The Ambivalent Nation: Class, Caste, and Social Classification in Aravind Adiga’s Fiction

Abstract

Contemporary Indian writing in English has witnessed a significant thematic transition from romanticized depictions of cultural heritage to unvarnished explorations of socio-economic reality. Aravind Adiga stands out among contemporary novelists for his critical examination of post-colonial Indian society. Drawing upon a corpus that includes The White Tiger (2008), Between the Assassinations (2008), Last Man in Tower (2011), and Selection Day (2016), this paper analyzes how Adiga deconstructs the persistent caste hierarchies, class disparities, systemic corruption, and social ambivalence in modern India. Despite rapid economic globalization and technological advancement, traditional caste structures and subaltern marginalization remain largely intact. Through close textual analysis, this study demonstrates how Adiga exposes the friction between "Light India" and "Darkness," arguing that social mobility for the marginalized often requires radical subversion of established socio-legal norms.