Aravind Adiga's novel The White Tiger discusses the life of Indian entrepreneur Balram. From a weak and frightened boy living in what he calls "darkness", a place of poverty and cruel rulers, he rises through the ranks of the social hierarchy to the point of becoming the CEO of a large corporation. In a letter to a Chinese minister, he shares his personal thoughts on corruption in India, the difficulties of social mobility and the change in his own identity over the course of his life. Readers of this text are forced to form an emotional connection with and empathize with the protagonist to the point that a friendship develops between the two. This connection is achieved through many different literary techniques used by Adiga, such as monologue, plot, and imagery done throughout his writing to develop Balram's character as a sympathetic person. Adiga's use of monologue is key to forming this emotional connection between the reader. and Balram because it gives direct insight into his opinions and reasoning. Throughout the text, Balram tells his story in the first person and often adds his own thoughts and perspective on the events. An example of this opinion is when Balram states "in this country we have two types of people." These kinds of thoughts are usually displayed throughout the text and characterize him as an intelligent and interesting person, although he is only half-baked. This forces the reader to begin to love their character and appreciate their potential. The use of monologue also allows Adiga to further develop Balram's character through the use of tone. Throughout the text, Balram maintains a humorous yet condescending tone, once again reinforcing the reader's appreciation of him. An ex...... middle of paper ......r he now deals with light and how he can make it conform to his command. Imagery has been used throughout the text to display the theme of identity and allows the reader to understand their need to escape and become "the white tiger". Balram's characterization throughout the book was achieved through the use of several key techniques that allow Adiga to force the reader to like, sympathize, and even befriend a killer. Overall, we side with Balram because he is portrayed as a real human, with flaws and hopes and dreams. In this, any reader can relate a part of their life to their situation and a level of understanding is achieved between the reader and Balram. He is so because of his insight, his humor and his ambitions. In light of these aspects and with constant justification, it is easy for the reader to side with him. By: Jack O'Brien