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Narrative mapping and motivation in Adiga’s The White Tiger

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Abstract

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) has been applied to several disciplines except literary analysis. This paper interprets Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008) through this lens. This application aims at investigating the pros and cons of SDT for literary interpretation. The close reading of the novel is done through Altman’s narrative mapping. SDT scrutinizes Balram’s, the protagonist’s, actions through motivational and behavioral justifications, and narrative mapping opens enough space to examine his changes from a single character/action unit to other ones. Attending to both personal and public dimensions of Balram’s life, SDT provides psychological and scientific justifications for his behavior and reveals how his motivations are influenced by cultural forces. The application of SDT and narrative mapping shows both are conducive to a better appreciation of the novel. However, the aesthetic and rhetoric motivations of Balram’s linguistic behavior remain unaddressed by both SDT and narrative mapping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, University of Neyshabur, Neyshabur, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

    Roghayeh Farsi

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  1. Roghayeh Farsi
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Correspondence to Roghayeh Farsi.

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Farsi, R. Narrative mapping and motivation in Adiga’s The White Tiger. Neohelicon 45, 771–788 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-018-0434-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11059-018-0434-0

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