Globalization and Freedom in India and Mainland China Throughout the novel “The White Tiger” by Indian writer, Aravind Adiga and the short story “ After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” by Chinese writer, Han Jin.
Both mention about how globalization, the process of international integration arising from interchange of worldviews, products, and other aspects of culture, influences India and Mainland China. One of the plots in Adiga’s novel is Ashok and Balram moved to Gurgaon instead of going back to the U. S. because they would like to satisfy Ashok’s wife, Pink’s desires for American Culture.
In Ha Jin’s short story, it depicts about an American restaurant influenced Mainland China after Chinese government implemented economic reform. Similarly, These two backgrounds in countries imply that Americanization played an important role under globalization. In terms of freedom in Mainland China and India, they are totally different. In Adiga’s novel, Balram did his best to change his life and overcome different kinds of obstacles. He became a freeman finally.
On the contrary, in Ha Jin’s short story “Saboteur,” Mr.Chu, a Communist Party Member and a lecturer at Harbi University, was arrested because he destroyed public order and disobey the policeman command. As you can see, it is a good comparison between freedom in India and China. Globalization is the main theme of both “The White Tiger” and “ After a Cowboy Chicken Came to Town.
” In Adiga’s novel, it happens in the modern society in India under globalization. India has become one of the fastest grooming economies. Therefore, Americanization plays an important role in the plot, so it is a good opportunity for the protagonist in “White Tiger”, Balram to change his caste.One of the plots in the novel is that Balram took Ashok and Ashok’s wife, Pinky to move to Gugaon by a car instead of going back to the U. S. because Pink desires for American cultures.
Ashok explained this move like “Today it’s the modernist suburb of Delhi. American Express, Microsoft, all the big American companies have offices there. The main road is full of shopping malls—each mall has a cinema inside! So if Pinky Madam missed America, this was the best place to bring her. ” Ashok was convinced that Indian is surpassing the U. S.A, “There are so many more things I could do here than in New York now.
.. The way things are changing in India now, this place is going to be like America in ten years. ” In the meanwhile, Balram realized that India was changing because of dramatic growth. At this point, He knew he was supposed to change his social class by being an entrepreneur. Because of the reason, He made a plan to catch up the pace of globalization and change his trade.
That is the reason why Balram would like to have corruption to increase his competition under globalization.In terms of Ha Jin’s short story “After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” also mention about Americanization is influencing in Mainland China under globalization. It describes about an American fast food restaurant in China caused a lot of conflicts about styles of management and food and drink habits. One of its plots is that a customer wanted to get some refunds after he almost ate up his meal. A clerk argued about it with this customer.
In the end, the manager of the fast food restaurant agreed that the customer could take refunds.All staffs in the fast food restaurant argued about their manager’s way of solving the problem. This point can show that it is difficult for Chinese people to understand the concept that “Customers are always rights. ” In Chinese culture, it doesn’t work.
One thing is interesting that Chinese people hate eating oily chicken meat, but they still go to the fast food restaurant very frequently. Both Adiga’s novel and Ha Jin’s short story “After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” influenced Americanization under a rapid change of globalization similarly.It is a great different between freedom in India and China base on Adiga’s “The White Tiger” and Ha Jin’s “Saboteur. ” Throughout Adiga’s novel, Balram tried to figure out how to break his low social caste and overcome social restrictions. In the story, he talked about he was stuck in a rooster coop and how he escaped away from there to get his freedom. As far as I am concerned, it is possible that Indian people will change their lives if they would like to break the rooster coop.
When it comes to freedom in India, I come up with Gandhiji’s quit India movement.In August 1942, Gandhiji started the 'Quit India Movement' and decided to launch a mass civil disobedience movement 'Do or Die' call to force the British to leave India. "Give me blood and I shall give you freedom" - was one of the most popular statements made by him, where he urges the people of India to join him in his freedom movement. The movement is just like Balram’s ambition that got away from the rooster coop. On the contrary, Mr. Chu, the protagonist in the short story “Saboteur,” was enjoying his honeymoon with his wife.
Of all sudden, a policeman threw some tea toward them. Mr.Chu was angry about it and went forward to a policeman to argue with him. Mr.
Chu was arrested on charge of destroying public order. This point shows Chinese government restricted people’s behaviors after Cultural Revolution. It was possible that Chinese people should be arrested without good reasons. Unlike India, if they try to struggle against Chinese government, they will have punishments from the government. 1989 Tianamen square is a good example to describe how people try to struggle for freedom.
Students began their protests in Beijing in April 1989, demanding democratic reforms.These opened the floodgates for a nationwide upheaval of the urban working class, which began to advance far more radical social demands. About 100 million people, encompassing virtually every higher-learning institution, half the country’s technical schools and countless factories, mines and offices in some 400 cities participated in one form or another. By strangling the movement in Beijing, then unleashing a countrywide crackdown, including the arrest of tens of thousands of activists, the regime survived the revolutionary crisis.
To sum up, both globalization and freedom are themes of Adiga’s novel and Ha Jin’s short stories. Globalization in India is similar to one in China based on the short story “After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town” and “The White Tiger. ” Those stories depicts about how India and China is influenced by Americanization under globalization. On the other hand, freedom in India and Mainland China are great different.
In India, Indian is likely to get freedom like the protagonist in “The White Tiger,” Adiga. In China, Chinese government restricts people’s freedom, so it is not easy for people to get freedom.Therefore, there are some interesting comparisons between China and India based on Adiga’s “The White Tiger” and Ha Jin’s short story novel “The bridegroom. ” Citations: John Chen World Socialist Website: Origins and consequences of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre http://www.
wsws. org/en/articles/2009/06/tien-j04. html Parsar Bharati (India’s Service Broadcaster): Indian Freedom Struggle (1857-1947) http://www. newsonair. com/indian-freedom-struggle.
asp Wikipeidia: The White Tiger http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_White_Tiger Wikipedia: Globalization http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Globalization
