Moral Ambiguity and Social Justice: Ethics in the Face of Inequality in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger

Abstract

This paper examines moral ambiguity and social justice in The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, focusing on the ethical tensions created by India’s deep socioeconomic inequalities. The novel traces the transformation of Balram Halwai from an impoverished village servant to a successful entrepreneur through acts that include deception and murder. By analyzing Balram’s morally questionable decisions, the study interrogates whether transgressive actions can be ethically defensible when undertaken to escape systemic oppression. Drawing on theoretical perspectives from Michel Foucault, Frantz Fanon, and John Rawls, the paper situates the novel within broader debates on power, justice, and resistance. It argues that justice in the text is neither fixed nor universal but shaped by structures of domination and survival. Ultimately, the study highlights how Adiga complicates conventional moral frameworks by portraying ethical decision-making as inseparable from material conditions and institutional inequality.