hierarchy, corruption, political manipulation, and servitude as interconnected forces sustaining class inequality. Through Balram’s transformation from servant to businessman, Adiga questions the moral and social costs of escaping poverty within an unequal system. The study argues that The White Tiger portrays class conflict not merely as an economic struggle but as a wider contest over dignity, freedom, identity, and power in modern Indian society.},
keywords = {Class Conflict, Social Inequality, Marxist Criticism, Social Mobility, Poverty and Economic Exploitation.},
month = {September},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I3-1722810}
}