2022 IB Diploma Extended Essays

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danger of deportation (Rashid, 2020). Thus, the structure allows readers to hear Danny’s minute-by-minute observations, deepening readers’ understanding of his perspective. Adiga’s narrative structure once again mirrors the conflict Danny faces, blending reality and memory; Danny’s recollections are shrouded in uncertainty. For example, when reflecting upon a night with Radha and Prakash, Danny poses a series of questions to himself, which he answers to form the memory: “Does Prakash now look up at the night sky, hoping it will calm him down? Yes. He does that… Maybe they danced by the water – yes, they certainly did” (206). This blend of memory and uncertainty highlights the impact of trauma on Danny’s mentality, once again emphasising his narratorial unreliability. Further, Adiga’s use of cat-and-mouse phone calls between Danny and Prakash, the suspected murderer of Radha, grow increasingly frequent and create a sense that the novel is careening towards a climax, contrasting the mundane narratorial voice. This juxtaposition mirrors Danny’s internal conflict; while he wishes to continue with his day-to-day life, he knows that he and Prakash will meet. Moreover, the connection between Danny’s paranoia and the phone calls symbolises the precariousness of Danny’s existence in Australia; while he superficially believes he can stay free in Sydney, his subconscious belief, represented by the phone calls, recognises that the continuation of his illegal lifestyle is likely impossible. Thus, Adiga constructs Danny’s paranoia surrounding Prakash and the murder as a representation of his deeper immigrational struggle, suggesting that despite his outward monotony there is an acknowledgement of the impossibility of his situation. Throughout the text, Adiga continues to balance Danny’s identity struggle and his moral conflict surrounding the murder. For example, his opinion on his died “golden head of hair” (6) is constantly fluctuating; initially, it is celebrated (6) and “[stirs] envy in every man” (17), yet Danny soon wishes for a hat to hide his “comic” (46) and “stupid” (121) hair . Contradictions such as these continue throughout the novel, emphasising Danny’s lack of self unity on an appearance-related level. Adiga employs Danny’s internal conflicts to highlight his