Societal Pragmatism and Cultural Binaries in the Fiction of Aravind Adiga

Abstract

Aravind Adiga’s fiction presents a sharp critique of contemporary Indian society by foregrounding the pragmatic survival strategies adopted by individuals caught within rigid cultural binaries. This research article examines how Adiga’s selected novels and short stories articulate the binary nature of Indian culture—such as tradition versus modernity, morality versus corruption, rural versus urban and privilege versus deprivation—while emphasizing societal pragmatism as a response to these oppositions. Drawing upon postcolonial theory and cultural studies, the paper argues that Adiga portrays pragmatism not as moral degeneration but as a necessary mode of survival in an unequal socio-economic landscape. Through close textual analysis of The White Tiger and select short stories, the study reveals how Adiga dismantles idealized notions of Indian culture and exposes the contradictions inherent in a rapidly globalizing nation. The article concludes that Adiga’s fiction offers a realistic and unsettling portrayal of Indian society, where pragmatic choices redefine ethics, identity and agency.