White Teeth, Zadie Smith | 9780140276336 | Boeken | bol (2024)

FAQs

What is the message of Zadie Smith's White Teeth? ›

White Teeth is a novel by Zadie Smith that explores themes of family, friendship, and cultural identity. Set in London, the story follows the intertwined lives of two families as they navigate the complexities of race, religion, and migration.

White Teeth centres around multiple families, two of which are comprised of first and second generation immigrants. Smith depicts familial conflicts and the ways in which parents can lose control of their children as they grow up and develop their own views, be they positive or negative.

More than anything, Samad wants his sons to grow into religious, traditional Bengali Muslim men. To ensure this, he goes to great lengths, even sending Magid to be raised in Bangladesh (for all intents and purposes, this was a kidnapping).

The story ends on New Year's Eve, 1999. Irie sits on a beach in Jamaica with Hortense, her grandmother, Joshua, and her little daughter. On that same night, in London, Archie and Samad play cards with Clara and Alsana, on the first night that O'Connell's opens its doors to women.

White Teeth is a long novel - over 500 pages - and Smith's desire to cram the plot with details, back stories, jokes and asides can be seen as charming but was found to be ultimately frustrating. One reader described how she felt blocked by the sheer mass of it, others described it as baggy and unfocused.

Teeth, the novel's titular symbol, symbolize the power of identity. Teeth have roots, just as identity is rooted in the past and in one's traditional culture. They are also capable of rotting, either from the root or the exposed portion.

Obviously, White Teeth explores the troubles related to the existence in a diverse culture with the space between the migrants of the first and second generations. The characters are linked to their past, also they are unsatisfied with their lives in contemporary society.

Follow good oral hygiene practices. Brush your teeth at least twice daily, floss at least once daily to remove plaque, and rinse with an antiseptic mouthwash at least once a day to kill bacteria that cause plaque. Use a whitening toothpaste (once or twice a week only) to remove surface stains and prevent yellowing.

A study has confirmed what we already know – that a white and evenly spaced set of teeth makes people seem more attractive. But it has also explained the reason. It is because teeth are the human equivalent of a peaco*ck's tail – a sign of health and genetic quality designed to help choose a mate.

Disenchanted with British society and uncertain about his own place in the world, Millat turns to the radical Islamist group KEVIN, though like Samad, he finds it difficult to give up all of his Western desires and interests (including gangster movies, drugs, and sex).

What religion is Samad in White Teeth? ›

He is a conservative Muslim and a traditional Bengali. Samad is especially proud of his ancestor, the Bengali hero Mangal Pande. Even so, Samad spends most of his spare time at a bar called O'Connell's, eating and drinking with Archie Jones.

A Man and His Mouse

Marcus Chalfen's pet project—haha, we're funny—is this DNA-altered mouse, which somehow ends up bringing all of the novel's main characters together in the end. Marcus Chalfen is invested in the elimination of randomness, and the FutureMouse is the culmination of much of his research.

The head wrap began as a way of saving time, not being bothered to do my hair in any practical way, but also as a kind of … symbol or allegiance with exactly that kind of African ancestry. After all, many, many more women in the world wear something on their heads than don't, and I like to be part of that sisterhood.

Zadie Smith's White Teeth is set in post-war Britain and captures the friendship of two wartime soldiers, Samad and Archie. Samad is a Bengali who lives in London and Archie is an Englishman. The novel contextualises their family histories: Archie marries a Jamaican woman, Clara, and they have a daughter, Irie.

The use of language here and comparison to her own teeth has many layers of meaning. Clara has false teeth in her top row. This symbolizes the change she underwent to become more acceptable in British culture by not only getting false teeth but also by doing so to change her speech pattern.

Throughout the book, Smith weaves in themes of national identity, race, religion, and the struggle to make sense of the rapidly changing modern world. The popularity and critical acclaim that *White Teeth* achieved upon publication has not diminished in the years since.

Historical Context of White Teeth

White Teeth tracks a number of real historical events related to the history of British colonization, including the Indian Rebellion of 1857, which Samad claims his ancestor, Mangal Pande (also a real-life figure), helped to begin.

“From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.” A book about a child wanting to kill their mother is not going to be light suspense…it's likely going to be an uncomfortable read.