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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
The first chapter is introduction. It consists of five major parts namely background of the study, problem formulation, objectives of the study, benefits of
the study, and definition of terms. Background of the study describes briefly some crucial information and reasons about the subject matter. Problem formulation
presents the problem to be analyzed and is formulated in the form of question . The third one, objectives of the study, is a part t o state the purpose of the study
undertaken in relation to the research question. The next part is benefits of the study, which describes the benefits from the study for the related parties. The last
part, definition of terms, is the part in which the cruc ial terms are explained.
A. Background of the Study
In Glossary of Literary Terms , Abrams defines novel as a literary work that reflects the reality of human life by presenting complex characters with their
motives based on their social class and their inte raction with other characters 120. It can be said that novel is the reflection of human life that represents one’s
life experience based on a particular social phenomenon. In The White Tiger, Adiga tries to reflect the real life in India through Balram’s life. Many westerners
believe caste system is a matter from the past because India is officially a democracy country and the Indian constitution of 1950 banned caste
2 discrimination. However, in many aspects of Indian society, it is alive and
manifested in daily life. Aravind Adiga is the third Indian citizen who won the Man Booker Prize.
He won the Man Booker Prize on October 14, 2008. The White Tiger is his debut novel. Aravind Adiga was born in India in 1974 and raised partly in Australia. He
is a former correspondent for Time magazine. He has also been worked in the Financial Times. A first draft of The White Tiger was written in 2005 then put
aside until December 2006 Adiga opened the draft and began rewriting it entirely. By early January 2007, he fini shed the novel.
The White Tiger is a debut novel by Aravind Adiga that surprised the world by its criticism toward the reality of life in India. In this novel, the main
character, Balram Halwai writes seven letters to Jiabao, the Chinese premier. Through the letters, Balram uncovers his life journey from his childhood time
until finally he becomes an entrepreneur. His youth life was spent in poverty, unfinished his school, until he saw his father’s powerless death in a hospital
without any aid, died becau se of Tuberculosis. Balram’s life starts to change when he becomes a servant for Mr. Ashok, a son of the Landlord. Working with Mr.
Ashok, Balram’s life is getting better and better. Even with his eavesdropping skill, he sharpens his knowledge about the re al world in India. His turning point of
life occurred when he murders his own employer, Mr. Ashok. After murdering his employer, with the knowledge that he gets from eavesdropping, Balram begins to
raise his power against his caste. Balram’s caste is Halwai. Halwai means sweet- maker.
3 I am interested in analysing Adiga’s novel, The White Tiger, because of
some reasons. Firstly, I was interested when I read the title for the first time, The White Tiger. I know that a white tiger is the rarest animal in any jungle. It is a
creature that comes along only once in a generation. Moreover, white tiger is also known as the Royal Bengal or Indian tiger. From this interesting title, I became
curious to read this novel and to know what this novel is actually about. Secondly, after reading the novel, I was interested in Balram Halwai’s life
especially with his journey of life because he is a Halwai. Halwai is his caste and his caste influences his life a lot. Moreover, I wanted to know how caste
discrimination in India is portrayed through the life of Balram Halwai. This novel is very rich of many values. It tells about the culture in India,
the politics, and even the economic issues in India. There are many things that can be analyzed in this novel, but in this study I would like to focus my analysis on
the caste discrimination in India which is portrayed through the life of Balram Halwai.
Based on the life of the main character of The White Tiger, Balram Halwai, this analysis is used to see his life as Aravind Adiga ’s criticism toward
Indian society which still strictly applies caste system and discrimination.
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B. Problem Formulation
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