Introduction – a novel for all seasons
This is a classic novel set in 1970’s England in the context of the Bangladeshi community and how this is integrated up to a point with English society. Identity is a crucial issue throughout the novel and for example when the novel starts we observe Archie a 47 year old man whose wife walked out on him attempting to gas himself in his car due to the fact that his disturbed Italian wife walked out on him. Here we have the identity of Archie who could be seen as a failed persona but who has also had his hopes and dreams shattered so his agro and despair are absolutely understandable.
However when an interruption causes Archie to change his mind, he decides to take a new chance in life and at the flip of a coin he decides to move ahead accordingly with a new person who is Clara, a Jamaican woman much younger than himself but also full of zest and full of life. Their union produces a young daughter who lacks self confidence understandably due to her rather strange background which is not always what it seems at this stage.
Themes which are closely explored in this relationship are the ones of identity, life and the crisis a middle aged man may find himself in. These are all espoused in this opening passage of the book which wholly demonstrates what may be done when there is also a sense of belonging created by the atmosphere in which a life is being lived. Yet again, identity is the crucial part of the story here.
An intriguing quote is when Archie and Samad discuss English life post war:
"Democracy and Sunday dinners, and promenades and piers, and bangers and mash - and the things that are ours" (pp 20-21).
We then move on to the relationship between Samad and Alsana who are married in a traditional arranged ceremony after the Second World War. Obviously being Bangladeshi’s in an English community can cause problems intrinsically due to the fact that the practice of Islam is troublesome and causes existential problems. Here we can see the question of identity in a foreign land which obviously creates substantial clashes and issues especially when the couple’s son Magid becomes an atheist. He is sent to Bangladesh in an attempt to rediscover his roots but this only makes him recoil from Islamic life at a much stronger pace and is a major disappointment to Samad and his wife. Naturally enough everything begins to go haywire and the problems in the marriage increase at an incredible level. All due to the question of identities.
The relationships between the two couples are also points of intense interest at all stages of the novel. We have the lives of the Jones’ and Iqbal families intertwining when they meet the Chalfens who are Jewish and Catholic and are also Oxford educated intellectuals. These relationships reveal further problems of identity as these families begin living in Britain but are obviously faced by a huge number of problems especially looking at the case in further detail.
Bangladesh is a country where Islam is always a crucial part of the existential problems and also very much part of everyday life. Yet again one has to focus on the customs and problems faced by the bangladeshi’s who have to observe strict religious duties and ceremonies to become an intrinsic part of the whole system. One also has to be strict and observe the whole gamut of relations on religion and the Iqbal family are obviously faced with these problems almost on a daily basis.
When returning from Bangladesh, Magid who is the other son of the Iqbal family begins working as the research assistant to Marcus but all comes a cropper when the Jewish family attempt to provide what can be deemed to be a safe haven to Magid and Millat in the context of the British life and their intrinsic situation
One also has to understand Josh whose problems are also ignored by his parents and he too finds extreme difficulties in adapting to certain situations. Yet again the question of identity continually turns the novel full circle and shows us the problems faced by these communities in their efforts to adapt and become part of the furniture, so to speak.
The issue of sleeping with partners is also given due prominence in White Teeth. What one may immediately observe is that Irie and Millat have a relationship which is based on mutual mistrust as each one does not know that the other loves each and vice versa. Obviously these issues clash considerably when faced with the couple’s religious backgrounds which describe abstention and sexual repression as important parts of their curriculum. Yet again, the problem of identity moves to the fore and creates an intrinsic problem throughout the novel.
An intriguing quote about Australian cooking in Willesden also shows the problems of assimilating different cultures:
"After a complaint of a terrible smell above Sister Mary's Palm Readers on the high road", health officers found "sixteen squatting Aussies who had dug a huge hole in the floor and roasted a pig in there, apparently trying to recreate the effect of a South Seas underground kiln" (pp 75-80).
Everything then turns full circle in the dramatic final scene of the novel where a long kep secret from Samad and archie’s past comes to the fore showing that nobody is perfect. The level of excitement which is reached is quite incredible at this stage and everything moves forward with incredible intensity and pathos, largely also due to the fact that we have become rather conditioned by Millat and majid in their intrinsic and heavily influential problems.
Major themes in the book:
One could say that the novel mixes pathos with humour but at the same time it illustrates the considerable dilemmas of immigrants as these are continually faced and confronted by a new and extremely different society. As one reads through the book, one can detect certain qualities and negatives which ring through about these non-British cultures but these are also contrasted with the settings in the different culture of the hosts. Everything is further satirized as English culture is mocked and ridiculed with all its’ stiff upper lip and hypocrisy as personified by the Chalfens and Archie.
The experiences of the immigrants are then further confronted with several conflicts as these attempt to assimilate and preserve their cultures in a strange land. White Teeth is intriguing as it attempts to depict several different cultures such as Afro-Caribbean, Jewish and Muslim societies. This also allows the author to approach the idea of multiculturalism in a different context and also explores the considerable undercurrents which are ever present in Westernized societies. This continually allows the author to infuse his character with the prejudices and observations which are prevalent in Western society and which are continually used as methods to infuse immigrants with customs and systems that are not always part of their lives. Smith (the author) also attempted to portray a life where communities functioned quite well but all this is not easy especially when one observes the deficiencies which are actually inherent in English society. The comments and leitmotifs which infuse the novel are also extremely strong and obviously this is not just a question of identity in any case.
The main families in the plot also attempt to create a life for themselves in a new society but this does not always work as the families are still intrinsically rooted in their past. One of the issues which comes back constantly is the fact that Samad is continually wrestling with the fact that life in England is not always conduicive to an upbringing in Islam which is good. His efforts to send his children back to Bangladesh backfire spectacularly and all this returns to haunt him in more ways than one with the boys taking different career paths which may not have been the original intention of the father in any case. However the novel also demonstrates that although parents may be influential, they cannot at the end of the day really influence their offspring to do what they want. This is an interesting observation of identity which runs like an undercurrent throughout the book.
Intriguingly we are also faced with the leitmotif of teeth which recurs constantly throughout the book and which needs further study. The white teeth contrast with the character’s dark colour of their skin. Also a number of circumstances occur where some characters like Clara lose their teeth in the earlier part of the nook and these are eventually replaced by a set of false teeth. The fact that Irie becomes a dentist also shows that teeth remain the recurring leitmotif in the story and through her work as a dentist, Irie is consistently attempting to unify the community. It is an interesting observation which shows that white teeth is the main point of the book and also shows that identity can be enforced in more ways than one.
Other unifying elements in the story are the different cultures which come together in more ways than one and are extremely important as major leitmotifs in the whole book. We are also faced with several complex human relationships, the issue of imposing the Muslim identity, sex and extra marital affairs and other questions of morality which crop up almost on a consistent basis. We also have rivalry between the Bangladeshi brothers which are almost always at loggerheads with each other and which create situations that are extremely uncomfortable for their respective families.
Conclusion – white teeth as a melting pot of identities
This classic novel truly brings together several cultures and assimilates them into British culture in more ways than one. It is what one can describe as a melting pot which culminates in a story which is gripping and essentially full of life. The relationships in the Bangaldeshi community perhaps tae pride of place but we also explored other minorities such as Afro-caribbean as well as Jewish. The novel teaches us an object lesson on the fact that cultural assimilation is an important part of our development as a nation and that we have to also be consistent about our beliefs instead of imposing them on others. White teeth is definitely a novel where the question of identity runs deep and should be explored in much further detail.
Works cited:
Smith Z; White Teeth London, Penguin 2002, Print
