IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTION IN ARAVIND ADIGA’S THE WHITE TIGER: A TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Abstract

The current research paper tries to explore the ideological stance presented by author in an Indian novel, The White Tiger. Halliday’s Transitivity System (2004) was employed to achieve the research objectives. The present study followed mix method approach practicing the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the selected clauses, simultaneously. After close reading of the text, ideologically fertile chunks were selected, tabulated, labelled, and finally interpreted in order to uncover the inherent ideological stance. Frequency indexes were made in order to quantify the occurrence of processes and the participants involved in these processes. The qualitative interpretations were made on the basis of quantified findings. The preference of material process over all other processes hints upon the construction of experiential world in the novel. Use of verbal processes helped the author to make intentional choices of lexical items which added symbolic and suggestive meanings in particular contexts. Overall the choice of different processes to describe certain happenings and the placement of the particular participants in the roles of actors, sayers, behavers, sensors, and carriers is made by the author to construe particular ideologies regarding identity, social classes, religion, gender and politics in particular.