Different Perspective of Poverty

In discussion, it was pointed out that Balram did not realize his actions (those that are considered wrong or nasty) until they were pointed out to him by Mr. Ashok and Pinkey. Examples of things pointed out to him were his scratching and not taking care of his teeth. I think this is an exceptionally remarkable point and it led me to think of other circumstances that are pointed out to him throughout the book. Even though most of the drivers (just like Balram) are “slaves to their masters”, they even bring things to his attention. They critique him for “wearing his uniform”. To see this from drivers who are similar to him and are ranked the same as him really confirms how diverse the life that Balram came from compared to where he is now. This uniform was in fact a big deal to him at the start of the job (and of course before) and continues to be a major deal to his relatives and associates where he comes from. In my opinion, the spotlight Adiga places on these tiny (in our eyes) lessons portrays poverty in a dissimilar way than the other novels. It allows a larger portrayal of some perspectives that underlie the circumstances in the life of poverty.