International Research Journal of Education and Technology

Aravind Adiga’s novel The White Tiger presents a critical picture of contemporary Indian society by focusing on the relationship between environmental conditions and social inequality. The novel portrays the life of Balram Halwai, a young man from a poor village who struggles to escape poverty and exploitation. Through the contrast between rural and urban environments, Adiga highlights issues such as polluted water, lack of sanitation, urban overcrowding, and environmental neglect. These problems are closely connected with economic disparity and social discrimination. The novel also questions the idea of development in modern India by showing that technological progress does not always improve the living conditions of the poor. While cities expand and economic growth increases, many people continue to suffer from poor environmental conditions and social injustice. This study examines how environmental degradation in the novel reflects the wider problems of poverty, corruption, and inequality. It also explores how Adiga uses Balram’s narrative to criticize the uneven distribution of wealth and resources in Indian society.

Keywords: Environmental degradation, social inequality, poverty, urbanization, rural environment, Aravind Adiga.