Disobedience In Balram's Escape From The Darkness

Balram sees himself as the Devil who has never really escaped from the Darkness and displays his defiance by spitting at God. Balram just stood up to his grandma, Kusum, and is proud that he has grown a “bigger belly.” He has become more rebellious and independent which leads to his confrontation with God. To demonstrate his defiance, Balram describes how he “See[s] the little man, spitting at God, again and again” (Adiga 75). By spitting at God, the “little man,” or Devil, portrays his disapproval of how God created the Darkness. Balram wants to escape from the Darkness, but when he is in the light of his chandelier, he realizes that he can never really escape from the Darkness. The Darkness will always be a part of who he is. When he arrives
in Bangalore, he feels pride because he has the large chandelier in his office. The chandelier symbolizes success for Balram because he now lives in the Light. However, the black blades create darkness in his office by “slic[ing] the light” which shows how he can never run from the Darkness (Adiga 75). Even though he is in the LIght of Bangalore, he is constantly haunted by the darkness of his past.