The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger

The 2008 Man Booker Prize winner, The White Tiger, is an effortless debut by the Indian born writer Aravind Adiga, in which he reveals the dark side of India, the modern day jungle that still plagues with caste system. The title “White Tiger” is used to suggest person with extraordinary talent or bravery, one who appears only once in a generation. He is one-of-a-kind, bound to success, and is likely to establish a name for himself. Once thus called as a child, the narrator, Balram Halwai, asserts the name and tries all his might to live up to it. The novel consists of Balram’s letters to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, as he explains to the Premier how an Indian entrepreneur like himself comes into being, and the prices needed to be paid along the way.

The analogy between India and the jungle brilliantly captures the workings of Indian society at its transformation. Sadly, everything in India helps preserve its caste clichés, for the changes that take place both politically and economically surprisingly do not affect in any slightest way the traditional values that Indians have been living in. Balram’s case shows that in order to break away from fate, one has to put away all the morals and do whatever it takes, like slaying one’s employer, as in his example. For Balram, since the social working itself is immoral, no conscience is needed in the pursuing of success.

Balram showcases a simple man’s struggle in India. In a country where people are treated like animals, and sometimes worse, Balram alone stands out, for he is the white tiger of the generation, a man of action, and one who is not afraid to fight against fate. On his way to success, he may do things that the readers find hard to agree with; however, in the end he successfully arouses a deep respect from all of us. For in the world where one either sinks deep or rises high, we all need to make difficult decisions at some point. Indeed, there will be sacrifices, and we are bound to regret for whatever step we take; however, it is human survival we are talking about. Coming down to the bottom line, we are all animals, and are all trying in one way or another to survive in this big jungle called society.

Adiga successfully transform what he sees in India into a narrative that is witty, sarcastic and at times shocking. It is a thought-provoking tale that documents a world which is little known to us. Balram’s story is a candid sample on the injustices and drawbacks of social structure that exist not only in India, but every single part of the world. The White Tiger, a novel that deals with a dark matter with such lightness, is a page-turner which embodies everything that reflects the Indian politics, economics and its complex society.

Housekeeping

Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping

Housekeeping is a story about lost things, among which American writer Marilynne Robinson tells the story of three generations of women, focusing on the youngest Ruth and her sister Lucille. The small town named Fingerbone, where the story finds its setting, is surrounded by a lake, over which a railroad is built on to connect the town with the outside world. Ruth, the narrator, gives us a vivid account of her life and those before her in a prose like language; therefore, we are told at the beginning of the novel things that took place earlier at Fingerbone, where her grandfather died in a curious train wreck and where her mother years later drives her car off the cliff. Robinson masterfully sets her tale in this secluded, imaginative town, where each character strives to find meanings in the absence of lost things, and along the way, offers a different perspective on things gained and lost in life.

“To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly as when one longs to taste it, and when is the taste refracted into so many hues and savors of ripeness and earth, and when do our senses know any things so utterly as when we lack it?”(Housekeeping, p.152) This direct quote from the novel presents the central idea which the tale and its characters nourish by; it suggests that anything we loose is its presence regained. All three generation of women suffer for different kinds of lost from the contemporary point of view, but if the afore put quote is to be regarded as the central philosophy that all the characters believe in, then the sufferings no longer exist. All is free of sorrow and all, when seen in completely different light as this, can indulge themselves in the nostalgic feelings of the re-appearance of lost things.

The title “housekeeping”, then, is deprived of its meaning. For Ruth and her aunt Lucy, the only way to free themselves from their dysfunctional home and to gain its idealized image is to disown it. This explains Ruth’s strange way of housekeeping, since her sole purpose is to turn it into a place one can hardly recognize as a home. She wants the lights to stay off at night for fear that it asserts itself the idea of a home. Therefore, in the end when the authority comes in and ask them to act according to social conformity, meaning to restore the house to its usual image, they cannot do anything but destroy it. For they want to have in their mind always the beautiful craving of their home in its complete form, and it is always a lot easier to imagine its perfect state than to see its flawed existence.

Even though Robinson’s poetic writing and her nuanced words choice may pose as a threat or challenge to the readers, Housekeeping, this highly metaphorical tale, still contains too much to be left unnoticed. Robinson’s philosophical interpretation on the lost things leaves both the optimist and pessimist with much to dwell upon. If we should all believe thus in Ruth and her philosophy, we would never mourn with desperation, for “[…] whatever we may lose, very craving gives it back to us again”(p.152). But then, since to “have” makes us forget the thing’s actual presence, while to “lose” brings it right back to us, how to distinguish the actual owning, and how to make exact of anything, remains open to each reader’s interpretation.

Note: Lectures on Housekeeping is also available from the website lited on the side.

Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

First written in English and later translated into Russian, the 1955 publication of Lolita by Russian-American writer Vladimir Nabokov arouses great controversy even until today. This instant classic involves the protagonist Humbert Humbert and his confession in his obsession over a twelve-year-old girl Dolores Haze. His love for young girls, whom he calls “nymphets”, makes him one of the greatest villains in literary history, and the word “Lolita” becomes so well-known that it is later borrowed to suggest young girls who are sexually preconscious. Lolita is a successful literary accomplishment in that Nabokov delicately and precisely captures the subtlety of an obsessive mind, which no writer before has the courage to made narrative of.

In dealing with his morally challenging topic, Nabokov portrays the suffered soul of Humbert Humbert, who struggles between his desire and morality. Humbert’s candid disclosure of an unspeakable desire seizes the reader with huge interests even from the very beginning of the novel. The protagonist describes to the reader in detail his desire, its subject and his dilemma in procuring it. This honest confession, although may still repel some, wins over much sympathy from the readers. After all, who among us have not suffered from our own desire?

Humbert is weak, brave, impulsive and sentimental; he is the sole existence of “Id”; an example of impulsiveness. His tragedy lies in his failure to adapt to his “Ego”, where his conscience lies. Therefore, his self-destruction in the end seems inevitable, since he is too much deviated to ever return back to the track that follows social convention. The car drive in the final scene only quickens his misadventure to its end.

Nabokov’s tale is but an example of a misplaced hunger over an unsuitable object, the sufferings common to all. It reminds the reader of our secret desire, the unconscious wish, and our not trodden path. In the end it is not approval from readers that Humbert tries to arouse, but a kind of understanding, an awareness of our similar bondage and limitations as human beings. That we are all subject to different desires; that every joy and happiness is under conditioned, and that we can never be free, as long as we keep wanting.

Note: Lectures on Nabokov's Lolita can also be found on the website provided on the side.

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

Being one of post-colonial classics, Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, is the first of “African Trilogy” by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, followed with No Longer at ease (1960) and Arrow of God (1964). Being a South African with British educational background, Achebe possesses the multiple identities which post-colonial scholars share a huge interest in. His works, then, are often found to contain subjects concern with identity and the sense of diaspora. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe tells a tragic story of the brave man Okonkuo, who strives hard to build his own name but later finds himself defeated by fate and his own hardheadedness.

The principle in categorizing a literary work as “postcolonial” is in itself complicated; therefore, theory beginners should start with identifying the postcolonial elements within literary works. Achebe, with his double identities, adapts western literary genre and infuses with it the traditional African oral tradition and themes, turning Things Fall Apart into a postcolonial work not only in its form but also subject matters. The beautifully written prose and verse that derives from African oral tradition, known as “orature”, compliments the story and allows the reader a deeper understanding of Africa and its cultures.

Achebe is almost pessimistic in his portrayal of diaspora in Things Fall Apart, as it suggests the inevitability of being uprooted and exiled. A doomed sense of diaspora looms in after the first part of the novel, where Okonkuo accidentally kills one villager and has to be sent into exile for one year. His banishment does not end there, for he comes back to his hometown Umuofia only to find it almost taken over by Westerners and their religion. Unable thus to secure the tradition which he tries his whole life to abide, Okonkuo took his own life and becomes the victim under colonialism.

The tragic tale of warrior Okonkuo is but a tip of the iceberg under the working of colonialism. As cultures from different origins clash, there are undoubtedly casualties. In shaping Okonkuo and his tragedy, Achebe exemplifies the anxiety, insecurity, animosity and fears that colonized people must find themselves experienced through. The great woe that Achebe ultimately laments on lies not merely in the tragic hero, but also in the culture that is forever lost to mankind. Things Fall Apart is a sentimental but true account of the past, and as it recalls the old time trauma, readers are nevertheless reminded of our own lost culture, the long-forgotten past, and, inevitably, our diaspora.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Kim Edwards, The Memory Keeper's Daughter

By far the most disappointing novel among all the listed ones, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is a pretentious work by Kim Edwards. The plot contains nearly all the clichés and it strains too much to touch the reader, making the story a soulless bore. Edwards’ contrived effort in the end leaves the reader with nothing memorable and little to keep. The Memory Keepers Daughter is a best-seller that will soon be tossed away and forgotten.

The Cleft

Doris Lessing, The Cleft

In her 2007 novel The Cleft, Doris Lessing retells the story of our human kind through her much imaginative, mythological tale. Categorized as a post-colonial work, the highly symbolic title suggests the overall strong feminist undertone within the narrative. Even though Lessing herself does not want to be referred to as feminist writer, her works constantly deals with feminist ideas. Told from the remote beginning of human existence, the tale arouses the long forgotten memory about how the two sexes come to know each other, and how, along the way, the two groups became inseparable.

Finding the concepts through a scientific article, Lessing based her tale on the speculation that the very basic and primal human existence is of the female sex, and that male found its existence much later. Through the narrator, a Roman historian, we are told the very first tale about our ancient ancestors. The “Cleft” that titles the novel is a pre-historical group of women who lives a self-sufficient life on the rocky sea shore. Conceived by nature, these ancient women gave birth only to its own kind. The tale begins at the time when baby boys, being called as “monster” or “squirts”, start being born to this maternal group.

“Man does, woman is.” The opening quote from the poet Robert Graves sets the overall tone of the novel. Men, except their physical strength, are being described through the tale as somehow incompetent and inferior in logical and sentimental thinking compared to their female counterparts. Their insistence on the “venture out” despite the warning from women not only proves their impulsive disposition but also reveals their inconsiderate nature.

Lessing found a narrative at the time before reason enlightens our very ancient ancestors, who act according to their instincts. The story then reveals a description of our human nature in its earliest form. Readers are told, therefore, that human beings are capable of cruelty, compassion, jealousy, and above all, love. The novel does not dwell on the negative side of humanity; on the other hand, it carefully finds a balance between our virtues and faults.

This reinterpretation of history is framed with meta-narrative, more widely known as “story-within-story”, in which a historian talks about the “past” through the reading of a set of ancient relics. The greater frame of the novel belongs to the historian narrator. Acting as the medium between the reader and the meta-narrative, the historian shows how history is put down and then interpreted, and thus reminds the reader of always a different perspective on reading history, and to always question its probability.

The Cleft is a successful reinterpretation of human origin; it offers a different perspective and celebrates the possibilities in history that still awaits even more different, possible readings. It also reminds us that human beings are gregarious, and that it is only through union can we prosper and be content.

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Among all the female writers that found their own voice in the late 19th century, Brontë sisters mark their stance and prominence in literary history with their distinguished works. Their works have been constantly mentioned, and until today remained popular among modern readers. Charlotte Brontë gave birth to one of the most memorable female heroines in novel history with her sole work, Jane Eyre, whose name has since then been connected with poverty, long suffering and misfortune. It is a wonder how such a pitiful character, long after its first appearance, still captivates the reader around the world with her good nature and perseverance. Some would perhaps compare her with the works of Jane Austin; however, although similar in their high-society portrayal, Bronte distinguishes her work in her mixtures of late 19 century themes, other than her contemporaries.

Jane Eyre may remind the reader of, say, Pride and Prejudice with its vivid account of rich man’s life and witty dialogue between the sexes. However, rather than following the mere love and marriage seeking plot, Jane Eyre proves to be a more realistic character as she deals with far more serious difficulties, such as physical restraint and moral conflicts. Brontë’s mercy towards the heroine shows at the later part of the novel, as she spares her of further suffering and has her finally settle down.

Readers who are not familiar with Jane Eyre would be surprised to find the strong Gothic elements within, as the story finds its scenery from the red chamber in Gateshead to the three stories Thornfield Hall. While reading along, there is always a certain degree of ominous feeling, as if pre-shadowing the unfortunate fate that would soon befall the protagonist. The “mad woman in the attic” who haunts Thornfield Hall belongs to a past which Mr. Rochester tries hard to put away and forget about. Her existence not only has its dramatic effect on the plot, its ghastly appearance also contributes to the gothic elements in the novel.

The plot on Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester might, for some, seem too dramatic and clichéd; however, there is something to their love, despite all the difficulties, that appears as so genuine, so real that touches even readers today. It is love with strong will that survives chance, fate, and disaster. Their reunion after a long year shows happiness and little remorse, even though great calamity befalls Mr. Rochester. It is a happy ending with a twist in it.

Therefore, although Jane Eyre may contain a plot too melodramatic, the supposedly witty dialogue at times tedious, its abundance in gothic elements and final romantic touch still satisfies modern readers after its long publication. Jane Eyre, with its memorable plot and characters, is a classic that surpasses its time and one that will continue to be read and liked by all the readers, despite the cultural differences and even ages.

Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

Jean Rhys calls attention to the “mad woman in the attic” in Jane Eyre through her postcolonial novel Wide Sargasso Sea, in which she tells the story of Antoinette Cosway, Mr. Rochester’s first wife, who turned mad shortly after the marriage. The mad woman appears as a disturbance in Jane Eyre, where she roams in the house late at night and sets fire. Readers get to know little about her through Mr. Rochester’s account, which, from his point of view, may not be wholly reliable. Set in Caribbean, Rhys traces all the way back to the time when the doomed marriage first started, and, with switching point of view in each three parts, gives a different account that does the character justice. Wide Sargasso Sea is a successful parallel novel not only in its brilliant adaptation and reinterpretation, but also in Rhys’ mesmerizing account of the West Indies, its beauty, cruelty and pain.

The complicated race issue in Wide Sargasso Sea requires some extra effort from the readers; therefore, in order to better appreciate the story, some understanding on history and the natives in the West Indies during 19th century is needed. Some readers might find the novel a little confusing in the matter of each character’s race and, to be more straightforward, their skin tone.

Wide Sargasso Sea abounds in the idea of diaspora, in which people cannot recall their past, fail to identify themselves with a certain race, and is uprooted then and again from their home or land. Annette and her daughter, the later Antoinette Cosway, are being caught between the “black” and the “white”, as each group calls them “white cockroach” and “white nigger”, they are isolated, ridiculed, despised and shun away among their people. Twice the house Coulibri becomes the sole shelter and belief its female owner attached herself to; however, both women loose their sanity when the house fails to secure them from the world. Mr. Rochester suffers also from the alienation when he finds himself trapped in the exotic and foreign land, with people different from his kind.

Mr. Rochester and Antoinette each holds a different hope as they become married, their marriage then easily tumbles down when their hopes dissolved in reality. Mr. Rochester gives Antoinette “a wish to live” when he marries her, their honeymoon takes place in Coulibri, Antoinette’s only safe ground; therefore, her insanity becomes inevitable when she lost trust in her husband and the house. Mr. Rochester, on the other hand, is at some level forced into the marriage in order to obtain the huge inheritance from the Cosway family. On finding Antoinette’s family madness history, he lost hope in the marriage, and is, as we later know from Jane Eyre, trapped in and tormented by it for many years.

Rhys' careful design in the switching perspectives in its three parts gives the reader a balanced account without any bias. As the narrator switches, in the three parts of the novel, from Antoinette to Mr. Rochester and back again, readers are introduced to the romantic and yet painful account of “the mad woman in the attic”. It is surely a novel that worth a second read.