Fractured Modernity and Moral Ambiguity in the Fiction of Aravind Adiga

The fiction of Aravind Adiga offers a penetrating critique of contemporary Indian society shaped by globalization,capitalism, and rapid urban transformation. Rather than celebrating modernity as progress, Adiga exposes it as fractured, uneven, andethically destabilizing. This research article examines how Adiga represents modernity as a site of contradiction and moral uncertainty,focusing on the lived experiences of individuals positioned at the margins of India’s economic growth. Through a close analysis of TheWhite Tiger, Last Man in Tower, and Selection Day, the study argues that Adiga constructs modernity as a system that erodestraditional moral frameworks without offering viable ethical alternatives. His protagonists operate within exploitative structures thatcompel them to adopt morally ambiguous strategies for survival and success. By situating Adiga’s fiction within postcolonial debateson modernity, ethics, and development, this article demonstrates how his narratives challenge dominant discourses of progress andreveal the human cost of India’s transformation into a globalized nation. Ultimately, Adiga’s fiction portrays modern India as a spaceof fractured realities where moral ambiguity becomes an inevitable consequence of social and economic inequality.