Mimicry, Resistance, and the Trickster Archetype: A Jungian Reading of Balram Halwai in The White Tiger
Keywords:
Mimicry, Trickster Archetype, Resistance, Jungian Psychology, Postcolonialism, Balram Halwai, SubversionAbstract
This paper reads the character of Balram Halwai in Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger from a Jungian point of view. We focus on the Trickster Archetype and Bhabha’s theory of mimicry to investigate how Balram subverts the colonial heritage and the unfair social arrangements of postcolonial India by assuming and maneuvering the very systems that have oppressed him. The Trickster Archetype, as described by Carl Jung, is used to examine Balram’s defiant acts, which break the social standards and enable him to navigate through, and tamper with, the intricacies of control and resistance. By using a combination of Jungian psychology and Bhabha’s mimicry, our paper aims to expose the psychological and social undercurrents that allow Balram to undermine authority, especially through his calculated use of mimicry to reach his personal liberation. Our study aims to supplement and enhance the awareness of how colonial and postcolonial subjects resort to both resistance and adaptation as strategies for survival. By reassessing Balram’s odd and challenging journey through these postcolonial and psychological frameworks, our paper highlights the complex nature of resistance, stressing the connection and chemistry between identity, power, and subversion in a world still governed by postcolonial legacies.
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